Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-12-26

Possibly they wanted q noucUmbatas
q the Wheel In case they were oves
hauled b. . neutral vessel. We wer
going full speed at the time. but q
soon - ! took the wheel abe cut dow,
to half speed. and stayed that way TO
MALT ~ hour. Then up to fun spec,
again
Pretty soon there Was q tram,
steamer on the starboard bow. and ri
most before I ssw Il, there were twt
more seotrtes on each aide Of M
pfoddtng me with their revOlyers ant
warning me to keep on the course
They had civilian clothes on.
Then we went through the Skases
TACK and Cattegat. which are narrow
ttFtps OF water leading to the Baltic
and We were only a mile from short
with vessels al about US. Il would
have been an easy thing for me ia
signal what our ship was and who
were aboard. but they had six sentries
ON my neck all the time to keep me
from 1t. I never wanted to do any.
thing worse In my life than jump
overheard or signal. But I would
nave been shot down before I had
more than started to do either. 50 l
just stayed with the wheel.
We were nearing one Of the DAN
ish islands in the Baltic when We
sighted a tug. She began to smoke
up and blow her siren. The sailors got
very excited and ran around In crazy
style, and Badewitz began shouting
orders than they could get away
with. The sentries left me and ran
with the rest of the F'ritzies to the
boat deck and started to lower n of
the lifeboats. But Badewitz was right
on their heels and kicked the whole
bunch around in great shape, roaring
like a bull all the time.
l left the wheel and ran to the end
OF the bridge, to jump overheard. But
the minute / let go OF the wheel the
vessel fell of of the course, and they
noticed 1t, and Badewitz sent five of
them up on the bridge and three
others to the side with their revolyers
to shoot me II l should reach the wa.
ter. I think If I had had any rope to
lash the wheel with l could have got
away and they would not have known
it.
When the five sailors reached the
bridge N Of them jumped for the
cord and gave our siren five long
blasts In answer to the tug. The tug
was about to launch a torpedo, and
we whistled just in time. One of our
was looking from the fiddley, and
he saw the Huns making for the life !
boats. SO he got two or three others |
and they all yelled together, Don't |
let them get awayw thinking that
they would get the boat over and |
leave the ship, and trying to yell loud |
enough for the tug to hear them.
Badewitz took this man and two or
three others, whether they were the
ones who yelled or not. and beat them
up and put them in irons. I thought
there was going to be a mutiny
aboard, but 1t did not come of, and
l am not sure what the Huns were so
about.
The other four sailors who came nm
the bridge did not touch me, but
just kept me covered with their re.
volvers. That was the way with them
would not touch US unless
was there or they had bayo.
nets. The old bull himself came up
On the bridge after he had beaten up
I few men, threw me around quite a
bit and kicked me down from the
bridge and slammed me into the coal
bunkers. I felt pretty sore, as you
imagine, and disappointed and
pretty low generally.
After a while we heard the anchor
.halns rattling through on their way
% get wet, and we pulled up. Then
very German ship in the Baltic came
lp to look us over, I guess. They
'pened up the hatch covers, and the
dun garbies and gold-stripes came
aboard and looked down at US, and
'pit all they could on us, and called
all the different kinds of swine in
:reation. They had sthem lined up
md filing past the hatchways-all Of
hem giving us the once over in turn.
they sold tickets for this show
1t would be like the Huns.
At first we we're milling around try.
ng to get out from under the hatch
openings and the shower Of spit. but
'ome Ltmey officer sung out, Brit.
shers ALL Don't give way" and we
TODD still and let them spit their
German lungs out before we
you'd move for them, and some Cor.
lishmen began singing their song
bout Trelawney. So we made out F.
hat we did not know such q thing an
German ever lived.
We got better acquainted with Ger
nan splitting later on, and believe me. ,
hey are great little spitters. not much .
u distance or accuracy, but quick In ,
ction and well supplied with ammu. .
itlon. Splitting on prisoners Is the !
avortte Indoor and outdoor sport for F.,
Germans. men and women alike. :
When the show was over. they .
us up on deck and nut ys to !
'ork throwing the salt pork and can. ! !
goods into two German mine.lay. .
re-. While we were at It. a Danish .