Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-04-06

| Sot LoTtn IN these pages.
miracles, luck, condolences, Provi-
dence-it doesn't matter much what
you call it-certainly played an i'm
portant part in the series Of hair
breadth escapes in which I figured
ourihg my short, but eventful ap-
pearance in the great drama now be-
ing enacted across the seas. With
out 1t all my efforts and sufferings
would have been quite unavailing.
NO one realizes this better than I
do and 1 want to repeat it right
mere because elsewhere in these
pages l may appear occasionally IN
overlook or minimize it: without the
help of Providence 1 would NOT he
here to-day.
But this same Providence which
Drousht me home safely, despite all
the dangers which beset me. NAV
work similar miracles for others and
1t is in the hope of encouraging other
poor devils who may find themselves
In situations as hopeless apparently
as mine oftentimes were that this
book is written.
When this cruel war is over-
which l trust may be sooner than T
expect 1t to bel hope 1 shall have
an opportunity to revisit the scenes
OF my adventures and to thank in
person In an adequate manner every
one who extended a helping hand to
me when | was a wretched fugitive.
All OF them took great risks in be-
triending an escaped prisoner, and
they did it without the slightest hope
of reward. At the same time 1 hope
L shall have n chance to pay my
compliments to those who endeavor-
ed to take advantage of my distress.
In the meanwhile, however, 1 can
only express my thanks in this in
effective manner, trusting that in
some mysterious way a copy of this
book may fall into the hands of every
one who befrIended me. l hope
particularly that every good Hol-
lander who played the part of the
Good Samaritan to me so bounti-
fully after my escape from Belgium
will see the pages and feel that I
am absolutely sincere when I say
that words cannot begin to express
my sense of gratitude to the Dutch
people.
1t is needless for me to say how
deeply 1 feel for my elbow prisoners
in Germany who were less fortunate
than !. Poor, poor fellows!-they
are the real victims of the war. I
hope that every one of them may
soon be restored to that freedom
whose value never fully realized
until after 1 had had to fight so hard
to regain it.
PAT o'BRIEN.
Momence, ILL.,, January IA, 1918.
CHAPTER /.
The Folly of Despair.
Less than nine months ago eigh-
teen officers of the Royal Flying
Corps, which had been training in
Canada, left for England on the
"Meganic."
If any of them was over twenty
five years of age, he had successful
ly concealed the fact, because they
don't accept older men for the r.
+. G.
Nine of the squadron were British
subjects; the other nine were Am eri-
cans, who tired of waiting for their
own country to take her place with
the Allies, had joined the British
colors in Canada. 1 was one of the
latter.
We were going to England to earn
our ''wings"-a qualification which
must be won before a member of the
| r. L. c. is allowed to hunt the Huns
on the western front.
That was in May, 1917.
BY August 1st, most OF us were
| full -fledged pilots, actively engaged
at various parts of the line in daily
conflict with the enemy.
BY December 18th. every man jack
of us who had met the enemy in