The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-08-13

In the little hamlet of Saliceta San
-Giuliano, province of Emilia, Italy.
lives a shoemaker, Luigi Ghittoni, in a
modest home. He has four sons in the
army. Two are row at the front, and
two were captured by the Austrians.
One evening recently the door was
burst open roughly, and the shoemak-
er cried out in alarm: "Who is there?"
"It is I, Edward, your son." came
the answer. 81 have escaped from
Austria"
At the sound of loved ones voice,
the little home was thrown topsy-
turvy, and the good news flew in mo-
ment around the town. What gath
ering there was of friends, relatives
and family for welcoming him to the
homel
Edward still bore on his face traces
of his hardships in captivity, and after
his escape. He is thirty. He had
fought in Libya in the famous Italian
African campaign. AS soon as Italy
declared war in 1915, he fastened to
the front and took part in several en-
gagements, but July 20 he was cap
tured on San Michael, and for 81
months remained a prisoner of the
Austrians. He was taken to Labiana
where he remained for six days and
was sent to Mathausen. There he re-
manned till September, 1916.
Prisoners FIogged Piteously.
sour life was a hard one," he said;
''the suffering was great; the food
scant and of the poorest quality; the
beatings with rods frequent and with
out pity. Among so many tortures
what racked the boys most was to be
compelled by force to help fiay their
comrades tied to a stake. This cruelty
was abolished, however, after the
death of Francis Joseph"
The opportunity to escape came,
however, and young Ghittoni proved
equal to the emergency. In Septem-
ber he was sent with a batch of other
prisoners to Hungary, Dommavater in
the Carpathians being their destina-
ton.
"We were divided into squads of
250" he continued, "each assigned to
cut down trees, which were to be used
In Notifications. Our treatment did
not improve, and the work was made
harder every day. Blows were struck
If anyone refused to work, or let up
for any reason. l received my full
share with the rest. Only one thing
bore us up, and that was the hope of
escape. In spite of all the difficulties
we decided to regain our liberty at
whatever cost. We were able to get
some Austrian uniforms and accumu-
late supplies. After that we awaited
our opportunity.
"Two of our companions, however"
Ghittoni continued, became impatient
and leaped over the stockade last JAN
uary. They were discovered immedi-
ately, shot by sentinels when they re-
fused to halt, and returned to captiv.
ity. What became of them? We knew
nothing after that.
'Eight of us resolved to get away.
We were divided into two squads. A
few days later the first succeeded in
getting over the stockade, and we lost
trace of each other for the moment.
No alarm was given by the Austrians !;
so we concluded that their getaway
had been successful.
"a week later in the night the Sec
ond squad leaped over the stockade
and made for the Businesses of the
Carpathian mountains. A few miles
beyond we came to railway station.
Warmly Greeted by Russians.
"a train was about to start for the
Russian border. We climbed on board.
A Hungarian trainman ogled us at
first. Then he got drowsy. The train
covered 55 kilometers and stopped.
We got off. Two by two we took diff
ferent ways to escape the notice Of the
sentinels. We asked the way to the
Russian border with the utmost eau
tion. After long drudgery we were
able to get bite to eat. For five
days we dragged ourselves along, half
starved, without sign of encourage
ment. We passed through six barbed
wire entanglements. We dropped
finally to little path covered with
snow.
AT last we came upon a military
post. 1t happened to be the first Rus
sian outpost Of covered battery.
We were received as friends, and
were supplied with bountiful rations.
The Russians completed our joy by re-
uniting us with the four companions
who had escaped week before us,
We were enabled through the assist
ance Of the French military mission to
get back to Italy"
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