Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-01-10
The Daily
Short Story
A BELGIAN ESCAPE.
By Alan Hinsdala

John De Roode was q Belsia> -.
had been taken to Germany to vn,x
there. He had been separated ~.
his family whom he dearly loyed ~
his sole object was to get hest !.
them. This could only be done n - =
escape followed by a journey ~.
several hundred miles through a..
man territory.
De Roode was at work a m scs,
neer in q machine shop makins -,
materials for the German -
Around the plant was a guard AZ 81
diers, and in the building vers ~,
sons whose especial duty II vss !.
watch those who were at work. for
among the German workmen ~.
scattered a number of Belgians.
De Roode finally hit upon ! Ma,
for getting out Of the building. A. =
escaping the outside guard he conis
lay no plan, for he could not forsss.
what he would have to meet vhen =
had left the factory.
The first part Of De Roode's ini,,
was to gain as far as possible RI.
confidence of his guards. But - fhis
he was unsuccessful. No guard -,
allowed to act on any conlidenca -
might have in a foreign workman -.
ing satisfied with his enforced cantiv.
ity. The second part of his plan -.
but little less difficult. It was this:
Connected with De Roode's ene,n.
was broad leather belt which tam.
mitted the power to the gearing A..
tached to the yelling. This belt pssssa
within a few feet of a window locatAS
about seven-eighths of the distance II.
tween the engine and the gearine
De Roode aimed to Jump on the beh
and ride to the window. To do this
while the belt was in motion womb
likely result in his being thrown
against the ceiling. He must maid
the jump wen the belt was about "a
stop.
! Beneath the window some four or
five feet was an addition to the build.
ing. II De Roode could reach the roof
of this addition he could drop from
there some twelve or fourteen feet to
the ground. The wall he could scala,
J for it was .of no great height. Da-
sides there were several openings h
it. But this part Of his plan was con.
jectural.
At a certain hour in the evening
work was discontinued in the factory
for few minutes while the nixht
shift took the place of the day shin.
At this time De Roode was expected
to stop his engine and see that It was
in good condition for his successor.
who started it up again. De Rood
conceived his plan in the summer but
was obliged to wait till winter when
the change in shift would be made h
darkness; for he preferred to attempt
to try to pass out Of the grounds BY
lodging the guards rather than to
take the risk Of getting through un-
der some pretense.
De Roode could only execute his
plan when there was no one In the en-
CINE room except himself. For this he
was obliged to wait for weeks, for be-
sides an assistant engineer there
were other workmen in the engine
room which was part of Z space
containing machinery. During this
period of waiting he was noting Just
how long it took a given point In the
belt to go from the lower turning
point to the window after the power
was turned off. This he determined
after careful experiments.
One night when the change Of shit
was made he looked about and saw the
last man in the room in which his en-
CINE stood, pass out. De Roode must
make his jump before the first man Of
the night shift entered, and that was
liable to be at any moment. He turned
off the power and stood waiting for
the belt to slow down to point where
it would seem feasible for him Ia
: make the Jump. Just as he was about
to do so a man entered the other end
of the long room containing the ma
chinery. De Roode hesitated. then
seeing that the man went to his ma
chine and stood with his back to thu
engine, he sprang to the belt, caugh'
each edge with hand, rode to the
window, jumped for it and In anothei
. moment was on the roof Of the add
i ton to the building.
, The sun sets very early in German
, in winter and it was now long aftei
I dark. De. Roode waited till his eyei
, were accustomed to the darkness thel
: moved cautiously to the edge OF tn
) roof, and dropped to the grouno
alighting with no more sound tnai
would have been made by a cat. IL
: listened and heard sentry COMM
4 toward him. De Roote thought tns
: his efforts had been for nothing. n
: crouched against the wall OF the puilo
, ing, his heart beating as 1t had nevel
: beaten when he had jumped on "a
!. belt. The sentry came within ~
: PAGES Of him, turned, and while o
a was walking away De Roode va
:, climbing the wall that SURROUNDED u
: building. Once over he ran like
: deer till he had put the factory u
;. behind him. =,
: An account Of De Roodeb tfaSe1
e through Germany, hiding by day, trss
s cling by night, the stars MS ont
: guide, till he reached Swltzerianu
:. would make story Of far grea1s
n length than his escape from the ms
d milton factory.
From Switzerland he found an ess
entrance into France where ne ~
: for his family to come to him. Aner
: was one of those joyful reunica
S which, alas, are not as frequent % -
# parting in this terrible war. Al.e
Y that De Roode found his place IN %
II Belgium army.
/.