The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1912-1921, 1918-07-09

EOieS Win grass anu sIlpS HUH NY
handkerchief and shirt as best !
could.
1t was not a very workmanlike
looking ladder when l finally got
through with it. | leaned it against
tree to test 1t and 1t wobbled eonsid-
erably. 1t was mere like a rope lad
der than a wooden one, but l strength
ened it here and there and decided
that it would probably serve the pur-
pose.
| kept the ladder in the woods all
day and could hardly wait until dark
to make the supreme test. If it proved
successful my troubles were over;
within a few hours | would be in
neutral country out of all danger. If
| failed-I dismissed the idea sum-
marily There was no use worrying
about failure; the thing to do was to
succeed.
The few hours that We're to pass
before night came on seemed endless,
but | utilized them TO re-enforce my
ladder, tying the rungs more securely
with long grass which l picked in the
woods.
At last night came, and with my
ladder in hand l made for the barrier.
In front of 1t there was n cleared
space of about one hundred yards,
which had been prepared TO make the
work of the guards easier in watch
ing it.
waited in the neighborheod until
heard the sentry pass the spot where
was in hiding and then | hurried
across the clearing, showed my ladder
under the barbed wire and endeay-
| ored to follow it. My clothing caught
| in the wire, but l wrenched myself
clear and crawled to the electric bar
rier.
Ny plan was to place the ladder
against one of the posts, climb up to
the top and then jump. There would
! be fall of nine or ten feet, and |
might possibly sprain an ankle or
break my leg, but If that was all that
stood between me and freedom
wasn't going to stop to consider it.
| put my ear to the ground to listen
for the coming of the sentry There
was not sound. Eagerly but care
fully l placed the ladder against the
post and started up. Only q few feet
| separated me from liberty, and my
heart beat fast.
/ / had climbed perhaps three rungs
of my ladder when / became aware
of an unlocked for difficulty.
The ladder was slipping.
Just as / took the next rung, the
ladder slipped, came in contact with
the live wire, and the current passed
through the wet sticks and into my
body. There was blue flash, my
hold on the ladder relaxed and / fell
heavily to the ground unconscious.
OF course, l had not received the
full force of the current or l would
not now be here. / must have re-
manned unconscious for a few mo-
ments, but l came to just in time to
hear the German guard coming, aud
the thought came to me If ! didn't get
that ladder concealed at once he would
see 1t even though, fortunately for me,
1t was an unusually dark night
l pulled the ladder out of his path
and lay down fiat on the ground not
seven feet away from his feet. He
passed so close that / could have
pushed the ladder out and tripped
him up.
II occurred to me that | could have
climbed back under the barbed wire
fence and waited for the sentry to re-
turn and then felled him with a blow
on the head, as he had no idea, of
course, that there was anyone in the
vicinity. l wouldn't have hesitated
to take life, because my only thought
was to get into Holland, but | thought
| that as long as he didn't bother me
perhaps the safest thing to do was not
to bother him, but to continue my eff
forts during his periodic absence.
His beat at this point was apparent
ly fairly long and allowed me more
time to work than ] had hoped for.
My mishap with the ladder had con-
WINGED me that my escape in that way
was not feasible. The shock that
had received had unnerved me and
was afraid to risk it again, particu-
larly as l realized that l had Jared
more fortunately than | could hope
TO again If / met with a similar mis-
hap. There was no way of making
that ladder hold aGa ] gave up the idea
of using r.
was now right in FROM of this
electric barrier and as / studied it
saw another way Of getting by. If
couldn't get over it, what was the
matter with getting under it?
The bottom wire was only two
inches from the ground and, of course,
l couldn't touch it, but my plan was
to- dig underneath it and then crawl
through the hole in the ground.
/ had only my hands to dig with,
but went at it with will and fortu-
nately the ground was not very hard.
When / had dug about six inches,
making distance in all Of eight