Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1918-10-11

give mo a world Of confidence. i
demonstrated to me that there Wa
nothing In my appearance at any rate
Tn attract the attention OF the German
Soldiers. Apparently ] looked like q
Relglan peasant, and If could only
work things ~ that 1 would never
nave fl answer questions and thus
give away my nationality, l figured
w0uld h. tolcrnbly safe.
As marched along felt so happy
/ couldn't help hummIng I'M air Of one
nf the new patriotic songs that we
used 10 sing at the alrtlrome back In
Yprcs.
In this happy frame " mind I COW
cred the next three miles In about IN
hour and then came Ia another little
village. My usual course would have
been to 20 around lt-thrOugh fields.
lack Yards, w00ds or whatever else
lay In my way-but | had gained so
much time by going through the last
village instead of dctOuring around
II and my appearance seemed to he so
unSuSpiclnuS that l decided IA try III"
same stunt again.
I stopped humming and kept very
much on the alert. hut apart from
that, / walked boldly through the
main street without any feeling of
alarm.
/ had proceeded perhaps mile
along the main street when | noticed
ahead of me three German soldiers
standing at the curb.
Again my heart started To beat fast,
must confess, hut | was not nenrly
80 scared as | had been an hour ar
so before.
walked ahead, determined 10 fol-
low my previous procedure in every
particular.
/ had got to about fifteen feet away
from the soldiers when one of them
stepped onto the sidewalk and
shouted:
"lIalt"
My heart stopped beating fnSt-for
Il moment. I believe, ii stopped beating
altogether! ! can't attempt To de-
scribe my feelings. l thought that
the jig was up-that all | had gone
through and all | had escaped would
now avail me nothing, mingled with
the feeling Of disgust with my
self because Of the foolish risk |
had taken in going through the vii
lage, combined Ia take all the starch
out of me, and | could feel myself
willing as the soldier advanced 10 the
spot where stood rooted in my
tracks.
had bottle of water in one pocket
and Il piece of bread in the other, and
as the Hun advanced to search me l
held the bottle up in one hand and
the piece Of bread IN the other s0 that
he could see that was all ! had.
II occurred 10 me that he would
"friSk" ne--that Is, feel me over for
arms ar other weapons, then place
me under arrest and march Inc of TO
the guardhOusc. had not the slight
EST idea but that I was captured and
there didn't seem To he much use in
resisting. unarmed as l was and with
two other German soldiers within q
few feet of US.
Like flash II suddenly dawncd on
me- however, that for all this soldier
could have known | was only Il Bel
gian peasant and that his object in
searching me, which he proceeded TO
Ilo, was To ascertain whether l had
the common "crime" Of
potatoes.
The Bclgians were allowed only a
certain amount of potatoes, and II Is
against the laws laid down by the
Huns To deal in vegetables of any
kind except under the rigid supervi-
sion OF the authorities. Nevertheless,
il was one of the principal vOcations
Of the average poor Belgian To buy
potatoes out in the country from
peasants and then smuggle them into
the large cities and sell them clam
1estinely ut high price.
To stop this traffic in potatoes, the
German soldiers were in the habit Of
the Belgians to frequent
search. and l was being held UP by |
this soldier for no other reason than |
that he thought / might be Il potato |
He felt of my outside clothes and |
pockets. and finding no potatoes
seemed to be quite satisfied. Had he
put known who | was he could have
earned an iron cross! Or, perhaps, in
view Of the fact that | had Il heavy |
water bottle in my upliftcd hand, 1t |
might have turned out to he wooden
cross!
lie said something in German,
which. of course. did not understand,
mi then some Belgian peasants came
along and seemed to distract his atten-
ion. Perhaps he had said: "It's all
right; you may 20 on" or he may
have been talking to the others in
Flemish, hut ut any rate, observing
hat he was more interested in the
Iihcrs than he was in me ut the mo-
ncnt, 1 put the bottle In my pocket
md walked Oh.
After 1 walked a few steps, l took
'uriive glnnce backward and noticed