New-York tribune., 1918-02-02
Crazed Officer Made Rockies
Think That Marine Was a Spv
Sergeant Erxeben Says Lieutenant Hyde Seized Him Here
and look Him to Greenwich Where He Quizzcd
Him Prvates Stood Guard

y Commanders Of the Faithful (who
yesterday at breakfast table and sub
woy strap gave eye to the wellnlRh
incredible tale of the candy man, the
simple soldiers and the mad lieuten-
anti hear now the unvarnishcd and
"ngarbied truth Of what happened dur
ing that thril-ridden absence without
leave of Sergeant Robert Erxlcbcn.
United States Marine Corps.
with patience, 0 Commanders. Won
snail come to learn how in modern
bagdad 1T is yet possible for one man
TO run away with four; how the dis
clpllned may be abducted by command
ana how the most peaceablc of civil
'ans at word may be made to disap-
pear as completely and mysteriously
as the gas flame in zero weather,
Six and thirty hours was tho COR
geant gone upon his adventures, be it
hnown-not mere twelve. And six
ana thirty years hence it is safe to
say he will not have forgotten one
OF them; nor within that time is it
likely that his figuratve foot and the
fuIl of his pants will cease to meet in
violent and recurrentAcontact.
At the outset it must be set forth
that it was at 9 o'clock Wednesday
morning, and not in mid afternoon
OF the same day that Sergeant Erxle-
ben involuntarily withdrew from the
marine corps recruiting service With
III an hour, in truth, he had managed
to wlgwag news of his predcament to
fellow marine-but that comes later
in the story.
Halted BY Hyde
AT 8 o'clock then, the sergeant was
on his way to take up his customary
station beside the Soldiers of the Sea-
Ssignboard IN Grand Central Terminal
Tic left recruiting headquarters at "a
East Twenty third Street in due order
and at the subway station, block away,
had walked unseeingly into and been
reprimanded by an army officer.
That was. as heretofore correctly re-
vealcd, First Lieutenant Seymour Wor-
rail- Hyde, of the headquarters company
of the 306th Infantry, stationed at
Camp Upton and in the city on leave.
OF the impending nervous breakdown,
OF the madness that already was begun.
the sergeant read no sign. He mildly
accepted a rcbuke for having failed TO
salute, hastily rectitied the oversight,
aud without question followed Hyde
into taNicab when the latter said,
"Follow mel" The sergeant had seen
eight years of service. The maxim.
"Obey first, think afterward." had been
thoroughly drilled into him. AS the
taxicab went downtown Erxlcbcn, in be-
wlldermcnt heard he was under arrest.
Still he was unquestioning of authority.
The machine stopped in front of the
building at 36l Broadway, which houses
the New York counting and stock rooms
of the great Woollcn firm Of A. G. Hyde
q Sons. few doors to the south the
sergeant saw a familiar uniform and
familiar face. He WAS almost within
haling distance Of a downtown recruit
ing stand and of his old friend, Ed
Holzhauer, his bunkic of Philippine
days.
ErXlebcn caught Eolzhauer's eve and
reached his hand out the taxi window
in the Marine Corps exists a language
of signs which is called "brig talk"
The captive wrigglcd his fingers indus.
trlously while 1loi.hauer spelled out
the code: "Im in trouble. Under ar
rest"
There the message was cut short by
Lieutenant Hyde, Who ordered ErXleben
indoors.
Among marines d pals pal. Ed