Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-05-21
"OutWitting the Hun"
By Lieutenant Pat O'Brien
Copyright, 1918. by Pat Alva O'Brien)

was / so glad to see the Union Jack!
l beckoned to the chauffeur to go
with me up to the office. as l had
no money with which to pay him.
and when he got to the Consulate
l told him that if they would pay
! the taxi fare l would tell them who
| was and how 1 happened to be
! there.
! They knew at once that l was an
escaped prisoner and they readily
paid the chauffeur and invited me
to give some account of myself.
! They treated me most cordially
and were intensely interested in the
brief account l gave them of my ad-
ventures. Word was sent to the
Consul-General and he Immediately
sent for me. When l went in he
shook hands with me, greeting me
very heartily and offering me a
chair.
He then sat down, screwed a
monocle on his eye and viewed me
from top to toe. l could see that
only good breeding kept him from
laughing at the spectacle l pre-
sented. 1 could see he wanted to
laugh in the worst way.
GO ahead and Taught" I said,
You can't offend me the way l feel
this blessed day!" and he needed no
second invitation. incidentally it
gave me a chance to laugh at him,
for | was about as much amused as
he was.
After he had laughed himself
about sick he got up and slapped me
on the back and invited me to tell
him my story.
Lieutenant" he said when 1 had
concluded, you can have anything
you want 1 think your experience
entities you to it," .
well, Consul" I replied, 81
would like a bath, a shave, haircut
land some civilized clothes about as
badly as a man ever needed them,
| suppose, but before that l would
like to get cable off to America to
NV mother telling her that l am
safe and on my way to England"
The Consul gave the necessary in
structions and l had the satisfac-
ton of knowing before l left the Of
fee that the cable, with its good
tidings, was on it's way to America
Then he sent for one of the naval
men who had been interned there
since the beginning of the war and
who was able to speak Dutch and
told him to take good care OF me.
After l had been bathed and
shaved and had a haircut l bought
some new clothes and had some
thing to eat, and / felt like new
man.
AS I walked through the streets
of Rotterdam breathing the air oi
freedom again and realizing that
there was no longer any danger oi
being captured and taken back tC
prison. it was a wonderful sensation
don't believe there will ever be a
country that will appear in my eyes
quite as good as Holland did then
[ had to be somewhat careful. how
ever. because Holland was full oi
German spies and l knew they would
be keen to learn all they possibly
could about my escape and my ad.
ventures so that the authorities ir
Belgium could mete out punishment
to everyone who was in any re
spect to blame for it. AS l was ir
Rotterdam only a day they didn't
have very much opportunity to learr
anything from me.
The naval officer who accompanied
me and acted as interpreter for mC
introduced me to many other sol
diers and sailors who had escapes
from Belgium when the Germans
took Antwerp, and as they had ar
rived in Holland in uniform ant
under arms, the laws of neutralit.
compelled their internment and the
, had been there ever since.
The Life of Those Interned
The life of a man who is interne'
in a neutral country, / learned i
anything but satisfactory. He get
. one month a year to visit his home
If he lives in England that is not s.
, bad, but If he happens to live fur
ther away, the time he has to speni
/, with his folks is very short, as tn
months leave does not take int
/, consideration the time consumed il
travelling to and from Holland.
The possibility of escape from in