Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1919-01-10
A~ppropriatlng
a Passport
By WARREN MILLER
,yright, 1917, Western Newspaper Union

called "1OmmedOo BOIn my 1dlhel
and mother were born in France, and
j am not only French in appearance
but speak French fluently.
In 1914 1 was travelling abroad and
was in Berlin when the worlds war
broke out.
1 hurried to the foreign office to get
my passport put in order to leave Ger
many, but was obliged to wait several
days for it. While waiting l formed
the acquaintance of a man named
walker, who claimed to be an Ameri-
can.
The day I received the passport, on
returning with it to my hotel, l met
him in the Office. l was SO pleased
that 1 told him all about finally being
permitted to leave Germany and he
congratulated me warmly. He~asked
me when I would leave and l told him
that 1 would go "the next day on the
only through train that ran between
Berlin and Brussels"
The next day, when l reached the
station, 1 was met by MI. Walker. he
was carrying a suitcase and told me
that he was going on the train. He
took me to q compartment of n OF
the coaches, in which there were eight
seats. Six of the seats were occupied
and Walker and I took the remaining
two seats. Then the guard-we In
America call him the conductor
locked the door. As he did so l saw q
look of intelligence pass between him
and Mr.. Walker. What it meant ]
had no idea.
At the first stop several passengers
got out and the guard locked the door
at once, preventing anyone else from
entering the compartment. Within an
hour after leaving Berlin Walker n
the remaining passengers, excepting
lone man and myself, got out. The
train was crowded and persons repeat
Iedly tried to induce the guard to let
them enter our almost empty compart'
ment; but he kept it locked, evidently
telling them his reason for doing so,
which I could not hear.
AS soon as we were off again the
sole remaining passenger in the com'
partment besides myself took out a
cigarette case and offered it to me. ]
took q cigarette and he another. ]
noticed that he helped himself from
the other side of the case from which
I took my cigarette. I leaned back In
my seat, and feeling very comfortable
closed my eyes, and in a few minutes
fell asleep.
1 was awakened by the guard an
nouncing that we were at the border
land "all out" He was obliged to give
me a good shaking before arousing me
I was alone, the other passenger hav.
departed. I seized my hand baggage
and went to the room where passen'
Igers were showing their passports, OF
their permission to leave Germany
and put my hand in my pocket to take
out my own passport. 1t was moi
there.
AS soon as / could get an officers
attention I told him I had been robbed
lof my passport. He asked me my
name, and after an investigation told
me that q man named L'HOmmedieu
had passed out
Then 1 knew that my fellow passen-
ger had put me to sleep with a ciga-
Irette prepared for the purpose and had
taken my passport.
Twas taken back to Berlin and held
on suspicion Of being a spy till I had
|convinced the authorities that I was
what I represented myself to be, then,
with the assistance Of the American
minister, I was permitted to leave Der.
lin, and after great difficulties at last
found myself at my hotel in Paris.
A few days after reaching the capt.
tai of France I received a card which
bore the name of a noted French
statesman. Wondering If there were
not some mistake, l went to the salon
to meet him and found a man about
my size and build, though he would not
be mistaken for me.
"Mr. L'Hommedieu," he said, 81 have
been waiting for some time for you
to register your name at a Paris hotel.
I am indebted to you for getting me
out of Berlin, where I happened to
be, unknown to the German govern
ment, at the breaking out of the war,
and I desire to crave your pardon for
having caused you inconvenience.
Inconvenience"
"Hear me. A friend of mine who
passed under the name of Walker
knew Of your trouble about your pass
port. 1t occurred to him that you and
/ were about the same size, u eyes
and hair were the same color. Under
INV own identity T could never get ont
of Berlin. Walker engineered the plan
to rob you of your passport. You
would only be delayed, while I would
be considered an important capture
and would suffer a long Imprisonment,
and heaven knows what other torture.
Walker guided you to the compart-
ment we occupied. Those who occu-
pied 1t were sympathizers."
"You had no right to give me so