South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-10-19

saio something 20 the intelligence
ofio er. and the latter seemed 10
grasp the situation He sprang into
the seat beside the machine gun and
started firing.
My Desperate Flight
The Germans recoiled before this
unexpected attack. and their tenn
porary discontinue enabled the dar-
ing airman 10 get his machine into
the air once in the air. there was
nothing to stop him getting away
for he could easily rise above the
FIRE OF the anti-aircraft guns.
My own plight. however. was des-
perate. When the Germans opened
fire ! had flung myself fat on the
ground behind the tree by which ]
was standing. but had the enemy at
tempted a search Of the ground ]
was certain to be discovered. 1 lay
there with wildly beating heart
wondering how soon the Germans
would begin their search. and won
dering also if l dare risk seeking
safety in flight.
/ heard voices close by me, and
soon I made out the orders Of the
officer 10 his men 10 make a system
attic search. I decided that my only
chance lay in instant flight, so ]
sprang 20 my feet and ran off into
the woods. As l did so there was a
sharp challenge. and I heard the
vicious ping of the bullets sent aft
OF me in streams
Terror Lends Him Wings.
ran as fast as l could, terror APP
parently lending me wings but the
impression l had was that the en-
envy were not Stacking off their pur-
suits. Ny immediate objective was
an underground passage giving &C
cess to the garage OF the house we
freQuented. If I could get 10 this
passage before the enemy saw me
had every chance Of getting away, for
no one was likely to gather from a
casual glance at the bush covered
quarry hole that it concealed a Sc
cret entrance to an underground
passage.
When I got to the quarry hole I
was in some doubt as TO whether 7
should risk the disclosure of a secret
of such Importance to others beside
myself, and at first I was inclined
to run on further. but when I look
ed back without seeing any of the
pursuers L thought I might risk il.
I got inside and pressed back the
underground, so as 20 cover up the
entrance l heard footsteps and
voices without. and knew that my
| pursuers were close at hand. I could
tell that they were discussing my
| mysterious disappearance, and that
| they were skeptical OF the story of
their comrade, who had said that
| had gone that way
My Escape.
For a long time I lay just inside
! the passage, hardly daring to
breathe, for 1 expected the under
growth to be pushed aside at any
moment. and once that was done it
would be all up with me.
Gradually all became still again,
and 1 crawled along the passage as
far as 1 could. When I got TO the
other end 1 was fearful lest the SOL
| diers should have returned to the
| house on suspicion that we had
something to do with the incident
Of the aeroplane. So far as l knew,
1 had not been recognized, but there
was lust the chance that I had been.
and in that case I had little hope of
! explaining my fight from the Ger
| man soldiers
However. / went out boldly when
I reached the passage leading into
the house and spent the night there.
The Germans could prove nothing
against US, but for nearly a week
the house was occupied by soldiers,
while the grounds were patrolled
regularly. Fortunately. the warning
had been given to Allied airmen by
| Mannock on my advice, and none of