The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-01-25
WILD CRUISE
OF SKIPPER
Captain Trudset Of Frisco Has Just
Been Released from One OF
! German Prison
Camps.
EIGHT MONTHS SAIL
On Board Hun Pirate Ship Wolff
Which Captured and Sank
His Own
Vessel.
CHIT MONTHS SAIL

I
Vessel.
[By United Press.1
BELAStkADE, SWISS BORDER. Dec.
2O.-(by maiD-Among the most pop
ular Of the officers liberated from Ger
man prison camps in a trainload OF
Americans from Switzerland which
arrived today is the skipper"
THE Skipper" is Captain Robert ID.
Trudget OF San Francisco, commander
of the four mast schooner Winslow,
which left the Golden Gate two months
before America entered the war. The
Winslow was captured by the German
raider Wolff and Captain Trudget was
a prisoner on board the Tr,ldget Tor
eight months before she finally return
| ed to Kiel and he was put in camp.
| The captain is q little man, flfty
years old, who has a Line sense OF hu-
NOR, and one ambition In the. world,
that being to get back to San Francis
CO to 1.-THE old woman, as he affection
lately calls his wife, and to his two
strapping sons and one daughter. He
hasn't seen them ror two years.
The captain is the best man to tell
his story. When l get back to San
Francisco, I'll never venture out OF my
own yard he declares, I'm going to
retire. I've been rowing the seas Tor
forty years, and then to wind UP this
way! I'M through, and I'm going to
lash myself to the old woman and stay
with her.
! 1T was almost two years ago when
II was hired by an agent in Australia
I to take some fire brick and petrol and
food to San Francisco. after I'd made
a trip from Hum boldt down to the
South Seas. 1t was my last Trip. I'd de-
cided then, because 1 told the DoSS l
was going to retire. He wanted to get
me to 60 just once more, and that
how I happened to get caught.
| well, off the Samoa Islands we
were sighted by the Wolff, and told to
surrender. What could we do? 1t was
mt any fighting ship, and had no guns.
SO they took us off, loaded our cargo
into the Wolrr and fire thirty-s1x
shots into the old Wlnslow-. Even then
Ishe wouldn't go down. l think the car
go was meant Tor the Wolff, because
ithey needed fuel and food, and f1re
ibr.ck to repair boiler they'd burnt
out.
! Then we started our eight months
!cruise. First they sailed around Africa,
attacking defenseless vessels where
ever they found them. The Wolff was
louipped with fine wireless 1nstru
!ments, and they could uetect ffShtiGs
shipS, and we never had any fight
during the entire cruise.
Altogether they captured and sunk
fourteen derenseless boats between
Samoa and around Africa, across to
South America, and up the coast al
most to Iceland. The Germans wanted
to go north OF Iceland and along Scan
dfnavia toward home but the ice floes
wouldn't allow it. So they took a
chance south OF Iceland and pulled UP
just north OF Denmark.
by that time the Wolff had laio
more than 400 mines around Australia
and along the cast coast OF South and
North America. They laid up week
near Denmark, waiting for orders to
proceed to kiel, and when the demon.
stration was all prepared, she pulled
up to the harbor. There were saiutes
by the men OF war, and everything was
decorated. They sent down carload
of iron crosses from Berlin and every
one got them, even the cooks.
I'VE were ready to quit cruising,
though it wasn't much to look to, go
ing to Germany. Out at sea we'd run
pretty close to the boards sometimes,
but we always prayed to bring along 2
ship, and one came along. and we had
food to live on, sometimes good and
sometimes bad.
] well: those OF us who were prison.
ers were sent to camp. | had crew
of Swede sailors and Japanese COOK.
The Germans hired the Swedes to
work ON the Wolrf and the Jap was
imprisoned with the crew OF Japa
nese liner They put me in a militar,
officers camp because 1 was consider
ed a dangerous character. r
/ Il was on the Wolff eight months
which meant freedom on the decks
when we weren't in action, and then
they put all the prisoners in the hatct
and stationed half a dozen Germans at
the door with grenades to throw If we
showed any fuss. I've been in several
German camps during the last year
but longest at Villtngen.
I'm not much on this military stuff
and l don't salute anybody but Ger
mans, ana then because want To live
tt go back to San Francisco. Tney call
me captain and salute. but it's all over.
board, this saluting, now that we're
away from the Germans
ut was a good enough experience
but at my age I'm not looking for ex
periences. I've had to fight with al
kinds of nationalities since I've beer
prisoner, just to get food, and some
times 1t was pretty rough. But there's
no kick coming from me, just so ge
back on the Bay alive and find the ole
woman Then we're going to Marke
street and celebrate. and after that it:
my own yard. and inside of that fol
/ me-"
! In his travels the captain has