South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-10-22
Underground Roads Aid
Rescued Prisoners TO
Re-enter Allied Lines
Subterranean Passages, Some IA Miles Long,
Used to Get Men Through Heavily
Guarded German Sectors

: through the German line than go
on like this"
He went up to take his chance. as
he called it, and alas, 1t proved 20
be very poor chance. for ne was
shot dead when trying TO evade a
I German post. Later I heard from
some Belgian peasants that this Of
fcer had been carried to their cot
tage. but had been dead on arrival,
and was buried behind the cottages
7 in "A field with some German dead.
Friendly Foes.
In the early summer Of last year
/ the existence Of this underground
road TO safety must have become
known 10 men Of the German army.
} for one morning when we entered
I at the Lille end we were surprised
/ to hear mems voices l was accom-
/ panied by two Belgians and a party
/ OF British soldiers. numbering IA.
/ We were on the point of retrac-
7 ing our steps when a party Of Ger
4 mans came forward. and made il
\ impossible for US to get away un-
seen. one OF the Germans burst out
Z laughing ct sight of the British sol
I diers and called 10 them in pass
able English There is nothing TO
( fear. We are sick of this business,
and want TO get away. We will not
I betray you. because if we did so il
would mean betraying ourselves"
! other Germans joined the first
} group, coming from a deeply
! lowed recess in the workings, which
I they appeared to use as a living
room. There were as of them alto
gether They said they had taken
/ part in the lighting Of the last three
months but could stand it no long
| er. and had agreed TO desert
Satisfied of Honesty.
I 1 was satisfied from the hearing
I of the men that they We're speaking
the truth. and I told them that l
! knew way by which they could
| reach the British lines and give
! themselves without fear. At first
/ they demurred to this suggestion.
saying that they had heard that pris-
! oners were starved in Great Britain.
/ one Of the British soldiers. how
/ ever, said that he had been home on
! leave lately. and he had the impress
I sion that the German prisoners were
I having a good time.
That is what 1 would expect"
said the German who had first spok
en- 10 US Il will risk IT,"
He turned to his companions, and
said something TO them which l did
not catch, but the result was that
the whole Of the party went with US.
We took about 10 hours covering
the distance. but reached the Brit
/ ish end Of the workings safely. The
Germans were astOnished 10 find
/ the existence OF this passage. and
I thought it would be a fine thing TO
use it for enabling their comrades
30 desert. They asked permission
OF the British commander at Lens
+ 20 go back and bring more of their
/ comrades. with whom they had been
in communication before they had
met US.
/ This permission was naturally re-
/ fused. but l promised the Germans
Z that I would look out for any OF
their comrades on my return. Sure
enough / found another party of Is,
and these were sent through to
Lens. where they arrived safely.
\ CHASTITY Sight.
Ny next Journey brought me a
CHASTITY reminder Of the danger at
tending the use OF these galleries.
/ When 1 passed through the narrow
gallery connecting with the main
l. -
heaviness in the atmosphere, and IL
was not long until l had satisfied
myself that there was gas about.
/ The further l went the more op-
pressive did II seem. and when l
reached the recess that had been
used by the first party of Germans
l came on a sight that lmOst froze
+ the blood in my veins.
Stretched on the ground lifeless
I were a number OF men in German
uniforms Some had a peaceful
( look on their faces as though they
had gone in their sleep. or might
even be sleeping still. Others he'd
4 the look OF horror that is often seen
+ on the face OF the gassed men. and
+ I knew that these poor devils had
been gasSed.
II appeared that two days pre-
viously the Germans had given the
workings their periodic gas deluge,
I probably because they suspected that
deserters were in hiding some
where. but also because it was part
OF their policy TO render the mines
+ OF the occupied region dangerous by
. releasing gas through them. so that
+ they could not be used by the allies
after Germany had been forced 70
give them up.
These poor wretches had been
caught as they lay resting. some Of
ITEM probably asleep. \ few had
.ried 20 craw, away 10 escape the
deadly fumes. for we found a num-
. Der Of bodies i'm the galleries. fur
Their along After we had gone