The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-10-16

third degree. For quite a spell the interrogator couldn't make up his mind whether he dealt with the most guileless human being on French soil or with a shrewd black fugitive hid- ing his real self behind a mask of innocence.
 Batting his eyes as the questions pelted at him, the giant made straightforward answers. His name was Watterson Towers; his age was summers round twentyfo' or twen- ty-five, he didn't know perzactly w'ich; he was born and fetched up in Bowlin' Green, Kintucky, and at the time of his coming to France he re- sided at No. thirty-fo East Pittsburg.
 Number thirty-four what?
 Nav, suh, not no thirty-fo' noth- in'-jes' plain thirty-fo'."
 But what-street Is 1t onT'
 "Tain't on no street Boss"
 What do you mean, no street?"
 Boss, wuz you ever In East Pitts burg? Well, suh, den does you mem ber dat string of little houses dat stands In a row right longside de railroad tracks ez you comes into town fun de fur side? 'Tain't no street. it's jes' only houses. Well. suh, I lives In de thirty-fo'th one"
 T see. How did you get here?"
 Me? I rid, mostly"
 Rode on what?"
 Rid part de time on A ship an part de time on de steam cyars, but fust an. last I done mighty heap of walkin', also."
 Further questionins eiicited from watterson Towers these facts: He had taken a job which carried him from East Pittsburg to Now York and left him stranded there. He had heard about the draft. He knew that sooner or later the draft would catch him and send him off to France, where he would be expected to fight Germans ss he decided that before this happened he would visit France on his own hook, and, As . private observer view the operations at first hand, with view to deciding whether he cared enough for war as a sport to take hand in 1t voiun- tarily. He had smuggled himself aboard a transport-heaven alone knows how-and fortified with a bag of ginger snaps he had remained hid- den away in cargo hold until the ship sailed. Two days out from land a new and very painful sickness overcame the stowaway and he made his way up on deck for air. There he had been caught and sent to the galley to work his passage across. When he had progressed thus far the cross-examiner broke In:
 What was the name of the ship?"
 Boss, I plum disremembers, but 1t muster been de bigges' ship dey Is. Wy sur, dey wuz most six hundred folks on dat ship an I had to wash up after ever. las one of 'em. w'its folks suttingly teks 6 lot of dishes wen dey eats-I'll tell de world"
 Well, where did the ship land? Do you know that much?'
 Boss, hit wuz some place wid a outlandish name an dat's all kin tell you. I never wuz no hand fur rememberin' reg'lar names, let alone desc yere jabber kind of words lak desc we're French folks talks wid."
 What happened when you came ashoreg'
 wy, suh, dey let mo off dc ship an w'ite man on de wharf boat he tells me Ts landed right spang in France an he axes me does l want [ reglar job of wuk an I tells him. Nav, suh. not ef kin git anything else to do.' I tells him Is aimin' to travel round an see de country an de war fore I settles down to any thin stiddy-lak. Den mother wite man dat's standin' dere he tells me dey's . lot of my color in place called Sant Nazare an I 'cides I'll so dere an 'sociate aw'ile wid 'em nig- gers. So I changed my money an I"
 q thought you said you didn'to have any money when you started?"
 T didn't, Boss, but de w'ite folks on He ship dey taken up election fur mo, account of me washin' all dem dishes so nice an clean, It come to twenty dollahs. So I changes it Into desc we're francs. De man give 20 francs fur my twenty dollahs- didn't charge me no interest a-tall. but jes' traded even, an den I sets out to find dis yere Sant Nazare. Dat wuz two days ago an I been movin' stiddy ever sense"
 How did you know what train to take?"
 T didn't. I jes' went to de depot an I clim' abode de fus' train I sees dat looks lak she might be fixin' to go sommers. An after 'w'ile one of desc Frenchies come round to me whar Is settin' an he jabber some thin at me an tells him plain ez kin, whar I wants to go an Is dis de right train? An den he jabber some mo an l keep on tellin' him an after 'w'ile he jes throw up both hands. lak dis, an go on off an leave me be in peace. w'ich dat very same thing happen to me ever time I git on train, an done been on three or fo fore I gifts to dis place, dis mawnin'.
 My way wuz 10 stay by de train twell she stop an don't start no mo an den II git off an walk round lookin' fur de big wharfboats where de w'ite man tole me dem niggers would be wukin', but not no place I went did I see ary wharf boats, so jes kept a-movin' t'well I got we're, lal I'm tellin' 1t to you, an I says to myself den, Dis suttingly must be Sant Nazare--it's shore big enough to be. anyway But I walked bout ten miles an I couldn't find no wharf-boats an no niggers. neither. 'scusin' some Frenchified niggers all dressed up lak Misty Shriners, an dey couldn't talk our way of talkin'. Af