The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-01

1 not have his credentials. We even 1 went so far as to requisition more police. to enable us to place one mounted police on every train. But before we got to that something happened.
 One night. at St. sulpice. one of our negro military police arrested three white soldiers.
 The Deserters' Mistake.
 St. Sulpice was one of our large supply depots on tho way to the front. There we had many troops, all colored. This night there had been a bad wreck between St. Sulpice and Bordeaux, and the railroad of ficials had stopped the night eXpr ess from Paris at the St. Sulpice station, with the intention of bringing the passengers by motor trucks into Bor- deauX in the morning. Our coltred 1 mounted police was standing on the | platform, when he was approached by three strange white soldiers who said they were ordered to report to him.
 What for are you to report to me?" asked the M. P.
 "We are from Paris, and we were told that you were to look cut for us until you could send us into Spain!' l All TlSHL. DOyS. DOI talk. put just you come along with me and I'll find yeu a nice, warm place to sleep.'
 He surely knew his business. this lad. He led them to headquarters and, opening the door, pushed them | inside, face to face with the military police officer In charge of that dis trict.
 Captain. here's some boys who want to get into Spain. I told them you could help them out" And he told the circumstances cf the arrest.
 Afte- hearing the story the M. r. officer considered that the capture warranted immediate action. With a strong guard. he bundled the three | deserterS into motor-car and took them to Bordeaux. Reused out of by bed at 2 o'clock in the morning went to the office to examine the | trio.
 Preliminary questioning brought out the fact that two of these men were of Austrian parentage and had near relatives fighting in the Ger man army, while the other was a | native American. The latter look ed like clean-cut young chap. and I considered him the one that could be the most easily influenced to tell us his story 1 took him into my private office.
 I soon learned that this man was only twenty-two years old. a volun- ter. and had a mother and a sweet heart in the states. By appealing to | his love for them, and pro missing to help rather than to punish him. won him over. He told us a story that sounded like Civil war days with it's | Underground railroad"
 q have been oevr six months" he began. q fought all through Cha teau-Thierry, and then my regiment was sent out of the line to a rest billet. I have relatives in Paris; and as there was an order that entitled any soldier who had served six months in France to seven day leave, I asked my captain for per- mission to take my leave and visit them. My captain refused to allow me to go, although he granted leave to others.
 "So, right after payday, I stole away and went A. W. O. l.. knew, of course, that the roads leading to Paris were guarded by the military police, but an American chauffeur carried me by them all, hidden in his truck During my stay in Paris was not once questioned. I intended to see my relatives. and take my seven-day leave, and then return and l ia cea the music. But it was the old
 NarrinU good time