Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-09
BY CAPT. ALAN BOTT. NJ. C..


Capt Bot was decorated with
the Military Cross.
BY CAPT. ALAN BOTT. VI. E.
w YE were at last leaving Con.
n stantinople behind after
wv many vicssitudee. Four
of us prisoners Of war. Full
ton, Stone. White and I.
had left Psamatia. a suburb Of Con
stantinople. by the 10 O'Clock train on
the little suburban railway that runs
between STEAMBOAT and San Stefano.
determined TO escape from the Turks.
1t would he less difficult. we con
sidered, to dodge the guards If we
were in two parties: so Fulton and
Stone chose an optician as their ex-
cuse for trip to Stamboul. while
White and I were to visit our friend
the dentist Our real destination was
a. beer house in the Rue de Galata.
where many escane plans had been
made. that Of the other pair being
a small wood outside San Stefano.
Ten minutes before we should have
reached STEAMBOAT. the god Of ceinci:
dence sent an. extraordinary oPpor!
tunity. Just beyond KotIm kapou
the train rounded a sharp corner and
ran into some empty trucks that were
stationary on the line. There was 3
succession OF clangs. a violent shock.
and many a jolt and Jar mingled
with screams, gasps and frightened
confusion.
One of our guards fell onto an iron
platform between the carriages The
other. unfortunately, kept both his
balance and his head.
I was standing a yard in front of
him, behind White.
"Nows our chance. I'm off, said
White. as he pushed his way through
the struggling passengers to the far
Their end of the compartment
The guard with me yelled, while the
second Turkish soldier sleaped down
the embankment, clutched at White,
and almost caught him.
White lodged clear and the last I
saw of him that day was as he raced
down a narrow winding street. pulling
and pushing out of his way the Turks
and Greeks who streamed in the OPP
posite direction, toward the scene of
the collision. Close behind him the
guard gave chase. shouting to
passersby TO stop the British prisoner.
I jumped down the embankment.
partly in desperate attempt to elude
the other guard. and partly to create
a diversion for White. At the bottom
Of the slope l twisted my ankle and
fell Ny guard dropped on top of me.
We scrambled to our feet, myself
unstable on the weak ankle. and the
Turk clutching my right arm with
both his hands. Under the circum-
stances ii was useless TO struggle. I
remained quiet. while the guard called
to his aid a passing soldier.
stood at the bottom of the emba nix.
ment. gripped painfully by the two
Turks The moments that followed
were fYdeeoriha hly hitter had failed
for the third time since capture and
was probably booked for cell under
the Turkish ministry of war.
My one consolation. my one hope,
was In the wads of money distributed
among various parts of my clothing.
These would provide a chance to bride
the guards into silence, leaving me
free for another attempt before the
British prisoners at Psamatia were re-
moved TO Anatolia. -...
Presently saw Fulton and Stone
approaching from the front of the
train. They stopped short on seeing
me held by two soldiers. / shook my
head and signaled them not to come
any nearer, whereupon they edged
their guards away The guard who
had chased White returned. alternate
~ cursing and invoking the wrath Of
Allah on all Englishmen. In his anger
he took off his cloth hat, threw it on
the ground shook his fist at me and
SAID: English very bad
He held a conference with his com.
panions and determined to take me to
Koun,kapou police station. My ankle,
l was glad to find. had been wrenched
only slightly and was now normal
again..
English very bad" repeated the
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