Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1929-05-09
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for our "Norweglan' sailors, each SET
totally different from the other.
OF course, the stolen los of The Ma
leta gave us a lot Of useful Informal
ton about Tier crew. and our fake let
ters we're made TO tally with this in
formation. Women in the admiralty
md foreign offices who knew Norwe-
leian wrote them for us. We got OH
Norwegian stamps and Norwegian
postmarks Of various ports the letter
were. supposed to have been sent to.
Then we aged the letters in cheml-
calls, tore and smudged some of them.
picked us my officers men VINO
like myself had spent long years be
fore the mast. who knew Norwegian,
and we're of the right spirit. First OF
iieer King had been member Of the
Filclner expedition, in which he had
distinguished himself The officer
whom selected to go aboard captured
ships was a former comrade of mine.
Il fellow of six feet four, whom | met
By chance on Il dock. In response 10.
my question whether he wanted to ac-
company me, he asked.
as il one of those trips that is like
~ to send you TO heayen!s
Eyes"
"Then I'm with YOU My name Is
PRESS. and you are after prizes. So
I'll bring you luck
Ny artillery and navigation officer,
Lieutenant kircheiss. was wizard
navigator. Engineer Krauss was our
motor expert. The boatswain, the
carpenter, and the cook. the three
manstays of voyage In a sailing
vessel, picked with like care. OF the
men who were to 80 with me | only
needed twenty-seven with a knowledge
Of Norwegian There were just TWEEN
ty-seven aboard the real Maleta. In
selecting my men, | interviewed each
candidate personally but gave him no
| hint Of why | wanted him. ! tried 10
read these mems souls In order TO dis
| cover In them the qualities Of courage
and endurance that would be needed.
Now we needed name for our raid-
err. We needed one. that SIZE could
| take for her official name as an AUX
| Hilary cruiser after running the block
| ade. | wanted to call her the Albat-
ross out Of gratitude to the alhatross
that saved me from drowning when
was q lad But discovered that
! there was already a vessel with that
name. mine Inyer. Then | wanted
/ to call the ship the Sea Devil. the
name by which personally was after
ward to. be called. My officers favored
/ some name that would suggest the
white wings of our sailship. So W.
compromised on Seeadler, or Sef
Eagle.
On d pitch-dark November night, tht
Seeadler. with Il small emergency
crew, raises anchor and sails out o
the mouth Of the Weser into the Nortf
Sea. There. some distance offshore
i we drop anchor.
AT a remote place along the dock
at Wilhelmshaven men appear one b.
one BY the light of Il dimy burning
lantern | gather my crew.
Next morning a scow of lumber la.
alongside. and we stacked timber 10
height of six feet over all the deck
and fastened 1t down with wire an
chains.
Every man had his role. Every ma
must now prove his mettle as an acto
Officers and sailors we're given tn
names of officers and sailors aboar
the Maleta. They Ind TO get used I
their new names. Fritz Meyer W.
now Ole johnson. Miller becanl
Biornsen Hans Lehman became LAT
Carlson. and they knew me only {
CAPTAIN knudsen We had long pra
tice drills until the new names sli
OFF our tongues without getting stuc
Each man also had to learn a Il
about his native town that he nevt
| knew before | had already assel
bed as much information as ecu
, about the towns listed In the stole
log DOOM, anu lic 10. ~ - NiAas
/ Each man had to learn the names
! the main streets Of his town, the pri
/. cipal hotels, taverns, and drug store
. rs well as the names Of the may
md other officials. Much of this so
. of material had already been WOW
: into the letters we had prepared t
: the sailors Each man had TO fam
]. iarize himself with the set Of plol
| graphs that had been allotted 70 hl
i and the names of them all, the &C
i tents Of his letters, and fix In his mi
j whole new past life, according
J the life OF sailor Of the real Male
4 whose role he was to play.
). {TO BE CONTINUED.1