Evening star., 1941-08-14
BY DONALD STEWART KING,


As Told TO w. H. Shipper, Jr.
My companion and ran eantlet
that July night, creeping through
occupied France toward the Swiss
border, which I'll remember in years
TO come as vividly as I do now. a
little more than a month after the
adventure.
7 doubt If I could have made it
without Ray Colcord, one of our
ambulance crew, former New York
actor and a native of Tulsa, Okla.
Disguised as ragged Frenchmen we
had slipped away from the little
hotel at Lure where our outfit was
h1terned-for the duration, we
Thought then.
1--WE simply wandered by the guards
under cover of darkness. That was
the night of July 8, and the moon,
almost full, gave us a start when
Ii came from behind the clouds.
For breathless moments we sprawled
In a little French chicken house,
Wondering if we had been dlscov-
cred.
We had a compass and about Sl00
between us, hidden in money belts,
but the Nazis had taken our pass
ports. 1 often wonder what use,
il any, our passports are being put
to now. After bit We crept from
the chicken house, which fortu-
natelv was empty (as chicken
houses are in France these days.,
and made for a stream flowing
Under the railroad, in the direction
OF the border.
Slide Down Into Water.
We slid down high banks and
we're hip-deep in water. We felt
our way with our feet, tediously
step by step. fearing every minute
We would splash into deep water, or
skid on a slippery stone. There
we're houses quite near the banks,
but blacked-out as usual. 1t was
past the curfew hour in occupied
Alsace. We figured We were 40
miles from the border.
AS we crept and floundered toward
the railroad bridge over the stream
1 window was opened cautiously in
{ house nearby.
Somebody stuck head out and
for a moment seemed to be staring
at us. Presently the window closed.
Well never know if the person,
probably French, saw US. If he did
he probably figured whoever it was
hoped to put something over on
the Nazis.
Sentry Oblivious.
AS we worked toward the bridge
We saw a sentry box at the near
and. The bridge was guarded
against sabotage. The soldier on
duty could be expected to shoot
first and ask questions later.
We were too near, however. to
turn back against the current. Too
We felt the safest way to get by
the railroad was to pass under it.
The embankment was surfaced with
loose stone. We dared not try to
climb it, The only thing to do was
60 ahead.
Two of us edged into the shadow
Of that bridge, scarcely daring to
breathe. The sentry was less than
q stones throw away. He certainly
would have seen us in the moon
light if he had looked our way.
He must have .beens asleep or dream
Ing. We got under the bridge and
out of range after an age.
: The two of us were mighty happy
I can tell you, to get out of that
stream. 1t was muddy as well as
rocky, and open sewers fed into it.
We waded out into swamp full
Of cattails and lay still for while
to catch our breath Then we
worked into a wooded section. We
had spent five and half hours COM
ing a little over a mile.
Crossing Kept Secret.
Neither of us will ever tell how
We managed to get across the Swiss
border from this point. It's enough
to say we didn't do it alone. e. Any
further details might endanger
friends In occupied France. I
leave blank here for few
hours. -.
We crossed the border that after
noon. I can't say where. 1t wasn't
at a regular crossing place, how
ever, and the first man we saw
WAS dressed in sports clothes and
gweater.
But for the fact he was armed