Evening star., 1942-08-11
BY BENJAMIN PROULX.

BY BENJAMIN PROULX.
CAS- Told to Carl B. WALL
I had this plan to escape from
the North Point japanese prison
camp on Hong Kong Island but I
could not seem to find any one to
make the break with me. I think
the reason for this was that the
rice diet had already weakened
most of the men so that all they
wanted to do was to move as little
as possible.
Then one night I met two Dutch
submarine officers. They told me
of how their sub had been depth
charged by the Japanese destroyers
off Malaga. The sub had been
badly crippled and they lay on the
ocean floor for 80 hours without
moving-as long as they could with
out renewing their oxygen supply
When their oxygen ran out they
had to surface and they had the
bad luck to come up right alongside
japanese destroyer. The de-
stroyer plowed through the survi-
vors who were trying to swim for
it and killed eight. The two off,
GERS were the only ones the Japs
bothered to pick up.
They heard me talking about my
escape plan and wanted to know
the details. I didn't think they'd
be interested. I though they had
gone through enough already. But
they hadn't. They wanted more.
All that we want to do" one of
them said, lis to get back to a sub
any kind of sub-as soon as pos
sible and get at those Japs."
I went over the details of the
escape plan with them. I cannot
give the exact method of escape
which we used. Other men who are
still in the prison know about it
and it is possible that they may
still escape by it. All that I can say
is that the way we got out was
very unusual and I do not think
the Japs are on to it.
Escaped Before Moonrise.
We had it timed according to
the moonrise and made our way
out on the night of January %. so
minutes before the moon came up.
North Point Prison lies on a level
stretch of ground. At one end is
the sea, at the other. rising and
falling like roller coaster, the
hills of Hong Kong Island. The
island is II miles from one end to
the other.
When we got out of the prison
we faced the hills. To our right
there were Japanese patrols in the
hills, but we did not know how
many nor where they were.
For half an hour we made our
way, crawling on our bellies, stop
ping every few minutes to listen.
When the moon came up we stood
upright and began walking. There
was plenty of cover, trees and
thick underbrush that came up to
our necks. We did not want to make
any noise, so we had taken off our
shoes when we left the prison. and
we did not put them on again. I
knew that my feet were bleeding
after the first hour but I did not
even bother to look. All that I
knew was that they felt hot and
sticky The feet OF the two Dutch
officers were the same.
We kept on like that all night.
AS soon as it began to get light we
made nests in the underbrush and
took turns sleeping Two of us slept
while the other stayed awake. We
had agreed to try to throttle any
Jap sentry. We would not surren-
der and go back to the camp. There
was no use in that.
We stayed motionless until it was
completely dark the next night and
then went on again in the same
way Three times Jap patrols came
within IS to Is yards of where we
lay.
Finds Home Wrecked.
On the third morning I came to
the home where I had lived only
49 days before with my wife and
two boys 1t had been my home for
years. 1t had been pleasant place
with cool. green lawns dropping
down to the sea.
All through that morning and hot
afternoon, I lay in the underbrush
about hundred yards from the
house. I did not dare come out into
the clearing then, but at dusk I
crept forward and into the house.
should have known what would
find, but had to see what the little
brown men had done to my home.
They had done complete job
Everything was gone. Small things
that we had loved. things of no
value, were smashed to bits.
After that I went back and joined
the two Dutchmen and we went on
again through the underbrush. For
five days and five nights we went
on like that. We did not have a
drink of water or anything to eat.
Our lips were black and swollen.
Our feet were caked now as the dust
dried on the blood. Counting hills
and detours of roads and paths, we
averaged about three miles a night.
The island is only II miles long, but
we covered at least Is.
There is one thing that I have
fOrp0tten tO mention about fbic 6yo