Evening star., 1944-02-16

CHAPTER XI-THE ESCAPE.
Lieutenant Colonel Mellnik:
Sunday, April 4, 1943, was now the
date set for our escape, either to
freedom or to fate none of us
cared to dwell upon in our thoughts.
AS was returning to the barracks
with the work detail from the coffee
plantation Thursday of tnat week,
we noticed new alertneSS on the
part of the prison guards We
thought the worst had come, that
our hidden escape gear had been
discovered and that we were walk
ing to our doom.
Once at the barracks, nothing
happened Immediately We slowed
our work gear-used n picking the
coffee beans and irfp pruning the
trees of parasitic and non-produc-
tive branches-and I assigned
Sergts. Spielman and Marshall to
scout for news. Marshall was the
first to return.
We've got to watch our step"
said Sergt. Marshall. There was
some trouble today. The Japs may
be onto something
What happened?
Jap sentry shot down hospital
orderly. Said he was trying to es-
cape"
WAS he trying to escape?
"No, sir. We can't figure it out,
unless maybe the damn Jap just
had trigger Itch
The facts, when they came out,
proved that the hospital orderly
had not been attempting to escape.
He was an Army enlisted man and
he had been digging camotes just
outside the hospital stockade and
almost directly underneath a Jap
sentry tower. The camotes were
to be added to the sparse diet of
rice and thin coup rationed to the
hospital patients.
AS it was an extremely hot day,
this hospital orderly-a man named
McFee-called inside the stockade
and asked buddy to toss over
canteen of water. McFee's buddy
complied
McFee was about to drink from
the canteen when the Jap guard
in the sentry tower suddenly yelled
at him. Wondering at the COM
motion and not understanding the
japanese words being shouted at
him, McFee tilted the canteen and
spilled some of the liquid to show
the japanese that it was nothing
more than water. That was Nc
Fees mistake, although we were
never able to find out just why.
Shot Without Warning.
The Jap guard shouted again
and then flung up his rifle and
pulled the trigger. The bullet en-
tered at the junction of the neck
and shoulder and came out through
the hip.
McFee yelled out, as he staggered.
"My God-don't shoot me again"
The sentry poured two more bull
lets into McFee's body, and then
fired the remaining shots in bis clip
at McFees buddy inside the hos
pital compound, who by this time
was running for dear life for the
safety of the barracks. The second
man was not hit.
The next day the japanese COM
mander informed our own prison
headquarters that McFee had been
shot while trying to escape, and
that they were sorry that the Incl
dent had occurred. That closed the
entire matter. :
McFee was murdered in cold
blood There was no evidence to
support the statement that he had
been trying to escape. We exam
ined his effects in the hospital after
the shooting. He was carrying no
food or equipment of any kind.
No sane person would have at
tempted to brave the jungle in such
manner.
But there was no thought of turn
Ing back among our little escape
party of 10, although this event
served to increase our caution. We
were so cautious, in fact, that as
far as knew none of the prison.
ers outside our party had any Sis
picion of our plans.
Comdr. Mccoy:
The two days after the shooting
of McFee, Friday and Saturday,
were the two longest days in my
memory.
On Sunday morning 1 got up early
and began to hide my homemade
charts, extra clothing, medicines,
etc, under my usual garments. Care