Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-08-09

a
(AP). - Wrestler Fred Kaem-
merer said today he. his wife
and 0.year-old son Lothar
were bathed In sweat and near
ly suffocated when they were
pulled from the box that
screened their escape from
communism.
The tin covered box was
built into the floor Of Q Volks-
wagon bus right over the mo-
tor where the spare tire ordi-
narily is kept, he said in an
interview. He and his family
crossed the Iron Curtain FROM
tier Sunday night in the bus
Of West German friends.
Mr.. Kaemmerer Is II times
East German bantam and
featherweight champion. He
was Q member Of an all-Ger-
man wrestling team at the 1856
Olympic Games in Melbourne
and ct the 1851 Rome Olym-
pics.
Mr.. Kaemmerer Is now the
contented employe Of Hans
Muellewitz, the man who en-
gineered his escape from Com
munist East Germany. Mr..
Muellewits runs q gasoline sta!
ton ct Efferen. near Cologne.
I'VE had to pass five East
German police controls, all of
them very stiff" Mr.. Kaem-
merer said.
But the worst part Of our
flight was the terrific heat in
the box. 1t was over the air.
cooled motor, but when the
motor was not running the air
cooling system also stopped.
Then the heat became terrible.
We thought we would die"
Mr.. Kaemmerer said Lothian
was a real hero.
when the heat was at its
worst and we could hear the
Communist police going through
the car examining every nook
and Granny, I whispered into
Lothar's ear: Stick 1t out, my
boy, just q few minutes longer
In q near faint he mumbled:
Don't worry, Dad, I would
never give you away"
Mr.. Muellewitz said he and
Mr.. Kaemmerer had planned
the escape down to the min
utest details two years in
advance.
Mr.. Muellewitz said he and
five other sports fans from
Cologne went to the East Ger
man city Of Leipzig last week.
officially to attend o big in
ternational sports festival that
ended last Sunday. They rode
over In two cars-a Ford and
q Volkswagen bus.
Mr.. Kaemmerer and his fam
lily arrived in Leipzig punctually
last Sunday at 5 pm. Mr..
Kaemmerer came in his own
car. Then he parked 1t and
the family boarded Mr. Muel-
lewitz's Ford. They had no
baggage.
About 30 miles from the
first border control station we
crawled into the box" Mr..
Kaemmerer said.
Suddenly the motor stopped
We knew we had arrived at the
control station. We knew that
the slightest movement on our
part could bring disaster. We
breathed as softly as possible
but gradually the heat became
greater and greater. My pants
were singed by the tin cover oil
the box. The sweat poured down
our bodies"
Mr.. Mullewitz said: "The
Vopos Communist police) went
through the baggage and Their
started examining the car. II
was already dark and they used
flashlight. As they began To
approach the spot where the
lid of the box was fastened,
suddenly shouted 10 the police.
man TO take q bottle Of beer.
I'VE had placed q small case
Of beer on the lid OF the box
The Vopo by now probably fell
he had seen all there was TO see
so he took a bottle and came
out Of the car with It. Thai
little trick probably saved the
Kaemmerers.
"All the while our five friends
were singing, shouting anc
making as much noise as pos
sible TO drown any possible noise
that might have come out OF tn,
box. But the Kaemmerers main.
tained complete silence"
Mr.. Kaemmerer said his boy