Nebraska Newspapers

    DAKOTA COUNTY HERALD, DAKOTA CITY. NEBRASKA.
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Outwitting the Hun
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By LIEUTENANT PATJ O'BRIEN
(Copyright, IBIS, by Put Airs O'Brien)
AFTER WEEKS OF HARDSHIP O'BRIEN MEETS A FRIEND
WHO OFFERS TO HELP HIM ON HIS WAY.
8ynopsl8 Pat O'Brien, a resident of Momenco, HI., after seeing
service In tho American Flying corps on the Mexican border In 1010,
Joins Uio British Itoynl Flying corps In Canada, and after n brief train
ing period 18 sent to Franco. IIo is nsslgncd to n squadron In actlvo
eervlco on the front. He engages In several hot fights with German
flyers, from which ho emerges victorious. Finally, In n light with four
German flyers, O'Brien is shot down, lie falls 8,000 feel and, escaping
death by a miracle, awakes to And himself n prisoner In a German
hospital, with n bullet hole In his month. After a few days In tho
hospital ho is sent to a prison camp at Courtrai. After a short stay
there ho Is placed upon a train bound for a prison camp in Germany.
Ho decides to tako n desperate chance for liberty. Ho leaps through
tho open window of tho car while tho train is traveling 85 miles an
hour. His wounds reopened by tho fall, O'Brien almost literally
crawls through Germany and Luxembourg, traveling at night and
sleeping by day, living on garbage and raw vegetables stolen from
gardens, no Is driven almost to desperation by hunger and, reaching
Belgium, ho risks detection by going In tho mlddlo of tho night to tho
homo of a Belgian family, where he obtains tho first cooked food ho
had tasted In 18 days.
CHAPTER Xr-Continued.
Tho knack of making flro with two
pieces of dry wood I had often read
about, but I had never put it to a test
and for various reasons I concluded
that it would be unsafe for mo to
build a flro oven If I had matches. In
tho first place, there was no absolute
need for it. I didn't hnvo anything
to cook nor utensils to cook It in even
if I had. While tho nir was getting
to bo rather cool at night, I was usu
ally on tho go at that tlmo and didn't
notice it. In tho daytime, when I
was resting or sleeping, tho sun wns
usually out
To Iirvo borrowed matches from a
uclglan peasant would havo been feas
ible, but when I was willing to tako
tho chance of approaching anyone, it
was just ae cusy to ask for food ns
matches.
It tho second place, it would havo
been extremely dangerous to havo
built a fire even If I had needed It.
You can't build a flro in Belgium,
which is the most thickly populated
country In Europe, without overyono
knowing it, and I waB far from anx
ious to advertising my whereabouts.
Tho villages In that part of Bel
glum through which I was making my
courso wcro so close together that
there was hardly ever an hour passed
without my hearing 'somo clock strike.
Every village has its clock. Many
times I could hear tho clocks striking
in two villages nt the same tlmo.
But tho hour had very little Interest
to me. My program was to travel as
fast as X could from sunset to sunrise
and pay no attention to tho hours in
between, and in tho dayttmo I had
only two thlpgs to worry about: keep
concealed and get as much sleep as
possible.
Tho cabbago that I got In Belgium
consisted of tho small hoada that the
peasants had not cut. All the strength
had concentrated In theso littlo heads
nnd they would be as bitter as gall. I
would havo to bo pretty hungry to
day bjforo I could over eat cabbago
again and tho sumo observation ap
plies to carrotB, turnips and sugar
toeots especially sugar beets.
It is rather a remarkable thing thnt
today oven n smell of turnips, raw or
cooked, makes mo sick, 'nnd yet a few
short months ago my life depended
upon them.
Night after night ns I Bcarchcd for
food, I was always in hopes that I
might come upon somo tomatoes or
celery vegetables which I really
liked, but with the exception of once,
when I found somo celory, I was novcr
so fortunate. I nto so much of tho
celery tho night I came upon It that
J was sick fpr two days thereafter,
but I curried several bunchps nway
with me and used tq chew on it as I
walked nlong.
Of course, I kept my oyes open ell
tho tlmo for fruit trees, but apparently
It was too late In tho year for fruit, ns
all that I over was able to find wero
two pears, which I got out of a tree.
That was ono of my red-letter days,
lut I was never able to repeat It.
In the brooks and ponds thnt I
passed I often noticed fish of different
kinds. That was either In tho early
morning Just before I turned in for
the day, or on moonlight nights when
tho water seemed as clear In spots
as In the duytme. It occurred to mo
that it would be a slmplo matter to rig
a hook and )lno and catch somu fish,
'but I had no means of cooking them
end it was useless to fish for tho sako
of it
One night in Belgium my courso
look mo through u desolate stretch of
country which seemed to be absolutely
uncultivated. I must havo covered
twelve miles during tho night, without
pasting a single farm or cultivated
field. My stock of turnips which I
lad picked tho night before was gono
and 1 plaaaed, nt course, to get enough
to carry me through tie following
day.
The North Star wa shining brightly
hat night and there waa absolutely
Bothlng to prevent my steering an ub
seletely direct course for Holland and
liberty, but ray path seemed to lie
through arid pastures.
cast or to tho west I could hear
faintly tho striking of vlllago bells,
and I know that if I changed my
courso I would undoubtedly strike
farms and vegetables, but tho North
Star seemed to plead with mo to fol
low it and I would not turn aside.
When daylight came, tho conse
quence wns I was empty handed nnd I
had to find a hiding placo for tho day.
I thought I would approach tho first
peasant I camo to and nsk for food,
but that day I had misgivings a
hunch that I would get Into troublo
if I did, and I decided to go without
food altogether for that day.
It wns a foolish thing to do, I found,
because I not only suffered greatly
from hunger all that day, but it inter
fered with my sleep. I would drop oft
to sleep for half an hour, perhaps,
and during thnt tlmo I would dream
that I was free, back home, living a
Ufo of compnratlvo ease, and then I
would wnko up with a start and catch
a gUmpso of tho bushes surrounding
me, feel tho hard ground beneath me
and tho hunger pangs gnawing at my
sides, and then I would realize how
far from homo I really was, and I
would llo there nnd wonder whether
I would ever really sco my homo
again. Then I would fall asleep again
and drenm this time, perhaps of tho
days I spent in Gourtrnl, or my leap
from tho train window, of tho Bava
rian pilot .whom I sout to eternity in
my last air fight, of my tracer bullets
getting closer nnd closer to his head",
nnd then I would wnko up again with
a start nnd thank tho Lord that I was
only dreaming it all again instead of
living through ltl
That night I got nn early start be
causo I know I had to havo food, and
I decided that rather than look for
vegetables I would tako a chanco and
apply to tho first Belgian peasant
whom I camo to.
It waB about 8 o'clock when I camo
to n small house. I had picked up a
heavy stone and hnd bound it in my
handkerchief and I .wns resolved to use
it as a weapon if It became necessary.
After all I had gono through, I was
resolved to win my liberty eventually
nt whatever cost.
As it happened, I found thnt night
tho first rcul friend I had encountered
In nil my traveling. When I knocked
timidly on tho door, it was opened by
potatoes and several slices of stnlc
bread, and ho warmed mo somo milk
on n small oil stove.
I nto ravenously nnd all tho time I
was engaged I know that ho was eye
ing mo closely.
Before I was half through ho camo
over to roc, touching mo on tho shoul
der, and stooping over so that his lips
almost touched my ear, ho said in
broken English. "You nro nn Eng
lishman I know it and you can hear
and talk If you wish am I not right?"
There was a smllo on his fuce and
a friendly attitude about him that told
mo instinctively thnt ho could bo
trusted, and I replied: "You havo
guessed right only I nm an Ameri
can, not an Englishman."
Ho looked nt mo pityingly and filled
my cup again with warm milk.
His kindness nnd apparent willing
ness to help me almost overcame me,
and I felt Uko warning him of the
consequences ho would suffer if tho
Huns discovered he had befriended
mo. I hnd heard that twenty Belgians
had been hot for helping Belgians
to escape Into Holland, and I hated
to think what might happen to this
good old Samaritan If tho Huns over
know that ho hnd helped an escaped
American prisoner. .
After my meal was finished, I told
him in as simple language ns I could
command of somo of tho experiences
I had gone through and I outlined my
future plans.
"You will never bo able to get to
Holland," ho declared, "without n
pnssport The nearer you get to tho
frontier the moro German soldiers
you will encounter, and without a
passport you will be a marked mnn."
I asked him to suggest a way by
which I could overcome tho difficulty.
Ho thought for Several moments
nnd studied mo closely nil the time
perhaps endeavoring to make abso
lutely sure that I was not a German
spy nnd then apparently deciding In
my favor, told me what he thought It
was best for mo to do.
"If you will call on this man"
(mentioning the name of a Belgian In
. a city through which I hnd to
pass), ho advised, "you will be able to
mako arrangements with him to se
cure a pnssport, and lie will do every
thing he can to get you out of Bel-
glum."
Ho told, mo where the man In ques
tion could be found nnd gave me some
useful directions to continue my Jour
ney, and then ho led me to the door.
I thanked him a thousand times nnd
wanted to pay him for his kindness
and help but ho would accept nothing.
Ho did give mo his name nnd you may
bo suro I shall never forget It, but to
mention It hero might, of courso, re
sult in Gcrious consequences for him.
When tho wnr is over, however, or tho
Germans nro thrown out of Belgium,
I shall make It my duty to find that
kind Belgian if I have to go through
again all that I have Buffered already
to do It.
way, I could cover two or three mllCB
in tho daytime and gain Just so much
time. Traveling through tho wood
would bo comparatively safe. Thero
was a railroad going through the
wood, but I did not flguro that that
would mako it any the less safe.
About threo o'clock that afternoon,
therefore, I emerged from my hiding
place und hurried Into the wood.
After proceeding for half a mile or
so I camo to tho railroad. I took a
sharp look in both directions and see
ing no signs of trains or soldiers, I
walked boldly ovor the tracks and
continued on my way.
I soon came upon a clearing and
knew thnt someone must bo living In
tho vicinity. As I turned a group of
trees I saw a small houso and in the
distance an old mnn working In a
garden. I decided to enter tho house
and ask for food, figuring tho woman
would probably be old nnd would bo
no match for mo even If she proved
hostile. Tho old woman who camo
to tho door In response to my knock
wns older than I expected. If she
wasn't close to a hundred, I miss my
guess very much.
Slip could not speak English nnd I
could not speak Flemish, of course,
but nevertheless I mado her under
stand that I wanted something to cat.
She camo out of the door and hol
loed for her husband in a shrill voice
that would have done credit to a girl
of eighteen. The old man came In
from the garden and between the two
of thom they managed to got the Idea
that I was hungry nnd they gave mo
a pleco of bread a very small piece
which was quite a treajt
Tho house they lived In consists of
Just two rooms tho kitchen and a
bedroom. The kitchen wns pyrhapsi
fourteen feet square, eight feet of
one side being tnken up by an enor
mous fireplace. What was in the bed
room I had no way of telling, as I
did not dare to be too inquisitive.
I mnde tho old couple understand
that I would like to stay in their boiise
all night, but the old man shook his
head. I bade them good-by and dis
appeared Into the woods, leaving them
to speculate as to the strange for
eigner they hnd entertained.
From tho great density of tho popu
lation in this section through which I
wns now pnsslng I rcnllzod that I
must bo In the' outskirts of the big
city which tho Belgian had mentioned
nnd whero I was to procure a pass
port. Village after village intercepted mo,
and although I tried to skirt them
wherever possible I realized that I
would never mako much progress if
I continued that course. To gain a
mile I would sometimes have to make
a detour of two or three. I decided
glvo away my nationality, I figured I
would be tolerably safe.
As I marched along I felt so happy
I couldn't help humming nn air of ono
of tho new patriotic songs thnt wo
used to sing at the airdrome back In
Yprcs.
In this happy framo of mind I cov
ered tho next thrco miles In about an
hour and then camo to another littlo
village. My usual course would havo
been to go around itthrough fields,
back yards, woods or whatever else
lay in my way but I had gained so
much tlmo by going through tho last
vlllngo Instead of detourlng around
It and my appcaranco seemed to be so
unsuspicious thnt I decided to try the
same stunt again.
I stopped humming and kept very
much on tho alert, but apart from
that, I walked boldly through tho
main street without any feeling of
alarm.
I had proceeded perhaps a mile
along the main street when I noticed
ahead of me threo German soldiers
standing at tho curb.
Again my heart started to beat fast,
I must confess, but I was not nearly
so scared as I had been an hour or
so before.
I walked ahead, determined to fol
low my previous procedure In overy
particular.
I had got to about fifteen feet nway
from tho soldiers when one of them
.stepped onto tho sidewalk and
shouted :
"Haiti"
My heart stopped heating fast for
a moment, I believe, it stopped beating
altogether I I can't attempt to de-
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"You Can Hear and Talk If You Wish
Am I Not Rlnht?"
n Belgian peasant, about fifty years of
age. Ho asked mo In Flemish what I
wanted, but I shook my head and
pointing to my ears and mouth inti
mated that I was deaf and dumb, and
then I opened and closed my mouth
Beveral times to Bhow him that I
wanted food.
Ho showed me inside and sat me at
the table. Ho apparently lived alone,
for his Ill-furnished room had but one
CHAPTER XI.
I Encounter German Soldiers.
Whnt tho Bolglnn told mo about
tho need of a passport gavo me fresh
cause for worry. Supposo I should
run Into a German sentry beforo I
succeeded in getting one?
I decided that until I reached tho
big city which tho Belgian had men
tioned nnd which I cannot name for
fear of identifying somo of tho people
thero who befriended me I would
proceed with tho utmost precaution.
Since I had discarded my uniform
nnd had obtained civilian clothes, I
had not been quite as careful as I was
at first. While I had done my trav
eling at night I had not gone Into
hiding' so early In the morning ns
beforo and I had sometimes started
again beforo It was quite dark, rely
ing upon tho fact that I would prob
ably be mistaken for a Belgian on lus
way to or from work, as tho case
might bo. From now on, I resolved,
however, I would tako no more
chnnccs.
That evening I came to a river per
haps soventy-flvo yards wide and I
wns getting ready to swim It when I
thought I would walk a little way to
find, if poBslblo, a better' place to get
to tho river from tho bank, I had not
walked moro than a few hundred
ynrds when I snw a boat. It was the
lirst tlmo I hnd seen a boat In till my
experiences.
It wns firmly chained, but as tho
stnlrts wcro sunk In tho soft bnnk it
wns uot much of n Job to pull them
out. i got In, drank to my heart's
content, shoved over to tho other side,
got out; drove a stake Into tho ground
nnd raeureJ the boat It would havo
been a simplo matter 'to havd drifted
down th river, but the river was not
shown oo tho map and I had no Idea
whero It might lead me. Very reluc
tantly, therefore, I had to abandon
the boat and proceed on foot
I mado several miles that night and
before dayllfht found a safe placo In
which to hide for the day. From my
hiding place I could see through the
bushes a heavy thick wood only A
short distance away. I decided that
Last Photograph Taken of Lieutenant
O'Brien Beforo His Capture. With
Him la His Chum, Lieutenant Raney.
that I would try my luck in going
straight through the next village I
enme to.
As I approached it, I passed num
bers of peasants who were ambling
nlong the road. I was afraid to mlnglo
with them because It was Impossible
for one to talk to them and It was
dangerous to arouse suspicion oven
among tho Belgians. For all I know,
one of them might be treacherous
enough to deliver me to the Germans
In return for tho roward he might bo
suro of receiving.
About 0 o'clock that evening I
came to a point whero ahend of me on
tho right was a Belgian police station
I knew it from Its red lights and
ontho other side of the street were
two German soldiers in uniform
leaning against a bicycle.
Hero was a problem which called
for instant decision; if I turned back
tho suspicion of the soldiers would
be instantly aroused and if I crossed
the road bo as not to pass so closely
to them they might bo equally sus
picious. I decided to march bravely
by the Huns, bluff my way through
and trust to Providence. If anybody
lmnglnes, however, that I wns at all
comfortable as I approached these
soldiers, he must think I am a much
braver man than I claim to be. My
heart beat so loud I was afraid they
would henr It. Every step I took
brought me so, much nearer to what
might prove to bo tho end of all my
hopes'. It was a nerve-racking ordeal.
I was now within a few feet of
them. Another step nnd
They didn't turn a hair I I passed
right by them heard what they wcro
snylng, although, of course, I didn't
understand It, nnd went right on. I
can't say I didn't walk a little faster
as I left them behind, but I tried to
maintain an even gait so as not to
glvo them any idea of the Inward ex
ultation I was experiencing. No words
can explain, however, how relieved I
really felt to know that I had suc
cessfully riasscd through the first of
a series of similar tests which I real
ized wcro In storo for me although
I did not know then how soon I was
to bo confronted with the second.
As It was, however, tho incident
gave me a world of confidence. It
demonstrated to me tnat thero was
nothing In, my appearance at any rate
to attract the attention of the German
soldiers. Apparently I looked like a
Belgian peasant, and If could only
chair, and tho plato-and knife and
fork ho nnt hnfnrn mn aoAmnA ha all I t mll oforf an1r thnn nsnnl. hurry I w.k thlnira mn. th T miM mmii
ho had. He brought me some cold Vver to the wood and perhaps, la that I hv to answer questions and the
scribe my feelings. I thought that
tho Jig was np that all I had gono
through and all I had escaped would
now avail mo nothing, mingled with
tho feeling of disgust with my
self because of the foolish risk I
had taken in going through tho vil
lage, combined to take all the starch
out of mo, and I could feel myself
wilting as the soldier advanced to the
spot whero X stood rooted In my
tracks.
I had a bottle of water in ono pocket
and a piece of bread in tho other, and
as the Hun advanced to search me I
held the bottle up in one hand and
tho piece of bread In tho other so that
he could see that was all I had.
It occurred to mo that he would
"frisk" me that is, feel mo over for
arms or other weapons, then place
me under arrest and march me off to
thO guardhouse. I had not the slight
est Idea but that I was captured nnd
there didn't seem to bo much use in
resisting, unarmed as I was and with
two other German soldiers within a
few feet of us.
Like a flash it suddenly dawned on
me, however, thnt for all this soldier
could havo known I wns only a Bel
gian peasant and thnt his object in
searching me, which ho proceeded to
do, wns to nsccrtaln whether I bad
committed tho common "crime" of
smuggling potatoes.
Tho Belgians were allowed only n
certain amount of potatoes, and it is
against tho laws laid down by the
Huns to deal In vegetables of any
kind except under tho rigid supervi
sion of tho nuthorltles. Nevertheless,
it wns ono of tho principal vocations
of tho nvcrago poor Bolglan to buy
potatoes out In tho country from
peasants and then smugglo them Into
tho lnrgo cities and sell them clan
destinely at a high price.
To stop this traffic in potatoes, the
German soldiers wcro In tho habit of
subjecting the Belgians to frequent
search, and I was being held up by
this soldier for no other reason than
that ho thought I might be a potuto
smuggler 1
Ho felt of my outsldo clothes and
pockets, and finding no potatoes
Bccmcd to bo qui to satisfied. Had ho
but known who I waa be could havo
earned an iron cross I Or, perhaps, In
viow of the fact that I had a heavy
water bottle In my cpllfted hand, It
might havo turned out to bo a wooden
cross!
Ho said something in German,
which, of course, I did not understand,
and then some Belgian peasants came
along and seemed to distract his atten
tion. PAriupa h ad aald: "It'a all
right; yon may go on," or ho may,
havo been talking to tho others in
Flemish, but at any rate, observing
that ho was moro interested In the
others than ho was In me nt the mo
ment I put the bottlo In my pocket
and walked on.
After I walked a few steps, I took S3
furtive glanco bnckward and noticed
tho soldier who had searched mo re
join his comrades at the curb and then
stop another fellow who had como
along, and then I disappeared in tho
darkness.
I cannot say that tho outcomo ol
this adventure left mo In tho samo
confident framo of mind that followed
tho earlier one. I was sure I had
come out of it all right, but I could
not help thinking what n terribly closo
shavo I had.
Suppose the soldier had questioned
mol The ruse I had been following
In my dealings with tho Belgian peas
ants pretending I was deaf nnd
dumb might possibly have worked
here, too, but a soldlei? a German
soldier might not so easily have been
fooled. It was more than an even
chance thnt It would hnvo nt least
aroused his suspicion and resulted in
further investigation. A search of
my clothing would have revealed a
dozen tilings which would have estab
lished my Identity and all my sham
ming of deafness would have availed
me nothing. '
As I wandered nlong I knew that I
was now approaching tho big city;
which my Belgian friend had spoken
of nnd which I would havo to enters
If I was to get the pnssport, and I
realized now how essential It was to
havo something to enable me to got
through the frequent examinations
to which I expected to bo subjected.
While I was still debating in my,
mind whether it wns going to be pos
sible for me to enter the city tha
night, I saw in the distance what p-
peared to bo an arc light, and as I
ncarcd it that was what it turned out
to be. Beneath tho light I could
make out the forms of three guards,
and tho thought of having to go
through the same kind of ordeal that
I had Just experienced filled mc with,
misgivings, Was it possible that I
could be fortunuto enough to get by;
again?
As I slowed up a little, trying to
make up my mind what was best to do,
I was overtaken by a group of Bel
gian women who were shuffling along
tho road, and i decided to tuinglo
with them nnd see if I couldn't convey
the Impression that I was one of
their party.
As wVnppronched the arc light, the
figures of those three soldiers with
their spiked helmets loomed beforo
like a regiment I felt aslf I wcro
walking right Into the Jaws of death.
Rather thnn go through what was In
store for me, I felt that I would In
finitely prefer t!o bo fighting again in
the air with those four desperate
Huns who had be'en the cause of my
present plight then, at least, 1
would have a chance to fight back;
but now I had to risk my life and
tako whnt was coming to me without
a chance to striKe a blow in my own
defense.
I shall never forget my feelings as
we came within the shaft of light pro
jected by that great arc light nor tho
faces of those three guards as wo
passed by them. I didn't look directly
at them, but out of the corner of my
eye I never missed a detail. I held a
handkerchief up to my face as wo
passed them and endeavored to Imi
tate the slouching gait of the Belgians
as well as I could, and apparently it
worked. We walked right by thoso
guards and they paid absolutely na
attention to us.
If ever a fellow felt like going down
on bis knees and praying I did at that
moment but it wouldn't have done to
show my elation or gratitude in that
conspicuous way.
It was then well after 11 o'clock and
I knew It would be unsafe for mo to
attempt to find a lodging place in tbj)
city, nnd tho only thing for me to do
was to locate the man whose namo tho.
Belgian had given me. He had given
me a good description of the street
and ha'd directed me how to get there,
and I followed his instructions closely.
After walking tho streets for about
half an hour, I came upon one of the
landmarks my friend had described to
mo and ton minutes afterwards I was
knocking nt tho door of the man who
was to make it possible for me to reach-
Holland and liberty 1 At least, that
was what I hoped.
O'Drlen Is promised help In
getting across the frontier to
Holland, but Just as he ts re
joicing over the prospect af
early freedom, he Is rudely
awakened from his dream.
Read about It In the next Installment,
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Wood-Qrapple Saves Work.
The handling of logs by means of S
crane equipped with a good grappled
is not only more spectacular than the
old method, but It effects an Immensa
saving In labor and has mado it pos
slblo to pile logs to a great height)
Similar outfits are used in handling,
tics, posts, pulp wood, etc. The grap
ple Is made Uko a clamshell bucket
except that tho scoops are replaced by;
curved steel tines, In the grasp of'1
which a large number of logs can be
held at oncev Popular Mechanics
Magazine.
1
The Soman catacombs are 080 xnilea'
in extent and it Is estimated that!
something like 10,000,000 dead
there Interred, Ou
ted that
sad artt
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