GERMAN HUNT IN SYDNEY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14593, 1 May 1918, Page 5

GERMAN HUNT IN SYDNEY.

SEVEN PRISONERS) ESCAPE -. ALL

RECAPTURED

■ - SYDNEY, April 18. ' The" residents of PackKiYgton had an exciting and entirely satisfactory hunt a fter escaped German prisoner£;ji>ne morning last iweek. A number of Germans, who werte' required 'to give nv-ftfehce m a military camp, were brought from the Holdswortby concentration camp into tih& city, and confined m the Victoria Bar-' racks, near Paddington. The following 'morning they were turned into an enclosure known as the exercise yard, an'iJ left there alone, with only a. guard Outside the gate, who looked m from time to time.

Over tha'top of the yard, restiriV on. the walls, were a number of 'iroh"T>ars, about an inch m- thickness. One of the Germans apparently brought «. knife into the place, for — judging by subsequent events— the men ijnmediately set to work to cut through one of the bars:, and a knife was obviously used. The 'Germans worked swiftly, effectively, and 1 silently, and m, a couple of hours the, bar was bent arjd ..cut back. This left just enough'" room, for a man to squeeze through' on to the top of the back wijjl, frodii Avhioh it was? possible to drop (Jopn into Oxford street, the main thoroughfare of Paddington. Then the GernV&ns waited until the guard was being oHsMgeS, and they were not under. observation. Amazed civilians fn Oxford street rffiddenly pa*v\' a String of dishevelled ni^n i dipping over th'e barracks wall, aifd, guessing there ' nvas" something \v»*oijig', they alarmed the military authorities. Ill, a few niinufces- all availabio soldiers, assisted. t>y excited and eager civilians, hot ou the trail of the Tleutons. I|i,e, guard cWhed into the exercise yard, ana found l^alf.a dozen frantic, Germans trj'ing to push a fat prisoner through the hole; lip had , stuck there, effectually b|lfiokiiig < the egress of the others. , ■ /Meanwhile, a tailor nnmed Damm, a returned soldier, sitting in^his.shop opposite the barracks- wall, saw the Germans "hopping it," and recognised them for what they were. He seized his shears, and went m pursuit of the' men. shouting loudly. Other civilians, joined m, Damm gainied on the fugitive, who ttirned round, and showed fight. Damra displiayed His shears with one hand' and pj>-tentatio\isly placed the other m. his hip ; pocket. ; The Teuton "kamneraded" at once. "Don't shoot; I surrender," he said. . . . ' . ' .

A. dinrinutivje Australian : named J. Adams went after a very large German, iv^ho, finding. himself pursued, bolted! into a' house. • Ad<ama searched the house vainly/, for a.,iWhiie,vand'at laist located hp. ' man under a .bed. t "Come.\out,"-. : h ; e saidj and^put liis ■-'hanid:.' under the" bed. His firiger .wa«': ; promptly_j-_. bitten .to the bpne .by the haughty Prussiain; However,, assistance promptly^arrived, -.and" F^ritz. atruggluigj;, was- take.il into .captrvity. ■'' ;; _i ; ,' .. ,\,.:-\ ; ' : '•■..- --!Qf t-her seyen . ,Germa-nst;-whp escaped, fiye were, captured , Wjjthini^.ian lmur or two. 'Some fought savagely, and oh.c ; had to be cai-ried, handcuffed 1 and, still struggling, intoVthe bari^acks: The two others were taken "n/ext day; "each had penetrated a; " considerable "'distance into> the suburban. districtSv. o - -