ESCAPEES FROM GERMANY.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 30, Issue 17, 1 March 1918, Page 4

ESCAPEES FROM GERMANY.

AUSTRALIANS' REMARKABLE ADVENTURES. Choat and Pitts, the Australian soldiers who escaped from Germany, belonged to a working paHy of forty prisoners near Dusseldorf. It included seven overseas prisoners, six of whom attempted to escape. Five succeeded, and cue has since reappeared. Choat copied from follow-prisoners a rough map of Dusseldorf to the Dutch frontier, showing the towns, railways, and waterways. He studied the stars nightljr for two months by the aid of a stellar map, which he picked up, for guidance at night when travelling to the frontier. The six escaped simultaneously in September, climbing down a lightning rod at the prison. They divided into two parties. They slept in the woods in the day time. Cheat's party was awakened one afternoon by a gunshot and falling leaves, and saw a man who had missed a bird over their heads. The bird, if shot, would have fallen into their hiding plane, resulting in their discovery. The party suffered severely from thirst, the brooks being dry, and it being the end of summer. They were captured on the third night within a mile of the-frontier.'They ran into the arms of a sentry, who said he had been awaiting them. Civilians were surrounding the party, and this necessitated the abandonment of the idea of overpowering the sentry. The other party crossed the frontier safely.

Choat and Pitts made a second attempt in December. They got through an eight-inch aperture in *6 barred window of the prison, and climbed down 40 feet by the aid of a rope which bad been secreted. They saw a married prison sentry making love to a girl. The sentry desired not to be observed, and turned his face away on hearing footsteps. Ohoat, in passing, brushed the sentry's arm. The escapees followed the same route as on the previous attempt. They hid in a roadside ditch for three hours on the second night, awaiting the end of a soldier's prolonged good-night to his sweetheart. It rained- almost incessantly during the three days they were escaping. They became aware that they were nearing the frontier on the third night, owing to the distant barking of dogs in Holland. There are no dogs in Germany, all having been eaten or killed off owing to the food shortage. They crossed the frontier at daybreak while it ( was raining heavily, so that the sentries were unable to see more than a few yards.