In the West

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 74, 25 February 1918, Page 6

In the West

FROM GERMANY. THRILLING EXPERIENCES.

Press Association—Copyright, Anstra--1 lian and N.Z.' Cable Association • (Received 1.30 p.m.) ; London, February 24.

The two escapees Cheat arid Pitts as reported on-the 13th inst., belorigcd to a working party of forty prisoners •near Dusseldorf, including seven Oversea prisoners, six of whom attempted to ’ escape! Five succeeded, - and one ha S; since been repatriated. Clioat copied a .fellow-prisoner s rough map of the,country;• from Dusseldorf to the Dtit-ch showing the' towns, railways,- and Tyaterways. He studied the stars nightly for two months by the aid of q stellar map, which he picked up,', for guidance in night; travelling: to the 'frontier. Sis escaped simultaneously in September, climbing down , the lightning rod at the prison; They, divided into two parties and slept in the woods in the day-time. Cheat’s party :„weve awakened one afternoon, by a gunshot and falling leaves, and they saw' a sportsman who bad missed a bird over their-heads.- The bird if shot-would have resulted in their discovery. Tire party^suffered severely from thirst, as the brooks were dry;; it being the end of summer. They Were captured on the third night when within a mile of - the frontier, having' run into the arms of ■ a sentry who said he had been awaiting them. The fact that there was-a p|arty of civilians -surrounding them necessitated the abandonment of the idea of overpowering the sentry. The other party, crossed the frontier safely. ~ Choates and PittS ttradfe a second attempt in December. They got through ah eight-inch aperture in the barred window of the prison and climbed down forty feet by the aid of a rope which had been secreted. They saw a. married prison-sentry making love to a girl, and the sentry desiring not to be observed ,turned his face away on hearing footsteps. Choat, in passing,- brushed the sentry on the arm. The followed the same route as on the previous attempt. They hid in a ditch - by- the roadside for three hours on the- second night, awaiting the end of a .soldier’s prolonged goodnight to his-sweetheart. It rained almost incessantly during the throe days they- -were- escaping. They became aware i they were -nearing the frontier on the third night owing’to distant- barking of dogs- fm Holland, as there were no dogs in- Germany, all having been eaten or killed off owing- to the food shortage. They crossed the frontier at daybreak while itwas raining heavily so that the sentries were unable to see more than a few vards.