THE KISSING "E."

Colonist, Volume LVIII, Issue 14540, 18 October 1917, Page 2

THE KISSING "E."

DETECTIVES' DISCO V EllV

Fugitives fate sealed

A missing letter "c" led to the capture of LitMitonr.nt Arped Horn, ttie Austrian officer who escaped from internment at Ponington Hall.

He got out of prison camp by the simple ruse of hiding in a liole —made for draining purposes in the day compound—when the prisoners went in tor the nig lit, trusting that lie and 'two fellow-fugitives would not be nnssea until evening roll-calJ. Two of their, wore caught almost at tmcc, 'but Lieutenant Horn succeeded in reaclimg London; —ritill ciad in his grey uniform, j Ho then calmly went into a tailor's! shop, p.ud stated that he was a Sei'biui' j officer. His tale was believed, and liii: obtained a suit, of mufti. British detectives, however, are ivfe easily baffied. Scotland Yard men found! he ■ had reiuhed London, but knew nothing of ins Avhcresil.ujuts, and it *,v;i> decided to scrutinise the register oi. every hotel.

! A missing 'V .seak-d the fate of tins fugitive, for in one iioti'j book ;yii ordinary English .surname was found prefaced by tue name oi' ''Georg"— winch is the German fashion oi M.cllin'1 "George." The detectives determined v.o .-;ee "Gcorg," and waited in Jiis room meeting him on his return from a- theatre he had been .-visiting. 'ihe,y wer< 1 „..!■ • i:v:Hjpointed, for he was the v.nnt. edman«. ■ . ;!^l|]® ,».'^k. ~i:-the- most -iH'iusing yyinos „., j : the story is the way in which 'the Aus-j trJan took his defeat. iSiniiing. he I g:opt?d i:is capfcovs. r-o.yirp; thar; he ! conic! not possibly hiwv' got iiomo tt; ! Austria, and; as he. Imc! exhaustec! J:is fu;u!s ; he was about to give i>ini. c;c!:' np in any case. '"1 hiive'Vii'd a snl^mli^ time," he remarked, c:and lKiv«>"visitori Jnany theatres and restaurants." Me appears to have rcgai-cied his temporary absence from Donington Hall as a kind of leave or holiday.