Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 220, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 September 1918 — Page 2

CAPTIVE FOR FIFTEEN DAYS ON U-BOAT

Skipper of Merchant Vessel Describes Life on Diver and in Hun Camps. FOOD IS POOR AND SCARCE

Shifted From Prison Camp to Camp and Everywhere Conditions Are Same—ls Made to Suffer Many Indignities. S ' r London. —Among those who recently have been released from German prison camps and who have reached this country via Switzerland is a captain of a merchant vessel who was taken prisoner by the commander Of a submarine after his vessel had been torpedoed, and who spent 15 days in the U-boat. This was the second ship In which the British captain had been torpedoed. The story follows: “My ship was torpedoed without warning. The force of the explosion was- so great that the bridge was wrecked, and when I recovered from the shock I found the ship was sinking. None of the crew was injured, and we were all able to get away in the boats.

“As we were in British waters and it was broad daylight, I did not fear that we would not soon reach land, but hardly had we pulled clear of the sinking ship than the U-boat emerged. The commander summoned us to his vessel and ordered me to go on board. “I had arrived just in time for the midday meal, stew with stringy meat, which was probably horse flesh, small portions of sausage and black bread. “While I wts on board s|x steamers were torpedoed, and one sailing vessel sunk by gunfire, 39 shells being necessary to do this. The U-boat also attacked by gunfire several other steamers during the voyage; but had to submerge owing to intervention of British war vessels.

Depth Bombs Fearpd. "On the third day I gathered that the U-boat was about to carry out an attack on a convoy which had been sighted. The boat approached under water for some distance, and torpedoed a Ikrge steamer. Our whereabouts were evidently detected, for we dived rapidly to a great depth. Hardly had the boat got on an even keel when we heard a tremendous explosion caused the submarine to vibrate frouf stem to stern. It was a depth charge. The effect on the crew -was evident. All stood trembling, with faces blanched with fear, inot attempting to speak a word. No further explosions,, however, took place, and after lying some eighteen fathoms deep for a long period we continued on our voyage.

“The submarine was equipped with •powerful wireless apparatus, and every day, about 9 a. m. remained on the surface in wireless communication with the base. One of the officers kept a record of these messages. One :night the news arrived of the American declaration of w-ar. It was eagertly discussed by the crew, some of whom expressed the hope that they would be allowed to go on submarine service in the Gulf of Mexico in order to escape the severity of the North sea.

“Eventually the submarine arrived at Helgoland and I was taken ashore and handed over to a military guard. My only food was a crust of bread, a .piece of cheese and some very weak soup. After remaining there a day iandahalf I was taken to Wllhelmshavjen where again there seemed to be a •shortage of food, and afterward to ; Brandenburg, a workingmen’s camp,

LADY CARSON IN WAR WORK

Lady Carson, wife of Sir Edward Carson, is active in many war activities in Great Britain. She has made herself well-known by her perpetual Industry. She never stops, but is always doing something that means comfort and joy to fighters. Lady Carson is the second wife of Sir Edward. She formerly was Ruby Frewer, and her marriage took place tn 1914. a Sir Edward recently resigned his .post In the Lloyd George cabinet to take a more active part in Irish affairs. '

in which I remained until October 3. It was at this camp that I got the news of the murder of prisoners who w?re forced to remain in a hut which had caught fire. When I arrived at Brandenburg I was put in a large hut quite alone. Here I came in contact with 300 victims of the Moewe, and subsequently was transferred to a special part of the camp set apart for captains of the mercantile marine, of whom there were about forty. The food was of the coarsest possible character. From Brandenburg I went to Holzminden, an officers’ camp for all British, where the food was much better, but we were obliged to pay considerable sums toward' our maintenance.

Suffers Many Indignities. “Later I was transfered to Strohcn. where, instead of current coin of the realm, they issued stamps as camp money. From Strohen I went to Heidelberg.. “I was transferred to Switzerland, and eventually was released and enabled to reach England June 19. “At Brandenbur'g we were made to suffer various indignities, and were made to harness ourselves to carts

TALES OF AIR RAIDS THRILL

How the British Royal Flying Force Conducts Bombing Expedition. AIRMEN TAKE MANY CHANCES Britogs Prefer Daylight Work While Germans Favor Night Operations —Aerodromes Favorite Target for British Flyers. London.—Night raids of the royal air force usually have concentrations of German troops, billets and the like for their objective, and aim rather at moral and personal, than at material damage. Daylight raids have the purpose of damaging specific objects, such as railroads, lines of communication, dumps of stores and ammunition and aerodromes. The daylight raiding machines fly in formation, accompanied and protected by other machines. The bombing machines meet at a prearranged rendezvous, well on the British side of the lines, where they maneuver into Correct formation. Once over the target, the fighters scatter and patrol the neighborhood while the bombers discharge their missies on the objectives. Unless antiaircraft fire is exceptionally heavy, they generally dive a few thousand feet to make sure of the target and when their work is completed rise again to the level of the escort. German aerodromes are a favored target and great is the delight of a pilot when he can report that a hostile machine surrounded by mechanics was about to ascend, but that he obtained a direct hit and the German machine —including the personnel—“appeared to be severely damaged.” On one occasion a British pilot In a bombing raid descended to 400 feet under Intense rifle fire, successfully bombed a German airplane just emerging from its hangar and then tried to make off. At that moment his engine, possibly by reason of the German fire, failed, and he had to descend. By skillful gliding he managed to land three-quarters of a mile away, though in full view of the Germans. Instead of firing his machine at once, he jumped out and quite unperturbed proceeded to overhaul his engine. Luckily he found the cause of the trouble at once, put it right, adjusted the controls and the propeller. The engine started, he jumped in with the nearest German only a hundred yards off and opening his throttle raced over the ground and into the air amid a fusillade of bullets. The sequel included a safe return and—a wellearned military cross.

When all the bombs have been dropped and the formation the machines head for home. It is on the homeward journey that events may be expected, time enough having elapsed for the Germans to detail a squadron to intercept the returning machines. Sometimes an enterprising German pilot will wait alone for the homing convoy, hiding himself thousands of feet up in the clouds until he sees his moment, then, singling out a machine, will dive at it, pouring put a stream of bullets as he dives. He may achieve his object, and send a British machine crashing to earth, but whatever the result the German’s method is the same. He dives clean through the forth atiom down many thousands of feet, only “flattening out" when close to the ground. The whole affair is so swift—just one lightning dive—that long before a British fighter can reach the German, he is thousands of feet below, heading for home and safety. The surprise dive Is his one chance. Sometimes a German squadron intercepts a returning British formation. The British fighting machines spread out in a screen to allow the bombers a chance to escape, and then attack the Germans as they arrive. Battle is joined in the air, it may be that “one of the British machines is missing,” it is more likely that “German machines were seen to crash;” Meanwhile

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN. RENSSELAER, IND.

PLANT STOPS WORK AS WOMAN KISSES FLAG

Evansville, Ind.—Norma Matz, employed at a factory here, v\as compelled to kiss the American flag because it was alleged that she said “Germany did not want to fight, but that President Wilson did.” She was dragged before C. A. Heldt, superintendent <>f the plant, who says she confessed to making the alleged remarks. ? Work was suspended in the plant for several minutes while Miss Matz marched out before the other employees and kissed the flag.

which we had to draw through the streets to the station or post office, to fetch our parcels and any commodities to camp. It was at this camp alsc that I saw 300 Russian soldiers working in the last stages of consumption. The poor fellows could not get enough to eat. and they would eagerly scrape discarded tins in the hope of finding particles of food. I have even seen German soldiers do the same thing. We were glad to search the cinder paths in the hope of finding coke or coal with which to cook our food.”

the bombing airplanes have crossed the British lines and landed safely in their aerodrome. Bombing by night is the method most favored by German pilots. Compared with daylight raiding bombing by night is rather a rule of thumb, pedestrian affair. The danger from antiaircraft guns is at its minimum by night, for an airplane Is a difficult target to keep under observation with any searchlight, except perhaps those used In the highly specialized. and intensive defense of London, and there is little chance of meeting hostile airplanes or of observing much of what damage is done by the bombs. The Ineradicable sporting instinct of the British causes them to prefer the vastly increased peril of the daylight raid, offering themselves as visible targets to antiaircraft guns, but discriminating in daylight between legitimate military objectives and civilian homes Nevertheless objectives such as German army billets, ammunition dumps, bivouacs and other large targets are regularly bombed at night by R. A. F. pilots.

FEAR HUNS WILL BE SCALPED

Wife of German Prisoner Asks If the King of America Is Also Indian. London. —Letters from relatives and friends in Germany of U-boat crews interned in the United States are beginning to arrive in London. They throw little light on Internal conditions in Germany, but some are very amusing, as showing the appalling ignorance of the mass of Germans regarding the United States. One letter froin the wife of a prisoner says: “We hope you will soon return. You are certainly to be sympathized with. We are always prhying with our deepest feeling that you may not be eaten up by Indians or hanged by cowboys with lassoo ropes. “If they should wish to scalp you, you should first make appeal to the king of America. 1* he also an Indian?”

Hero Seaman Only Twenty.

Knoxville, Tenn.—Seaman Lincoln Freels. who was cemmended by Secretary' Daniels for bravery in helping to rescue British sailors, is only twenty years old. The young Knoxvilllan enlisted in the navy in April, 1917. While on a transport, before being transferred to an officers’ ship as seaman, he was in two battles with submarines, and is accrecNted with having. pointed the gun which sunk one.

WHERE THREE YANKS DIED

American and French soldiers searching through the ruins of a French chateau where three American officers were killed and one wounded when it was shelled by the Huns. *

FRENCH ARMY ADOPTS BASEBALL FOR TRAINING WITH EVERS AS INSTRUCTOR

WATCHING A GAME IN FRANCE—EVERS IN INSERT.

Baseball playing is to become a regular part of the physical training of the French army as a result of reports made by French officers oh what they bad seen of the effects of baseball on the American army. The reports led the ministry of war to issue an order recommending the adoption of baseball in the French army. General Vidal sent Capt. G. Forbes, an American officer attached to his staff, to the headquarters of the Knights of Columbus with a request that John Evers, the former American baseball star, be sent to his corps to instruct the soldiers in the American national game. The request was granted and Evers will go to the French camps with two assistants and equipment provided by the Knights of Columbus. , He will remain a fbrtnlght, after which his assistants will continue the instruction.

JOHNNY OVERTON IS KILLED

Famous Yale Athlete Falls In Battle Wth Huns on West Front —Best Long-Distance Runner. J. M. Overton of Nashville, Tenn., has received a letter announcing that his son, Lieut John W. Overton, famous as a Yale athlete, was killed in the battle of the Marne on July 19. The news came In a letter from a friend who said he helped bury Overton on the battlefield. Lieutenant Overton was known in the college athletic world as “Johnny Overton” and was prominent In the mile and two-mlle runs. Soon after

Johnny Overton.

the United States entered the war he enlisted in the marine corps and was , promoted to lieutenant. The letter received by Mr. Overton from one of his son’s associates said: “On the morning of July 19 we went over the top. Johnny Overton was killed. I helped bury Overton in the field.” Overton was one of the best longdistance runners ever developed at Yale university and was captain of the track team. While a student at the university Overton was twice winner of the intercollegiate cross country championship, defeating a big . field of competitors in 1915 and again the following year. Overton ran second to Potter of Cornell in the two-mlle championship run of 1915 and finished third in the onemlle event a year later. Overton won i a place on the all-American track team at 1,000 yards in 1916 when he was the record holder for that distance.

EX-WHITE SOX TO BE FLYER

Jimmy Breton, Together With R. Peterson, Graduated From School of Military Aeronautics. Two well-known athletes graduated at the United States school of military aeronautics at University of Illinois the other day. They are Jimmy Breton, former White Sox player, and B. Peterson, University of Illinois pitcher. Both go to Southern flying

CIGARETTES HIS PET AVERSION

Late Lamented Jake Beckley Could Not Tolerate "Coffin Nail**— One Player Resentful. The late Jake Jleckley had a great aversion to cigarettes and as a minor league manager he put a strict ban on them. Sometimes his players would slip behind the bench during a game and take a puff on the sly, but Jake had a keen sense of smell and could spot the violators of the rule, and woe was their portion when found out. In hie days as an umpire Jake still hated cigarettes. On one occasion he noted the telltale stains on a player’s finger'and delayed the game while he delivered the player a lecture as he came to bat. The player was rather resentful of Jake’s well-meant advice and made some smart remark —for which Jake got even. The player made ready for the pitch. It was wide and high. “Strike one,” bellowed Beckley. The next one was almost a wild pitch, but Beckley shouted, “Strike tub.” The third pitch was even worse, but Beckley called out, “Strike three.” Then as the batter turned In angry protest, Jake how’led at him: "No use for you to be kickin’, for It won’t do you any good. I told you cigarettes would get your battin’ eye.”

LARRY LAJOIE WEAK AT BAT

Minneapolis Pitcher Makes Remarkable Discovery That He Can’t Hit Those Behind Him. Larry Lajoie’s short stay in the American association resulted in the discovery of his batting weakness, a secret that had remained unsolved for the duration of the slugger’s long career in the majors. It was a Minneapolis pitcher who got the dope on Larry, according to an umpire who was telling President Hickey about it. During a game between Indianapolis and the Millers, this pitcher came to the bench after an inning and in a matter-of-fact tone told his mates that he had found Lajoie’s weakness. After the excitement had been quelled, during which every other pitcher had eagerly demanded the solution of the mystery, the forementioned pitcher blandly remarked : “Pitch the ball high and behind him.”

GRIDIRON STAR IS WOUNDED

Ole Clarke of Purdue Confined to Base Hospital in France With Both Legs injured. Cecil A. ("Ole”) Clarke, former Purdue man and football star, is confined to a base hospital in France with wounds in both legs. Clarke Is a member of Company C, First United States engineers. He wap also on the Tuscania when It was torpedoed by a German submarine, but escaped injuries.

MISSING LIEUTENANT A STAR

Arthur Whlton of, Rochester, Minn, Classed as One of Best Athletes of That City. First Lieut. Arthur L. Whlton of Rochester, Minn., reported missing after an airplane battle in France, was classed as one of the best athletes the city ever turned out He played on the Macalester college football team at St Paul andattended the first fleers’ school at Fort Snelling,

HURLER CY SEYMOUR WORKS IN SHIPYARD

Former Star of National League Tells of His Experience. "'■ ■ * Willing Hereafter to Consider Playing Baseball as Summer VacationPulled 11,234/452 Nut* Tight In One Pay. Since all our baseball players between the ages of twenty-one and thir-ty-one are to go to work, We take delight in presenting the experience of Cy Seymour, former Giant, former star of the big league and former leading hitter of baseball, writes Hugh S. Fullerton in an exchange. Cy has been working in a shipyard. Some-of the players Imagine that working in a shipyard is a bed of roses scented with qtyrrh. Listen to Cy: “Say, I never worked, a day in my life. They told me it was soft. Soft? Say, I’ve lived through a hundred spring training trips. I have been sore and worked it out. But not like this. The first three days I felt more hump-backed than any mascot we ever had. I ached like a bone bruise from head to foot. “Can you imagine a ball player getting up at 5:30, riding a dozen miles and then being handed a monkey wrench? They put me to work tightening up nuts that no one else was strong enough to tighten. I pulled 11,234,452 nuts tight in one day. That night I looked like one of Mordecai Brown’s curves, bent right in the middle. “I never had worked a day in my life. I was strong enough and willing enough, but I went through nine spring training seasons in one week. I’m no quitter, I’ll stick to it; but a fellow isn’t much good when he is bent double. But condition; man, I used to think I was in condition when I could run the bases without getting winded. Now I can run half a day at top speed and never feel it. I lost more weight in the first 24 hours in the shipyards than I did in a dozen years playing baseball. Hereafter I'll consider playing baseball a summer vacation. Maybe it is just 4 as hard for a shipbuilder to play baseball as it is for a baseball player to build ships, but I doubt it. Anyhow, every nut in baseball ought to pull one on a ship, which would help considerably. “If these fellows think they are dodging something by coming into the shipyards I’m due for a big laugh.”

WHEN CHANCE GOT REAL MAD

Usually Stuttered Around at Fearful Rato and Couldn't Think of Anything to Say. Frank Chance was a fluent and entertaining talker and well Informed on many subjects, In ordinary conversation, but when he would get mad on the ball field he usually stuttered around at a fearful rate and could not think of anything to say at all when boiling. Once when manager of the Cubs Frank had a run in with Hank O’Day'oyer some decision or other. Chance was frothing at the mouth. He tried to talk, but couldn’t co-ordinate his thoughts and his tongue. finally in desperation the Cub’s leader walked up to O’Day and blurted out: • "You big bum. Why don’t you go .and clean your dirty teeth?” O’Day was furious for a minute, then the remark struck him as funny and he had to turn his back to keep from showing his teeth, perfectly clean, in a smile..

WILL TAKE TEAM TO FRANCE

Manager McGraw of New York Giants Ha* Made Arrangements to Play Baseball In France. It is announced that arrangements have been completed for bringing an all-star baseball team from the United States under the supervision of John J. McGraw to play through a season at the American centers In France against a team selected from former

Hank Gowdy.

league players now in the army, under the management of “Hank” Gowdy. Johnny Evers, who recently arrived tn Paris, has come to an agreement on the subject with Gowdy. The gamoe wlll.be played for the entertainment e< the American wounded