A NIGHT ALARM

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 95, 15 January 1918, Page 4

A NIGHT ALARM

SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED AT RUSSELL.

A good story about the escape of the Germane from the internment camp at Motuihi comes from Russell, in the Bay of Islands. When the escape occurred all the towns along the coast were warned, and in the ordinary course of events a warning was sent to Russell. It happened that in Russell the. warning was taken very seriously indeed, and cne of the leading men of the place, who is also very well known by name throughout the country, was appointed to command something in the nature of a "Town Guard." He thought hard over the task put upon him, and ho came- to the conclusion that the Germans in the launch ' be veiy likely to run into an n •"•.«. .aided place like Russell, nnd demand such supplies as they might need to help them nway from the coast of Now Zealand. The idea was that the Germans would do this in the same way as they bed done other similar things in Belgium, and that they would itish tho plrce. seize half a dozen of the women, and hold them as hostages, or hold them to ransom. It seems to have been Ihrolr believed that the Germans would, if they came to Russell, carry off some of tho women of the place, and hold them until the other people would supply tho stores demanded. To provide against such a dreadful happening an elaborate and complete system nf patrols was established, and the approaches to the bay were most closely watched. TV alarm for which everybody was waiting came m the dark or the morning, at 2 o'clock. There was at once feverish activity amongst tl'O patrols, and the women, tbomniOilv scared, (led into the ti-tree at tho back of the town. The. man who pave the alarm still maintains that he did see a, strange launch, nut the launch has not STeen discovered. But the women spent the night in the bush. Th« people of the place are not very proud of the affair, and they W not given the story very wide publicity.