FRENCH PRISONERS' EXPLOIT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 46, 19 November 1918, Page 7

FRENCH PRISONERS' EXPLOIT

ESCAPE FROM CAPTIVITY IN'ASIA MINOR. , ' Few escaped prisoners of war can have had a longer or more adventurous journey than tliht of a handful"of French sailors who, after.having been captured by the Turks during the first year of the. war, and sent to a prison camp in Asia" Minor, hayo lately reached 'homo via tho Black Sea,; Russia, and tho Murman Coast. ; Two of the party belonged to the French submarine Snphir, which was accidentally sunk in the Sea of Marmora on January 15. 1915, with the loss of .two officers and fourteen'men out of a total complement of 2V. The survivors were fired upon bv the Turks while swimming shorewards, but were eventually picked up, and, after interrogation by Marshal Limnn von Sanders, sent first to Fiuui Kara Hissar arid then to fiivas.

At tho beginning of April last the two Snphir men and four sailors from another '.French vessel were soot with other- prisoners to Trohizond. Their arrival coincided with that of a Belgian oil tank steamer, which was heing used to convey a Russian mission to Balum, where negotiations were pending with the Turks. The prisoners succeeded in. getting into touch with (he leader of the mission, who, while refusing active help, hinted that be had no desire.to see too much should Ihev be able to get aboard Ihe ship. This they did by making the Tu.reo-Geoi'giiin guard drunk, and the Soviet of the "Russian crew decided to afford them nroteetion.; They were hidden in one of the. boilers for three days.

■ The' steamer finally sailed, but at the last moment clumped her destination to Novorossisk. Tlii< Russians frustrated an attempt of the Turks to notify this move liy wireless, aml.kent nuns in readiness to prevent: an .itbujc by Turkish irnnboats. Novorossislc was safely reached, and five'of the party erossed (lie whole of "Russia, from south to north, and gained Jlurmansk, where they embarked for France.