PEASANT GIRL'S RUSE.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 April 1916, Page 5

PEASANT GIRL'S RUSE.

GERMANS CIRCUMVENTED. !

Among a party of Letts who haw ■ f succeeded in escaping from a village itt , '. Courland, now occupied by the Germans, s, W a girl of seventeen, who has been «• 1 T ' t warded, for a great deed of bmenb,'' with the St. George's Cross ~(aay»<<Be'': -f. London Telegraph's Petrograd cbnfo ' ■'. apondent). ~ A small German detachment marched" , oi\ to tlie farm owned by this girl's 'Hf - .' tl'er. Sentries were left outside to keep ',' i watch on a hill quite close, while* tho^^ rest entered the lioubc and preparedito -^ have a good time. The young! Germafc I ,' ,-•■ lieutenant turned to the girl, With tin ** order to get wine at any cost, as their i',^ supply had run short. She was told that' i i unless she fulfilled the order the hou*>,f*f would be set on lire and she herself sub* H jocted to violence. f -$ "There were two barrels of heavy •ty:j'i* liqueur, made of spirits and berries, ka, the cellar, and a bright idea struck tfcf girl. Before giving them the cordW?<2j she dropped into it. some ppwdcr, nUoi ;J of bluebells, which brings on heawlffl drowsiness. The first barrel was' S6oh.'{.; '•> emptied, and the demand camo for more, ;M The second barrel contained a double i'j! portion of the powder, and the Q«r-'.w mans soon began to roll on to the •% one after another. ' •, y! "Seeing her enemies helpless round MS; vj harrell, she (illed a bowl with tj».it| liqueur, took it out to the sentries, •»»;« stood freezing in the cold, and gave it ?'$ to them to drink, incidentally mention. •.$ ing that she wa 3 fulfilling the officers i| orders. The, bowl wns soon emptied. f.'J She then returned to the house »nd^g parefullv disarmed the soldiers, wbo,,^ sunk in'heavv slumber, lay about tad"*-*; M ferent attitudes, and hid their' wcapttna; J| Jeep in the cellar. Meantime h'er fatMtf'|| was fastening with ropes thc-Kmbs r OWjs the insensible Germans ' /■'3 l "Having accomplished her thsk with J*! the prisoners, the girl proceeded to Ht*4, : .3 l,er way out to the Russian positions,; J? Following forest paths and making her'^j way through swamps, she finally reach"" IJ :d a Siberian outpost. "I have disarmed and tied up twenty^ German soldiers and one officer; hnstori^J ir.d take them prisoners," were, the fXy r -*3 ■ited words with wliieli the girl addressV, ■' a >d the head officer of the Siberian rWfIM.,-'v| The soldiers were amazed at the audat :.;• •ity of the vonng.Lett, and could hard- <*l y believe heV story. However*she per-, « maded tliem to follow her, and when, jg they reached the farm they found tft|\B 3em\ans still fnst locked in their druwj i^S m sleep. Several pails of iCC-COjft"^ \ater flung in tho faces of the «le4pet»J:« loon roused Ibem to the grim mUffiWjl if their situation. To their hewlldJr-.OT itent, they found that they wore IHKSB onger soldiers of the German army, bo'"s| irisoners of the Ru-siuns. M The brave pirl was brought Into tne'jtfi iresence of the commanding fienerM,"^*|| (hook bands with her, thanked her'#j>ri'J| icr heroic deed, and promised to nupOrAJE i, report on it to the higher millUrj*;-|| .uthorities. This was done, and **,%s3 cward for her services she received th*"|| nuch-covctod decoration which signi^-'^ alor in the Russian army. '