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Soldier Tried Not to Desert, But He Did.

Man Who Got Furlough Faces Court Martial—Goes Away on Two Months' Leave of Absence, but Was Gone Three Years.

Savannah, Ga.—The story told by Private Richard Schneider, Eighty-third company, coast artillery corps, to a general court-martial at Fort Screven a few days ago, before which he was arraigned on the charge of desertion, reads like a page from Dumas.

According to Schneider's story he was serving in the Eighty-third company at Fort Revere, Mass., and had just taken out his first citizenship papers, when he received a letter from Austria telling of the death of his mother and the leaving behind of two daughters and his sisters, who were minors.

This was in June, 1908. He applied for and was granted furlough for two months with permission to go abroad, his purpose being to bring his sisters back to this country with him.

He didn't have money enough to pay his passage back to the old country, but he was a trained seaman with a mate's license, and obtained a job on a Hudson river boat and worked there a month until he had passage money.

As soon as he reached his home town Schneider was recognized by former schoolmates and was told that as he was of age his first citizenship papers would not protect him from compulsory service in the Austrian navy for a period of four years.

He skipped over the border to France, made his way to Marseilles and tried to ship on a French liner for New York, but as these boats carry only French crews he was unable to do so, nor did he have the money to pay his passage.

At that port he finally shipped on an English tramp out of Liverpool, bound for Sierra Leone and Liberia. He then went on the same steamer to Las Palmas, where he was stricken with fever, and was in for two and a half months.

Recovering, he shipped on another vessel of the same line for Rotterdam.

At the latter place he reshipped on an English vessel, but finally caught a German bound ship for New York but she filled up with oil over night and returned the next day to Rotterdam.

Schneider and the crew had orders not to go ashore, for if he was caught it meant his punishment on the other side for desertion.

Finally he went to San Domingo and there was able to for the first time in three years to ship on an American vessel. He shipped on an American bark bound for Jacksonville, Fla., where he came ashore, bought a ticket for Savannah, and surrendered himself to the United States army recruiting officer.

Schneider stated that his original object in enlisting was to become an American citizen, in order that he might get a license as a sailing master.

He has been trying for three years to give himself up to the army authorities, as he wanted to clear his record and get his master's license.