During the summer of 1917, the War Department was building a new and larger prison camp about a half mile northeast of the original fort, approximately where the Food City grocery store is located today. There was a flurry of construction activity with contractors and workers coming and going from the site. The German prisoners were housed in two squadron barracks buildings on what is today Barnhardt Circle. They numbered about 400 German sailors and about 100 civilians. Some of the Germans were helping with the construction and were paid for their labor. 

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Amidst all the activity, three German prisoners stowed themselves away inside two goods boxes that were carried over to the new location, which was still not operational. Around 8pm on the evening of the 15th, William Wagoner, Robert Auer, and Gustov Hartwig emerged from the boxes. They walked about halfway to Rossville before they caught a ride into Chattanooga. The men registered at the Read House Hotel where they stayed the night in room 238. They registered as A. McInnis and G. Wonderpad of Atlanta, and P. Patterson of New Orleans. 

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The next morning, the men ate breakfast at the hotel and then hired two cars, Hartwig and Auer in one, Wagoner in the other. Wagoner paid $5 for his driver to carry him to Trenton, GA, with the intent of catching a train there. Much to his misfortune, he had missed the train south, so he continued on foot along the road. Deputy Sheriff Ben Wilson had read the description of the escaped prisoners and grew suspicious of the pedestrian. Having closely matched the description, Deputy Wilson placed Wagoner under arrest and carried him back to Trenton. 

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Meanwhile, Hartwig and Auer had also taken their ride to Trenton, but they stopped at the Williams house, a private accommodation for travelers. Also staying at Mrs. Williams house on business was Chattanooga attorney Miss Elinor Coonrod. The astute Miss Coonrod was informed about the escape and became suspicious of the two men due to their anxious behavior and insistence on seclusion at the house. In what was probably a coordinated move between the two women, Mrs. Williams went to "arrange" the room occupied by the two men and found among their belongings several books with missing pages, notes written on the pages, and supposedly a photograph of one of the men inside the wire stockade at the prison camp. The sheriff was notified, and the two men were arrested. 

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Sheriff Cross and Deputy US Marshal T.P. McMahon escorted the three men back to Olgethorpe and turned their custody over to Col. Andrus, commandant of the War Prison Barracks No. 2. The Germans admitted their plan was to make it to Mexico.

The Chattanooga Daily Times         August 17, 1917.