Other editions of book The road to En-Dor: Being an account of how two prisoners of war at Jozgad in Turkey won their way to freedom

"Unforgettable…a true story of heroism, of magic and of madness." -The Guardian, 2014"Absorbing. There is no book like it." -The Weekly Review, 1920"The book reads like a wild romance, but is authenticated in every detail." -The Builder, 1920"Awesome!! An incredible true story about two World War I prisoners of War who plan to escape from the hell hole they have been forced into." -GeekTyrant, 2008"A remarkable tale of escape … Jones’s account would seem extraordinary if it hadn’t been verified by his fellow prisoners." - DJ Cockburn, 2018Highly as he may esteem the art of fiction, every novel-reader has experienced the relief of stepping now and again into the free air of the “true story.” It is like opening a door out of a hothouse into a garden. But few readers of Elias Henry Jones' 1920 book “The Road to En-dor” would realize on their own that the book is indeed a true story--because there simply is no other true story like it. Jones was a lieutenant in the British forces captured by the Turks at Kut-el-Amara in 1916, and was among the survivors of the brutal crosscountry march which landed the survivors in prison at Yozgad, 300 miles in the interior.Escape from any prison camp in Turkey was difficult. From Yozgad it was regarded as practically impossible. However, using Ouija boards, séances, mentalist scams, poltergeist effects, Jones partnered with C.W. Hill as fellow-spookers in a daring plan to escape the Turkish punishment camp.The plan was to make the Turkish authorities at Yozgad their unconscious accomplices. They intended to implicate the highest Turkish authority in the place in their escape, to obtain clear and convincing proof that he was implicated, and to leave that proof in the hands of fellow-prisoners before disappearing. It would then be clearly to the Commandant’s interest to conceal the fact of their escape from the authorities at Constantinople.As Jones notes in introducing his book, "There is a good deal about spiritualism in this book because the method adopted by us to regain our liberty happened to be that of spiritualism. The book is simply an account of how Lieutenant Hill and I got back to England. The incidents may seem strange or even preposterous to the reader, but I venture to remind him that they are known to many of our fellow prisoners of war whose names are given in the text, and at whose friendly instigation this book has been written."Regarding a "treasure hunt" he convinced the Turkish authorities to undertake, Jones writes:"A treasure-hunt has a glamour of its own in the most material surroundings. A treasure-hunt under the guidance of a Spook ought to be a stunt beyond price. It only remained to prove that the Spook could find things and the Turk would be on the string.…"The time had come to risk everything on a single throw. 'Let me tell you, then,' I said. 'You are going to ask me to find for you a treasure, buried by a murdered Armenian of Yozgad. You want me to do so by the aid of Spirits. And you are prepared to offer me a reward.' The Commandant leant back in his chair, in mute astonishment, staring at me…."Although the book reads like a wild adventure novel, it was authenticated in every detail by fellow-officers and official documents. The Turkish governor was actually court-martialed for his part in a treasure hunt instituted by the “spook.”By means of skilful manipulation of the ouija board and by very clever acting, the author and his companion, C. W. Hill, would prevail over Englishman and Turk alike, until at last they achieved their ultimate goal of freedom.About the author:Lieutenant Elias Henry Jones (1883 –1942) was a Welsh officer in the Indian Army who, together with Australian C. W. Hill, escaped from the Yozgad prisoner of war camp in Turkey during the First World War. A film adaptation of The Road to En-dor is in development written by Neil Gaiman and Penn Jillette.

The Road to En-dor opens at the Yozgad prisoner of war camp in February 1917, when EH Jones receives a postcard from an aunt –“No news in it, but it suggests a means of passing the evenings. I’m fed up with roulette and cards myself, and I’d like to try it.”Within two days the prisoners had begun to practise their new pastime – spooking. Their Ouija had been constructed by following the aunt’s instructions but initial séances were unsuccessful.When EH Jones partnered with CW Hill as fellow-spookers, Ouija messages were received and interest grew throughout the prisoners and the staff of Yozgad camp. Both prisoners hatched a plan to escape by deceiving the camp Commandant, Kiazim Bey.As the initial plan became complicated and convoluted the Welshman and the Australian decided to feign insanity by following the suggestions of fellow-prisoner Doc O’Farrell. They were sent to a Constantinople asylum for examination and diagnosis, and after months of displaying realistic signs of madness they were repatriated a fortnight before the armistice with Turkey was signed.EH Jones, 1883-1942, was born at Aberystwyth and educated at Bangor, Llangernyw, Glasgow, Grenoble and Oxford, served in Burma between 1906 and 1915 before enlisting in the Indian Army. After the war he returned to Burma but on retirement he re-joined his family in Bangor. He was interested in peace and in education and spent his remaining years working at the university at Bangor and the college at Harlech, as well as sitting on many public committees.

The only good that I can see in the demonstration of the truth of spiritualism is to furnish an additional argument against suicide. Better live a crossing-sweeper than die and be made to talk twaddle by a medium1 hired at a guinea a sfeance. T. H. HUXLEY. PROFESSOR HUXLEY was never a prisoner of war in Turkey; otherwise he would have known that spiritualism, provided its truth be taken as demonstrated, has endless other uses even for honest men. Lieutenant Hill and I found several of these uses. Spiritualism enabled us to kill much empty and weary time. It gave True Believers satisfactory messages, not only from the world beyond, but also from the various battlefronts which was much more interesting. It enabled us to obtain from the Turks comforts for ourselves and privileges for our brother officers. It extended our house room, secured a Hunt Club for our friends, and changed the mind of the Commandant from silent and uncompromising hostility to a post-prandial friendliness ablaze with the eloquence of the Spook. Our Spook in Yozgad instituted a correspondence with the Turkish War Office in Constantinople. (H ill and I flatter ourselves that no other Spirit has dictated letters and telegrams to and obtained replies from a Government Department in any country.) It even altered the moral outlook of the camp I nterpreter, a typical Ottoman Jew.(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)About the Publisher Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the aged text.

Excerpt from The Road to En-Dor: Being an Account of How Two Prisoners of War at Yozgad in Turkey Won Their Way to Freedom The only good that I can see in the demonstration of the truth of spiritualism is to furnish an additional argument against suicide. Better live a crossing-sweeper than die and be made to talk twaddle by a medium hired at a guinea a seance. - T. H. Huxley. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from The Road to En-Dor: Being an Account of How Two Prisoners of War at Yozgad in Turkey Won Their Way to FreedomThe only good that I can see in the demonstration of the truth of spiritualism is to furnish an additional argument against suicide. Better live a crossing-sweeper than die and be made to talk twaddle by a medium hired at a guinea a seance. - T. H. Huxley.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.