The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-08-28
DEGNAN BRINGS
STORIES OF WAR
j.. n. DEGNAN, WELL KNOWN
AGENT OF MILWAUKEE, RAIL
ROAD, RETURNED FROM EU.
ROPE, BRINGS HOME EXCITING
STORIES OF EUROPEAN WAR,

! VT = ENN WAN
mo money could buy for the pas
sengers aboard the steamship st.
Louis the JOY we all experienced when
we first sighted the statue of liberty
on Bedlow's island as We entered New
York harbor," said j.. H. Degnan, the
we'll known and popular agent of the
Milwaukee railroad, today on his re-
turn from his European trip. "Old
Liberty looked mighty good to U.S."
Mr.. Degnan, in company with DR..
Maurice L. Dot, Of the North Dakota
Agricultural college faculty, sailed for
Europe aboard the Arabic from, Bos-
ton on June Is. Their original plans
were to visit the British isles, France,
Germany, switzerland and Italy and
to sail for New York from Naples late
this month On account OF the great
war of the European nations. they Wis
tied only England and France.
We were in Paris the night war
was declared" continued M Degnan.
I'VE were on our way to The opera.
n Partisan streets became the
scenes Of the widest excitement i'm
Ineolately. At once we gave up our
plans for the evening.
The following morning We left
Paris for DR.. Dolt's home at Dillon in
the province of Sarthe. There we
spent most of the remainder of our
time while in France.
1T was an experience no money
could ever buy The sighc o. the mo.
bilizatiOn of troops, the tense feeling
or the French and their optimistic out
look for success in the war was some-
thing that one will probably never see
again.
Interesting Passports.
immediately we had to secure |
passports from the project of police
OF Dillon. Our passports, three in
number, were all prepared by hand
and bore our photographs and sigma
lures: They are extremely interesting
and think shall nave them framed
not because they form a souvenir OF
our trip but because they are really
curious.
SO far as our own safety, or the
safety in fact of all American tourists
In France is concerned, it was lust
as good as though we had been right !
mere in the United States. Until our
return we did not know much Of the
press reports which have reached this
country because of the strict censor
ship established in each of the nations
at war. But from all l have gathered
since returning home l would think
some of the reports about Americans
being subjected to any ~indignities in
any of the countries at war is greatly
exaggerated.
1T would seem that all the armies
and naVies are playing a waiting
game somewhat before they begin
their bigger attacks. This has said
to have been due to the fact that they
are waiting for Europe to b. cleaned
or the American tourists. Fighting
has been going on 'of course since the
war began, but 1t is generally believed
that the campaigns are not yet begun
IN real deadly earnest.
Neither Germany nor France are
anxious to I've any visitors in their
countries nor to make it Impossible
Tor Americans to get out AS a means
Of protection to themselves and their
source of food supplies they don't want
many freigners in their lands at a
time f war when they have to begin
hgur1ng ahead for food supplies for
their armies and navies for what NAV
probably be a long conflict.
About he only inconvenience the
American tourists experienced, so far
as was able to learn, in either France,
Germany or Austria, was in getting
across the respective frontiers. There
the railroad service would stop and
the tourists would have to go out
and take the train on the other side
nj get their luggage across the best
way they could. That is about all the
trouble l heard anyone mention.
our passage back was booked on
the American liner, the st. Louis, sail
changed three different times. Things
are quite uncertain about sailings
even thirty minutes ahead. One time
we were notified that the st, Louis
would sail from Cherbourg. Later we
understood she would sail from Havre
and then later we were informed she
would sail from Liverpool. Even at
Liverpool a change was made in the
dock from which we sailed just at the
last minute. We had only three hours
to make it, and missed our trunks.
which ave followed u.s."
AT San Mario, France, where Mr.
Degnan and DR.. bolt enjoyed the sea
oatnlns FOR several days, they ran
across DR.. r. E. Weible of Fargo. #
was while they were in San Mario, off
the coast of Brittany, that the trial of
Mme CailleauX was in progress.
San Mario was all excitement"
SAID Mr.. Degnan. Nine. C~ailleaux had
once lived there and many people
knew her and were greatly Interested.
state all summer, for Immediately
after the Cailleaux trial came the war
rumOrs and then the declaration
which has naturally stirred the whole
country. The subject of the greatest
comment in Paris and elsewhere was
concerning the frontier. Everybody
talked about the frontier in terms of
the greatest dread.
Aged Woman's Prophecy.
while We were in Dillon there was
an elderly woman there who kept pro-
phesying continually tina the Ger
mans would a Paris before the wal
ended. She had lost her husband in
the siege of 1870 and the thing seemed
to be her dominating tho-ght-that
the Germans would enter Paris.
From the war reports this noon. it
would seem her prophecy would not
have gone far amiss. But I'm mighty
glad I'm back in the good old. United
States"
"THE HOW COME AND TIE wANn