Pioneer press. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1882-19??, 1914-12-26
SHEPHERD TELLS
OF SERWAN TRIP
How They Were Notified of the Nov
ing and What They Encoun-
tered.
By WILLIAM G. SHEPHERD

fEl4DPOSIAMT NO. 80, near the
Hungarian frontier, Nov. 7.-(by cour-
Ter to Nicnna)-Here's the way that
we get our marching orders in the
rlegspressequartier, the war press
headquarters in Austria Hungary.
only yesterday morning some of us
returned from Przemysl to this quaint
little ancient town in Galicia. expect
lrg days Of dulness until we were
again taken to the front
at the MONDAY the officer in
charge OF the scores of carriages
which are at our disposal rapped
on his wine glass for attention anG
.ald: "Who wishes to go to-" nam
ing the big Galician town SIX miles
distant where there are coeffe hons.
es, stores and other blessing Of civ
lllZatlon. His question is q daily
one; he asks it only to know how
many carriages he must have rea "
alter dinner and at the hour. We
rise our hands, he counts heads and
Two hours later we find ourselves
after Tide through the hills, walk
ing IN" streets Of lively town,
Were Scnh: OF the chief officers cf
tn" army have their Headquarters in
GLIDING the particular officer VINO has
cEarg" OF Tic newspapers corrnspon-
dents
we 80 to the coffee house 10 talk
10 Max Ee used to be a waiter in a
newspaper row restaurant IL New
York and he's always willing to talk
Interestingly Of those golden DAYS
hetGre he took a notion to come back
home to Galicia with his "pile," only
to lose it here. In 1915, though, he's
going back; he knows where he can
make SO a day anytime in New York
or Chicago or Frisco by his wait
ers' tricks. He confesses some Of
his New York tricks to you, now that
the old days and the old place are
I far away and SO you talk, waiting for
Sunday to end. 1t does so with a
bang, at exactly six o'clock. The arc
lights have been going for an hour,
but suddenly the streets are turned
into little Broadways by store lights
which flood the pavements as the
Jewish merchants raise their shutters
at six
You fare forth in the streets crowd
ed with officers, soldiers, civilians,
girls and youths a counting, and in
the rush you meet another newspa-
per man.
1--WE go to Servia in the morning
at 3 o'clock he says. 1--WE just
heard it."
"You do not believe such good
news. You rush to army headquar-
ters and to the officers Of the col
onel who has charge the fates and
destinies OF newspaper men in charge
His officers arec rowded with other
officers receiving orders. There is
ut n1, I, - III
how, if the story is true, you'll hear
rushing in and out One of them has
silk hat. Something's doing, anyhow
so you get out.
Back over the hills you go between
seven and eight in the cold evening
and enter the long, narrow room
where supper is at eight.
An officer is reading orders, with
a group Of newspaper men standing
about him. He calls out list of
names; those mentioned cross to the
other side Of the room.
"At three o'clock tomorrow morn
ing be at the depot" he says to them.
We are going to Servia to see the
the Austrian lines there. All those
,
train that leaves at 8 o'clock in the
morning, day after tomorrow. We
are to go in two lots"
Supper is gulped. There's lot of
packing and little sleeping to be
done within the next seven hours for
those who go tomorrow morning. And
SO, all through the night, there is
a scurrying Of soldier servants
through the streets OF the little old
village They rush from one little
house here to another little house
there where correspondents have
rooms. collecting baggage. The vii
lage folk look on in their night gowns
and night caps and slippers, holding
candles for heavily shod soldiers who
clatter around their little homes;
they're not used to such carryings-on.
At three on the dot, the train pulls
out for it's 500 mile journey across
Hungary to Servia, where the air Is
still warm and where our winter
clothes will be in the way until jan
uary.
Breakfast was a dull thing in the
once lively casino" this morning.
n