Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-10-17
REDDEN WRITES Of
WAR SCENES ABROAD
Salesmanager of Maxwell Motor
Co. Has Been in Some Tight
Places

Several messages have come at ir
regular intervals to the home office of
the Maxwell Motor Company in Detroit,
from the companys sales manager, c..
Il. Redden, who has been in Europe
ever since the outbreak of the war. Mr..
Redden has probably seen more of ac-
tual warfare than any other American
abroad, as he has been touring Europe
in his Maxwell touring car, even after
tghting began and train service was
stopped.
MIR Redden's itinerary has taken
him into several countries where bat
ties were in progress, and he has even
seen actual lighting. His experiences
have been varied-from the ridiculous
to the dangerous-as an extract from
one of his letters to the Maxwell Motor
Company, in Detroit will show. This
letter lett tl is dated september ?, and is writ
while in Edinburgh, Scotland, a week
ago, | was driving over the mountains
on my way to Quoerness and was very
much Interested in the wire entangle-
ments and trenches which were appar-
entity built i'm double circle around
circle being probably twelve or fifteen
miles in diameter. 1t occurred to me
that the system of trenches ando block
houses (Which were made from hun
dreds of grain bags filled with sand and
stacked on one the other in the form
of a block house or 'fortD would make
| a very interesting photo to take back
to the United States. ! consequently,
| stopped the car at point which seem
| ed to permit of a moments use of the
| camera, without disturbance, and pro-
ceeded to get my picture. | was very
| intently looking into the finder when
a husky voice at my back commanded
me- 'Gae me tha book and coome
along wac me- l looked around and
| there was the finest specimen of Scot
tish Highlander | ever saw, with his
rifle about half way to his shoulder,
ing clearly that he wasn't much on the
conversation stuff so | walked back
with him over the hills to a stone hut
where the lieutenant of the patrol was
located and | went through the most
complete and searching investigation
any one ever heard of. The lieutenant
was fine chap. however, and after ap-
parently satisfying himself that | was
not a German spy he told me to beat
it after first taking the film from the
camera and advising me to pack II in
my trunk out of sight until | left Eng
land and Scotland.
This little experience is rather anus
ing to look back at, now that it's over,
but there are hundreds of innocent
tourists who have not been so fortu-
nate. l know of several who have had
their cameras smashed, were confined
in some hut under guard, several hours
until they could be examined and were
submitted to, what in times of peace
would be considered abuse; but in war
times, the laws of conduct of ndi-
change, and it's mo safe bet just " hat
will happen when one falls into the
hands of soldier who is over-awed
with his new importance and who is
sometimes clothed with more momen-
tary authority than the Governor of
one of our States.
But the thing that broke the ice for
me was. that I had a chance to laugh
and it relieved the seriousness of the
situation for a moment and at least
saved me from trip back to head
81 told the lieutenant I was selling
automobiles; calling on dealers and get
| ting in personal touch with our deal
ers to be better able to know their re-
quirements and conditions He could
not understand why I would come all
the way from the United States to do
that. When he asked what car | was
selling, told him Maxwell. This SEEM
| ed to please him for he said his father
| in-law owned a Maxwell and he liked
the car.
81 have covered part of France. seen
some of Holland and Belgium and
Switzerland and practically all of Eng
| land but Scotland is the most interest
| ing of any and at the same time-less
| advertised. The people are the most
| courteous and treat the Americans with
more consideration than any. people
however as they did 400 years ago and
| some of my experiences with Scottish
| agents have been funny.
| Scotland is doing herself credit in this
war by sending practically all her men
who are fit for war to the front. |
| have passed through small mountain
| towns where it would appear that the
population would not exceed 5000 peo-
| pie and after passing out into the coun-
| try would see 1000 or 5000 soldiers
| drilling on some farm and getting lined
up for service at the front.
| 'T got held .up here because the
| bridge Is out and l must beat 1t back
| over the mountains tomorrow, The
most exciting thing | can find to do, is
| read railroad maps and buy the head
porter an occasional drink for the
| privilege of hearing him talk-(he has