The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-09-13

D aid them In Distinguishes their allies
They are from left to right German in
Hussar (cSat and PeliEse blue, brooches
train SO we ate our cold supper and set
tied ourselves for the night as comfort
ably as possible for eight persons COM
PEELED 10 sit bolt upright We had just
dropped TO sleep when We reached Lyons
at 10 o'clock, and the guard ran along
the train shouting in every widow. Tout
lie monde descend Tout lie monde stuck
out hundreds of heads with questions.
! Calculations and protests, mothers with
babies in their night gowns. men with
shoes in their hands, ami one old priest
with his feet carefully tied UP in news
papers. The station was dark. there were
no porters. and certainly more han LOO
pieces of luggage were thrown on the
train, which the Passengers began drag
sing through the tunnel 10 another.
This proved TO have at least a hundred
fewer seats than the number Of people
and pulled out leaving that many behind
ourselves among them. We learned there
would be another al 'half-past midnight. =
20 VIC sat on our baggage till then and
got aboard. On looking at he map We
saw that we were further from Paris
than when We left Geneva. We sat up
all that night and rode all the next day
| n.
! practically no sleep and no food except
what could be snatched from lunch coUn-
/ tiers and carried INTO the car. Although
the train would stand for an hour on a
side track. the tanks were not fIled. and
We rad only bottled water with which to
wash our faces and hands We were
nearly thirty-One hours making the trip
( from Geneva 10 Paris. which usually re-
quires ten.
] Ia
ONCE and found our staterooms had been
! sold 70 other parties although the COM
! pany had q $50 deposit from US, our telc-
| gram urging them 70 keep II for US. and
we had theirs saying they would do So
| The war news was most alarming. and We
felt the necessity Of getting home, SO We
| arranged for another. not nearly so good
and paid for it IN full. bought our tickets
| for London. and TO our great joy were
| allowed TO book our trunks through.
That evening at $50 o'clock We took a
taxiCab and drove through some OF the
| principal avenues and boulevards. but
/ the city lC, kCd like a deserted village
| Operas and theaters were ,osed: about
a dozen persons were wandering about
I the Place de IOpera. the center Of
Partisan life: tables and chairs were piled
/ up al the once gay sidewalk cafes. We
/ went through the Place Nendome and the
Rue de RivOH. but there were only n
few scattering lights in the Ritz and the
other big hotels while many Of them
were closed. We motOTed the lcrSth of
I the Champe Elysees. but all the cafes
and places Of entertainment weTS dark.
/ there were only Few pedestrians around
the Arc de Triomphs. and the EIysees
, Palace Hotel was closed We did not
see twenty-five people along the whole
/ route. and when We Teacisi the Place
/ de la Concorde not one person was in
/ sight. not even a policeman We de-
scended from our car at the statue Of
Strassburg; the Grape had been taken on
and 1t was covered with wreaths Of fresh
flowers over which hung the tri-co orrd
banner Of France took from nv breast
the little American flag I hal worn since
leaving LuCerne and pinned it on the
white fold-it was our frcw~u to Paris,
Ho: for London.
The next morning at o'clock we start
! ed for BculoEne, making the hour
trip in six. and stood in the rair an hour
while every passport was examined at
the gangplank, here again the men liter
| ally forcing the women out OF tn way
| in order that they themselves might get
under shelter The decks were piled with
| luggage; over a thousand persons crowd
ed on a boat that normally carries only
two or three hundred, and il stormed all
the way with the usual uncomfortable
results.
No words can tell how beautiful ap.
peared the green fields and Picturesque
cottages OF England or with whas thank
full hearts We entered the noisy, SCOT
begrimed station OF Charing Cross, SIX
days after leaving Luccrne. We were
desperately tired and the temptation was
strong to remain awhile in what seemed
al 3lyn
can committee was urging the residents
OF the United States II hurrY home and
. II seemed the wise and right thing to
d.. so We started the second day for
Liverpool.
Because of its overcrowded hotels we
stayed for the night at Chester and went
on into the pandemonium the next morn
ing. In the afternoon we boarded our
ship. again fighting our way through
struggling mob and counting the minutes
until we could get into the seclusion of
our stateroom. When finally We reached
ii We found IL occupied by three men
who held tickets for II and refused to
give possession. A second time our room
had been sold over our heads. Although
our tickets showed that We had bought
them before the men the officers would
not take any action and when the ship
sailed we had not a place to lay our
weary heads.
Finally VIC were parceled out wherever
an extra berth could be found and thus
we have made the voyage in a boat filled
to nearly twice its capacity. We had
passed through all the trying period
in war-racked Switzerland, France, and
England without once being overcharged
or taken advantage of, yet all the way
our souls had been filled with an in
tense longing for our own people and
our own flag, and this was what they
gave us! We were not alone in this ex
perience for at least a dozen people.
so far as We can learn. came on board
to md their staterooms had been re-
sold.
The discomforts OF the stormy voyage
have been beyond description; the decks
by day have resembled a Coney Island
excursion boat and the sitting-rooms and
dining-rooms at night have looked like
an emigrant station. Through it all,
however, the passengers, who are all
Americans, have been sustained by the
blessed thought that they were going
to q country at peace with the world
and daily growing stronger I'm the de-
sire to settle all questions Of dispute by
the humane and civilized method OF ar
hitration