The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-09-05
FOULkE DESCRIBES

Continued from Page One.)
hours distant. The mails were prac-
tically suspended, and even kilograms
from the ambassador Il received two
or three each day, asking me to take
care of certain people, to give certain
information, etc. came two or three
days after they were sent, and letters
two or three days later still, so full
was the Geographic service with mill
tary orders to which every thing else
had to give way.
How Germans Mobilize.
But that mobilization was a wonder!
If it were a great piece of clockwork
with chronometer accuracy it would
not have been more perfect. Not only
had ever man received his orders
months before. where he should report
when the call came, but every horse
and wagon, every automobile with it's
provision of benzine, in short, every
object which could be devoted to mill
tary service, together with price to
be paid, had been catalogued and moth
ing more was necessary but the gen
eral order to mobilize, specifying the
day and hour where that applied to
IAoI POI OUJSSl uCSc OIucI
were posted in public places and the
general movement began. The men
reported themselves and were given
their uniforms and arms, each uniform
ready and made to fit the man it was
for. And then the military trains
started-freight cars, passenger cars,
everything was utilized, the trains of
interminable length, packed with
nd no cip1o fnu In
utes for week. l stayed awake one
night hearing them go by, as it seemed
to me constantly. l heard hundred
and fifty trains pass our station that
day. The troops were cheered as they
went by, singing their patriotic songs,
and on many of the cars was big
sign, mach Paris" showing their an
ticipated destination.
Women Serve Food.
Notices were posted asking the
women to come to the station with
food at certain hours and on certain
days of the week, so many hours for
Nauheim and SO many for Friedberg.
close by, and the women all turned
with their baskets, the contents of
these were spread on the platforms on
improvised tables, while the soldiers
ate and drank during the half-hour's
| wait. Then from our own little town
and the country round about, the re-
cruits came not yet in uniform, and
each man with a still paper hand
satchel, containing his belongings, and
they marched wonderfully well, sing
| ing "Wacht am Rhein," and
"Wenn ich komm, wenn ich komm
Wenn ich widerum komm,"
vi h,,t
many who sang these hopeful words
| will come no more.
1t is incomprehensible to one living
in land where there is no compul-
sorry military service, to see how, in a
few days, a great nation can be de-
populated of it's strong men, not the
young men only, for even those long
exempt have been volunteering-m
as old as sixty and seventy, and sent
for such service as they can perform.
Over 100000 volunteers, besides
those tablet Only think of it!
| Industry Hats.
The walters and porters at the no
tells are nearly all gone-the men in
| the shops and the stores-the cabmen
and the farmers-till after while the
streets begin to look deserted, and the
| great bulk of all who remain are WON
en- and children and the aged. Bust
ness is at a standstill, the most i'm
portant industries in Frankfort look
closed or deserted, and most of the
factory fires are out.
At the outset of the mobilization
the chief object of anxiety was the
preservation of the railroad lines in
tact, so the movement Of the troops
could not be impeded. 1t was an
nounced officially that the countr,
was infested with French and Russian
spies Every little while the police
would pass with somebody under ar
rest. 1T is a spy" the crowd woult
whisper 1t was probably some poo
devil anxious enough to get away
Then it was reported that a Russian
had been caught at the station with
in his pocket and had been taken t
Friedberg and shot. 1t turned out t
be a German boy playing a prank, bu
1.-THE joke was ill-iimed, and he wa
sent for two weeks to Jail. Still Their
were some spies actually there, an
two or three, l believe, were executed
: A notice was posted that all Frenc
, and Russians must not go near tn
station and must keep off the stree
running parallel with the railroad
with heavy penalties provided.
Americans Exempt.
Then when England declared wal
this was extended to Englishme1
Then all these people were forbidde
to leave the town and even to wal
in the neighboring forest. Then thei
rooms and baggage were searched
But we Americans were exempt, an
even the others were always treate
7 with personal courtesy and respec
except few Russians in the first day
of the Russian spy scare.
The railroads were splendidly pro
ltected. Every few hundred yards stoo
man with rifle. and white ban
on his arm showing his official cha1
acter At each of the bridges Their
were several, and at the stations sti
more.
Notices were posted that no one wa
permitted, under heavy penalties, t
give any information whatever of an
military even or transaction, so l re
Trained even from writing down fror
day to day the things l saw, lest