Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1914-09-17
They Were In a Battle.

Caught between The lines OF the French
and German armies in Alsace, forced to
take refuge in cellar from the rain of
shrapnel as battle was joined, and finally
escaping to Holland through the German
lines by the personal intercession of the
German commander, Mr.. and Mrs. L. B.
Kendall, of $40 Park avenue, who arrived
yesterday morning on the Holland Amer
ica liner Rotterdam, brought the most
thrilling story OF any Americans from Eu-
rope
1--WE were motoring through Germany, ="
said Mrs. Kendall, land had reached
Carlsbad when news came that the Kaiser
had ordered all troops to the colors. We
were allowed to go TO Nuremberg, where
our machine was Communicated. BY
advice of police officials we took train
for Paris August /. The advice was bad.
AT the little frontier town OF Ayricourt we
were ordered to diSembark. Although
the town was filled with German soldiers
we were permitted to start across the
frontier on foot, carrying our trunks by
short stages. On the French side we
got wheelbanow for our trunks and
pushed on 10 Blamont Eight other
Americans were there, but they all set
out 10 walk 10 Luneville, 30 miles away.
We never heard OF them.
"BIamont was in panic and no one
would take us indoors, although it rained.
We spent the night Shivering on our
trunks. In the morning the mayor OF the
village rescued us. He was Baron de
Turckheim, and we had met him at a
Vanderbilt cup race some years ago. He
took us 10 his chateau and tried TO find
some way to get us 10 a railway station,
but all horses had been Communicated
for the army.
"On the morning of August A we saw
moving things like gray-green caterpil-
lars creeping out OF the woods TO the
north. Presently they melted into long,
thin lines and began TO move forward.
Then. on the opposite side fthe chateau,
we saw similar lines, taking interval in
the same way, only these were blue and
much more conspicuous. Then, from
the woods behind, came white puifS OF
smoke, and second later the reports OF
cannon from the German lines. We had
been so fascinated that we hadn't realized
our own position, but we realized these
reports came from German artillery open
ing fire and the white balls of smoke
were shrapnel bursts. AS the French
guns replied we began 10 lose interest in
the spectacle. We went down cellar.
1--WE remained in the cellar most OF
tour days, for although the French fell
back so we weren't in the direct line, we
could hear the boom of guns and the rat
tie of rifle fire in the distance. There
were only the five of us. for the servants
had run away. The Baroness persuaded
her husband TO flee, as he had got the
personal enmitY of several German Off
GERS. He rode away in the night on a
bicycle. That same eveningthree women
and one man of our party were at the
dining table when a crash Of glass came
and we saw the head of Uhlan's lance,
which he had thrust through the window
by way OF doorbell. We opened the
door, and in trooped several cavalymen,
followed by officers. They were very
courteous, and after we had cooked them
dinner, we ale together in the most
friendly way.
81 volunteered as nurse in the field
hospital. Our friends gave us pass to
Rupais and an escort. But we found
ourselves once more between the firing
lines. That was dreadful journey. !
don't think I'll ever forget the whine OF
the shrapnel and the whit whit OF bull
lets overhead, or the shell-torn bodies
that lay here and there beside the road.
After we arrived at Rupais ! went into
the hospital. II was terrible TO see the
fine young fellows brought in, dirty, ex-
hauSted and wounded. | did what |
could to help them; it was little enough,
but my services were brought to the at
tention OF the Prince OF Wuhemburg,
who commanded the German army in
the neighborhood.
"The Prince wrote US, with his own
hand, pass through the lines and gave
us an escort 10 SIassburg. From there
we had no trouble going to Rotterdam.
In every difficulty that pass was a perfect
spell in securing us anything we might
desire. ."-NeW York World.
Mr.. Lyman B. Kendall, who is referred
10 in the above interesting sketch, is a
nephew OF Mrs. A. S. Reynolds, formerly
OF Shepherdstowu.