The Detroit times., 1914-10-12
War Corresponds ndents
Imprisoned BIZ French
By WILLIAM PHILLIP SIMMS.
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PARIS. Sept. s0.-By mail to New
rk)-Burglars In . misers' money
box are welcome parties compared to
on the firing lire.
War corresponding has come to be q
prison offense In France. Gen. Joffre
simply won't have Il.
have Just passed two days under
guard at the. front. one day under
guard In Paris. part Of the time IN
famous military prison OF the
Scherche- Midland eight days OF pa
role, all because Gen. Joffre refuses
to have correspondents giving his war
operations the once over at close
range.
And was not the only member Of
this seeing the war" party. There
were seven Of US in all-four Of US
Americans. including Richard Hard
ing Davis, an "old offender" In the
war corresponding game.
Having previously been pinched by
almost every other army In Europe.
Davis remarked dolefully after the
French nabed him: by gravy. this
war Is my Waterlool. I'm going
i understand he II leaving today,
his eight-day parole being up, chis
time served and fines paid.
There were three OF us and chauf-
feur In our party. We had by rare
luck witnessed an action around the
French left wing and were bound to-
ward the center at Rheims, when Il
happened. II was . merry captain
who pinched US.
Hey he called out galy, where
are you folks going?"
ITO Rheims" we chorussd. "How
far IL it3'
Let's 60 ask the general" helsaid.
and laughed like q sphinx--mysteri-
ous-fike, but with "a Joke In the
chortle.
Slowly we were oozed into what
the joke was. It was on us. The
general said Rheims was seven miles
away and quite too far to walk.
"Oh. we have car" we chirruped.
not comprehending the generals grim
humor.
"0h. rye requisitioned that" he
said, Captain. will you escort the
gentlemen out?"
The captain would and did escort
~ out Alos In. Imagine . country
vilalge. where there isn't even q rail-
way depot, where q postofice. govern
ment tabac, three farm houses and
several cow-lots are punched together
and you will have the scene OF our
arrest. Imagine again a stone farm
house. built In u formation with 4
stone fence across the top of the u
and the ground plan Of our prison
win be clear. II you add TO the cen
ter Of the cowlot Q tableIand Of hay,
and Of other stable rakings. the whole
thing vet and very smelly under the
cold drizxle. the picture will be fairly
complete.
Through q gate In the stone wall
we were conducted by our smiling
On the right was door
leading into the colonel's quarters
the rooms Of the farm house. At the
bdck across the fertilizer plateau
were two more doors through one Of
which I spied two Of the biggest cows
ever saw, one lying down chewing
her cud and the other standing IN that
bent double position assumed By
kline when making their toilet. She
ce4ssd licking her Hank to eye No
The second door was
Also open and was labeled In chalk:
We were ushered into this. The
room was identical with the cows
bedchamber. German prisoners.
French deserters. spies. suspects and
pillagers stood or lay about on the
hay which covered the floor.
We were put on parole not to try
TO get away. They took our word for
Il that we would not run. but 70 make
sure they kept sentry At the gate
With instructions to shoot n we
showed any inclination to get absent-
minded. They. were very. very nice
about II. insisting all the time that
weewere positively not consfderel
prisoners were entitled
TO soldiers rations. and We were not
A kick about our quarters among
The prisoners-since we were NOT
prisoners and would Be shot only II
we ran--sot for'1s an empty baylor
and the proper'use Of money got vs
hay to sleep on.
The snoring was fine.
On the morning OF the second day
we we're given our car back and taken
TO Paris. and armed gendarme along
with US. Arriving late In the even
Ing. we had dinner IN the corridor
Of the Cherche-M Midi military lurison.
Almost we had the experience Of
sleeping there. where Capt. Alfred
Dreyfus was shut MP. but my sterious
forces suddenly shifted ne. between
and n m Ia The IuvaIfdoa