Arizona republican., 1914-09-11

Here the Germans established tempo
rary headquarters. At Beaumont the
correspondents were held up by Com
mandant Mittendorfer.
The trio were taken to the Beau
mont jail. The party included Ger
baud Stevens, Hennebeard and negro
chauffeur All We're arrested for pho
tographing and travelling in an auto
mobile which was unlawfully carrying
a red cross flag.
The American party was allowed to
spend the night on the stone floor of
Belgian school house which had been
converted into barracks for the Ger
man troops The correspondents were
courteously treated by the soldiers
who, after the days thirty mile march,
sang, danced and otherwise entertained
them royalty until midnight. The next
day the Americans were Kept waiting
in the public square in the center of
a group which included Prince August
Wilhelm, the third son of the emperor,
and other high military authorities.
After being repeatedly told that they
were not prisoners, the Americans were
locked up with the three other cOrre-
Stevens had already been sentenced to
be shot as an English spy. The Jail
was filthy and one side was stacked
with tons of German high explosives
rather an uncomfortable situation in
view of the fact that the other pris-
oners were constantly lighting cigar
cites under the cover of their straw
bedding.
After short incarceration, the
Americans, through the kindness of
German lieutenant, were removed to Il
small cafe adjoining the prison where
later they were followed by the three
other suspects, who were the cause of
their detention. For two nights they
slept on the floor under a heavy guard
and still told they were not prisoners
but warned that they would be shot if
they moved one step out of the house.
After they had given their word of
honor they would not attempt to escape
their guard was doubled. No food was
supplied the prisoners, their only sus
tenance being a bottle of wine.
During their Imprisonment the
Americans received an alarming visit
| from an intoxicated German officer
who called them English spies and in
sisted on giving convincing demonstra-
| tons of the sharpness of his sword
| when he heard English spoken. Fin
ally one night, the Americans Were
taken with 100 French and 100 English
| prisoners to a prison train, the destin-
alton of which was unknown.
| They We're asked politely enough by
a German officer to walk alongside the
prisoners and to act as guards. At the
| same time the officer said aside to the
| German guard:
| Keep your eyes open on those
| Americans. If they move or step from
the ranks shoot them
| The train, carrying besides the pris-
| oners several cars of wounded German
/ soldiers, arrived at AK la Chapelle
after a two days slow journey. All
eight correspondents were packed into
o single second class compartment
without food or drink and at the mercy
| of Belgian shippers who frequently
| fired from houses as the train passed.
J The party arrived at AK Ia Chapelle
| carefully guarded and was forbidden to
J leave the city.
| The surveillance of the military
| guard and police was relaxed when the
authorities declared the American cor
| respondents had in their possession ac-
counts favorable to the German army.
THE party finally crossed the Dutch