Evening star., 1914-08-23
Frederic William Vile Tells of
His Escape From Berlin
After Arrest.
KAIsER'S PEOPLE Threw
MISSILES AT BRITISH
Mobilization Proceeded With as Lit
tie Fuss and Feathers as Dur
ing Maneuver Times.
Special Wireless to The Star and the
New York Times.
BY FREDERICK WILLIAM VILE.

BY FREDERICK WILLIAM VILE.
ABOARD S. s. cAMPANIA. August
22.-Under the combined onciaI
auspices Of the United States and Brit
ish governments. I have succeeded IN
wriggling through the hermetfcal ring
of bayonets and steel rails which has
encircled the German empire since the
Sd of August / left Berlin the morn
ing of August s, two days after the dec
laration of war with England. Railway
communication of all sorts had ceased
forty-eight hours earlier. Telegraphtc
and postal connection with the outside
world collapsed simultaneously. Hun
dreds of Americans managed to effect
their escape before this state of affairs
came about. Many thousands did not.
/ was arrested the night Of August Z.
one hour after the outbreak Of war with
England, on the charge of being an
English spy" / was beaten by the mob
in Unter den Linden and dragged on
by police, armed with drawn sabers.
through crowds yelling for the blood OF
anybody who looked British. I owe my
release from prison and my safe conouct
vigorous intervention Of our ambas-
sador Judge James w. Gerard. and 10
the courtesy of the British ambassador,
Sir Edward Goschen, in taking me In
For the relief Of home relatives and
friends let me say at once that the lot
of Americans held captive In Germany
was not at the time Of my departure,
in any way menacing, though oppressive
and distressing.
Caught in Germany.
There must be between 10000 and
5000 Americans marooned in Germany.
many thousands were caught at the
famous cure places like Nauheim.
Kissingen. Wildungen, Baden-Baden
and Wiesbaden Carlsbad and Marien-
bad were full. too. though many hun
dreds succeeded in getting out Of
Austria between the time Austria and
Servia went to war. July rs. and the
outbreak of general European nos
tilities week later.
Americans in Austria will find them
selves in the same plight as those held
up in Germany. as far as sustenance is
personal safety. The only actual dan
ger to which our compatriots in the
German-speaking countries may mean
time be subjected is in the inability of
people to distinguish between Ameri-
cans and English. Germans find diff
Guilty in making this distinction even
under ordinary circumstances, and will
be less able to do so in their present
high-strung condition.
At the time | left Berlin Ambassador
Gerard was advising all Americans to
wear the national colors conspicuously
and to talk nothing but the German
the first flush of the Germans fury against
England Matters have undoubtedly quiet
cd down in this respect meantime The
Berlin press was making heroic, though
senses, the populace was especially ad-
jured not to throw things at Americans
in the belief they were British.
Little Fuss and Feathers.
My own personal experience 10 of no
intrinsic importance, except that it was
so thoroughly significant Of the COM
pleteness with which the phlegmatic
German temporarily lost his head when
war with England arrived.
The country entered upon the strug-
gle with amazing lack of excitement,
convinced of it's strength and of its
ability to wage the long-feared war
on two fronts victoriously. Mobiliza-
ZION proceeded amid almost inconceiv-
able quiet. with hardly any more fuss
or feathers than accompanied arrange
ments for ordinary maneuvers. Only
few more troops were in evidence in
the streets of Berlin and other cities
summer All were in the new fighting
gray. That was the only difference.
The kaiser himself, as he sped up
and down Unter der Linden from
hour to hour. was clad In the field
uniform. most effective rig from the
standpoint of invisibility. Now and
then troops of reservists, torn from
their families and civil occupations,
marched across town from one railroad
station to another. Most of them were
singing, and girls along. the curb
stones tossed flowers to them as they
filed past. Men, who were deserting
their little businesses or their wives
and children. seemed to take the war
as matter Of course.