Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-10
SPEAKING ENGLISH
TRAPS AMERICANS
Correspondents, Held Prison.
ers by Germans, Suspected
of Being British.
GUARD is DOUBLED ON
PROMISE NOT TO ESCAPE
Party Reaches Dutch Soil After
Four Days of Unusual and I'm
pleasant Circumstances.

ROTTERDAM. via London, September
10. S a.m.-The party of American CORE
spondents which accompanied the Ger
man army for two weeks across Belgium
and into France found itself safe on
Dutch soil today. after being held pTis-
oner by the Germans for four days under
unusual circumstances.
The Associated Press correspondent
reached Rotterdam late last night.
For the past week the party had been
under surveillance at Aix-la-Chapelle,
whittier they had been brought on a
train with prisoners from Beaumont, Bel
GUM. The party included Roger Lewis.
the Associated Press; Irwin S. Cobb. the
Saturday Evening Post and the Philadel-
phia Public Ledger; James O'Donnell Ben
nett and John T McCutcheon, the Chica-
go Tribune, and Harry Hansen, the Chi
cago Daily News.
With them on the trip to Aix-la-Cha-
pelle were three other correspondents.
Maurice Gerbeauld, a Belgian correspond
ent: Lawrence Stein Stevens, an American
artist, formerly of Detroit, and Victor
Hennebeard. King Albert's special pho
tographer. The party of five America ms
left Brussels August % with special mill
tary passes and were the only correspond
ents who were successful in reviewing
the German army. The party proceeded
by carriage to Nivelles. where the sound
OF cannon go frightened the carriage
driver that he returned to Brussels, leav-
ing the correspondents to continue on
foot.
Suspicious of Correspondents.
The party succeeded in marching
along with the army. sometimes in
sight of fighting, until Beaumont was
reached. Here the Germans had es-
tablished temporary headquarters. At
Beaumont the correspondents were held
up by Commandant Mittenderfer, whose
suspicious against all newspaper men
had been aroused by party of three
correspondents, picked up the previous
day, who represented themselves as
Americans, although two of them were
Belgians. The trio had ben taken to a
Beaumont jail. The party included Ger
beauld, Stevens and Hennebeard and
the negro chauffeur. All were arrest
ed for photographing and travelling in
an automobile which unlawfully car
ried a red cross flag.
The American party was allowed to
spend the night on the stone floor of
q Belgian schoolhouse, which had been
converted into barracks for the Ger
man troops. The correspondents were
courteorsly 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 Au-
gust Wilhelm, the third son of the
emperor. and other high military au-
thorities.
After being repeatedly told that they
were not prisoners. the Americans were
locked up with the three other cor
respondents arrested the day before.
Stevens had already been sentenced to
be shot as an English spy.
The Jail was filthy and harbored
large number of French prisoners
taken in the skirmishes south OF Beau.
front. One side of the Jail was stacked
with tons of German high explosives
a rather uncomfortable situation in
view of the fact that the French pris-
oners were constantly surreptitiousiy
lighting cigarettes under cover of their
straw bedding. After a short incar-
ceration the Americans. through the
kindness of German lieutenant. were
removed to a small cafe adjoining the
prison, where later they were followed
by the three other suspects who were
the cause of their detention.
Under Eeavy Guard.