Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-08-31
DEPRIVATION BORNE
!. BY SENATOR OLIVER
With Wife Was in Paris First
Night of Mobilization of
French Troops.
BANK OF ENGLAND NOTES
ARE REFUSED BY HOTEL
Compelled to Climb Five Flights of
Stairs and to Wait Upon
Themselves.

Refused accommodations at a hotel
in Paris, where he had stopped many
times before; his Bank of England
notes refused; compelled to climb five
flights of stairs and. with his wife, to
wait on himself after finally inducing
the management of the hotel to give
them shelter for night; these were
among the experiences of Senator Oil
yer of Pennsylvania in Paris the night
of August 2, which was the first day of
mobilizat ton of French troops
Senator Oliver is back in Washington
today, having landed in New York at
noon Saturday from the White Star
line steamer Olympic. Minimizing the
hardships through which he and Mrs
Oliver passed when hostilities began,
the senator today recounted tales of
discomfort. deprivation of even the
necessities of modern civilized life,
with few thrilling experiences which
tended to show how close the realities
of war have come to thousands of
Americans marooned abroad when the
conflict opened.
when the first rumors OF war reached
U.s." the senator said, I'VE were in Mon
treaux. Switzerland where Mrs. Oliver
and I had gone to visit our daughter, the
wife Of Lieut.. Commander Edward Nc
Cauley, L. S. N, who is the commandant
OF the american SlauOndlfe at COnStan-
tinople, Turkey. Mrs. McCauley was
spending the summer in Switzerland with
her eight-month-old daughter. When we
decided to leave Switzerland my daugh-
ter left with her husband for CONSTANT
nople, where we have since learned, she
arrived safely.
Trying Experience In Paris.
1--WE left Montreaux at o'clock the
morning Of Sunday. August 2 the first
day of the French mobilization. Our
party consisted Of four persons in addi-
ton to our little grandchild, whom We
had undertaken to bring to America, as
her parents thought this would be bet
ter place for her than Constantinople.
We intended to go direct to London, but
the delays incident to mobilization
brought US into Paris several hours late
| and we were compelled to remain there.
as We expected, overnight. but, as ii
| finally turned out. for four days. Our
experiences in Paris during these four
days were the most trying through which
| it has ever been my lot to pass.
| We had great difficulty in the first
place in inducing any hotel to take
us in. At the hotel where / had been
stopping for years the manager In
formed me that on account of the
shortage of both help and money he
could not undertake to care for any
new guests.
Only French Money Good.
French money I had told him had
at least enough to pay for one nights
lodging and. besides. was pretty well
supplied with Bank Of England notes
which / exhibited.
He replied that Bank Of England
| notes were absolutely no use to him
| whatever. that nothing was good ex-
lcept French money.
He at last consented to take US in
provided we would not ask any service
in our rooms except that which could
floor. We were on the fifth floor OF
the hotel, the elevator was not running
and we had to do the best we could
we did it without complaint.
! I'm order to stay in Paris II was nee
cessary for us to obtain a police permit
| At the police station, where we had to
report, there was only one clerk issuing
| these permits, and 1t took him aver
| age of from ten to fifteen minutes for
| each person. ! saw at one time at least
| LOCO persons in line at this one station.
"A line was formed and numbers were
issued, but no attention was paid to these
numbers. and we finally secured our per-
mits only by obtaining a personal letter
from Mr.. Thackara, the American consul.
/ TO the project of police.
Courier Gave Effective Aid.
This was late in the afternoon of the
| last day of our stay in Paris. In the
| meantime. I had been working with the
courier at our hotel. with view to leav-
| ing for London. About o'clock the
| same afternoon the courier reported that
| a train would leave for Boulogne at 1890
| that night, and that he would see that
| our party were taken care of. which he
| did in very good shape.
BE sat up all night reached Bou-