Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-09-22
1t Entered Archduke's Head
Sped Through the Chancel-
lOries Of Europe
PIERCED THRONES
WRECKED HOMES
Made Millions Fatherless and
May Change the Map Of
the World
By William G shenherd

United Press Staff Correspondent
London, Aug. 24.-(By mail to New
York What started this war in En-.
roper Everybody knows that millions
OF men are lined up to kill each other;
that the civilization which Europe has
been slowly building up since the dark
ages has been thrown to the winds and
that the situation is too big to either
write or talk about, intelligently. 1t
viii take hundred years for history
books to give the news. AS Gencr J
Fred Funston told me, just as he was
hurrying away from Vera Cruz for Lon
don: "There s only one bigger news.
paper story that could happen on this
earth and that would be another planet
approaching ours with an inevitable col
llsiOn two weeks distant" What starr.
ed this biggest event the world has ever
known?
The answer Isl One little lead bullet
from a revolver in the hands of a Ser.
Wan high school boy And this bullet
probably would never have been fired
If an ordinary chauffeur had not lost
his way in little town in Bosnia. One
little twist of a chauffeur's wrist. as
he turned an automobile into side
street, when he should have remained
on the main road one high school boy
they started this war in Europe.
It's hard to find enough to say about
this one lead bullet. 1t went into the
head of an archduke, as he rode in his
automobile. 1t sped through the chan
cellories of Europe 1t circled about
thrones. 1t entered the bed chambers
of the world s kings, emperors or ears
and drove sleep from the eyes of states.
men. 1t sped into millions of homes
and brought sorrow and death. Oceans
of tears of women and little children II
created. 1t flew into the bourses and
money markets of the world and cut
their nerves. To understand the stu.
alton in Europe before this bullet was
fired, imagine, if you can, that every
item of civilization-everything that is
good-homes, science, art, music, sur.
gerry, education, culture, peace had
all been done up into one huge package
and hung by a slender thread over a
deep precipiee. For years this package
had swung this way. The winds of war
have often threatened it, but the states
men of Europe have steadied it and
have strengthened the hold and the
storm has passed, time after time. And
then along speeds this one lead bullet,
fired by high school boy named Ga.
briel Prinzip. 1t cuts the rope. The
crash will be heard throughout CEN
turies.
Where Prinzip is now is secret.
Most probably he is dead. From the
day he was seized by the crowds in the
streets of the little town of Seraievo
and dragged off to Jail, ie has been
out Of sight. Austrian censorship kept
back the news; his punishment is a
mystery to the courts of Europe. It all
happened on Sunday morning, June 2S.
King George, of England, was living in
Buckingham palace, in London, enjoy
ing the social season. In far away st.
Petersburg the czar of Russia was en-
tertaining Poincare, the president of
France. The emperor of Austria had
gone to his summer home for his yaca.
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