New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1914-10-14
City Welcomes
Mayor Fritsche
DOCTOR SAYS HE is VERY GLAD
TO BE SAFELY BACK IN
AMERICA
REPORTS GERMANY is MORE
THAN READY FOR LONG
STRUGGLE.

Hundreds Of citizens including the
members of the City Council and the
Second Regiment Band were at the
Northwestern station Friday evening to
welcome home Mayor L. A. Fritsche
who arrived that evening at $50 from
three months trip abroad. The
Mayor was escorted to his home by the
band and citizens and Acting Mayor
Mueller babe him welcome on behalf of
the citizens to which DR.. Fritsche re-
sponded in brief address.
The reception was practically spon-
taneous, no concerted preparations having
been made to welcome the Mayor
home, because the actual time of his
arrival did not become known until the
day before he was to arrive. He was
visibly affected when he saw so many
people waiting to welcome him and it
was made plain to him how highly the
people of the city esteem and admire
him.
The Mayor left New Ulm trifle over
>,three months ago for a trip abroad,
partly for recreation but mainly for
service under the famous surgeons OF
Germany. Before. going to Germany
he went to England to attend the Inter
national Civic Convention. He stayed
in London for a week and then crossed
the Channel and set out for Paris.
While at Paris DR.. Fritsche and his party
consisting of fifteen people were rendered
a reception by Ambassador Herrick.
This was to be the Ambassadors last
reception and some of the foremost
French officials were present. Late in
the afternoon word was berought to the
embassy that Austria had declared war
on Servia. This caused considerable
commotion in Paris and for two or three
evenings crowds Of people numbering
from six to eight thousand gathered on
the streets shouting: Down with the
War; we want no War; The police
were necessary to disperse them.
Immediately after Austria had de-
clared war on Servia, military operations
began in France. The passenger train
), service became demoralized, because the
!, trains were being used for the mobili-
r'zation of troops and DR.. Fritsche claims
that French troops had actually crossed
the border of Belgium before war was
declared by the German Emperor. In
this connection the Doctor says that the
Russians were already massing their
troops on the eastern border of Germany
and had already begun destroying
bridges and villages before Germany
declared war. Mayor Fritsche is fully
convinced that this war was thrust upon
Germany and that it was not OF her
seeking and he says that for this reason
the German people are united as they
have never been before and there is
absolutely no doubt in the minds of the
German people that victory will be
theirs.
On account of the warlike attitude
things were assuming, DR.. Fritsche and
his party thought it advisable to leave
France and crossed over to Geneva in
y Switzerland. Here they learned in the
afternoon of August LIST that Germany
had declared war against Russia. The
three weeks that they stayed in Switzer-
land were spent mostly at Berne. Here
the Doctor had an opportunity to visit
the hospitals every day and to witness
some very delicate operations performed
by Prof Kocher and son, the most noted
surgeons in Switzerland.
Charles Hauser, brother-in-law OF
the Doctor, who was with him was
getting nervous about getting home
and finally succeeded in making arrange
: ments to get transportation home via
Naples at $500 per person when the
evening before their departure for Italy
4 they received their first letters from Mrs.
Leonholdt, formerly Miss Minnie Pfaen-
der, informing them that it was safe
enough to travel and that they must
surely come to Berlin and instead Of
going to Italy they left for Germany the
next morning.
So far as the Doctor could see con-
ditions in Germany were quite normal.
There we're no war prices on food stuffs,
and if it were not for the occasional
moving of troops and the arrival of the
wounded one would not suspect that war
was actually in progress. He said that
the people Of Germany were going about