The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1914-10-01

| arms, and military trains began
rushing their human freight TO the
frontiers. Europe, the pivot Of civ
ilization became once more the prey
Of Mars and began TO shift and surge
into a new condition Of being.
Mr.. Sellers and myself found our
selves stranded finally in the small
town OF Iglau, in the ancient pro-
vince of Mahren in northern Aus
tria. All transportation OF civilians
had been suspended on the railroads;
every bridge, junction and cross
roads was guarded by armed soldiers,
and IL Jared i'll with any stranger
who had no means Of Identification.
One morning the town was almost
frenzied when il was found that q
Servian spy had thrown arsenic in
to the water works reservoir. The
guilty man was granted a fifteen
minute controversial and then shot
in the local arsenal.
We remained in Mahren one
month. The town officials granted
us the freedom OF walking thru the
streets, but one day we were fool
hardy enough to venture beyond the
dead line" and out upon the open
highway. My camera aroused sus-
picion, and we were arrested as Eng
lish spies in a neighboring town.
We were lodged within a factory
building. which happened to be the
most substantial structure in the
place to await the decision OF the
town officials as to our disposal.
The only telephone line thru the
country was the means of es-
tablishing our identity, and after
some clustering among the pudgy,
brass-buttoned officers, we were es-
corted TO the outskirts OF the town,
with half the juvenile population
gaping at-our heels.
II has been indeed surprising II
us to note with what mobile calm
and nonemotion the people look up
on and endure this terrible scourge
Of war. With patient everyday
matter-Of-course the women, chill
dren and old men take the places OF
the men who have gone out TO up
hold their country and their king.
The women serve as conductors,
pOrters and hod-carriers and the
children find themselves useful in
the fields, as their school buildings
have been converted into relief sta
tions and hospitals. Old tottering
veterans and young boys guard the
towns and villages. Since utter
misery has become the common lot
Of all, it is borne with a cheerful
and patient 'forbearance.
Vienna, the gay capital of Aus
tria, was shrouded in clothes Of
mourning. The theaters and mus
Gums, in fact all forms OF amuse-
ment were dispensed with; the pro-
portion of women to men seen on
the streets was overwhelming. We
came in time to see a regiment OF
young recruits, the youngest draft,
marching thru the streets to the
railway station. There they board
ed the train, which was to take
them to-nobOdy knew; secrecy and
complete silence as TO maneuvers. is
the first order OF the authorities.
Regiments, companies, military
trains come and go, nobody knows,
nobody seems to care to ask, where
from or where to. Mothers and
sweethearts are alike the world
over, and the scenes are touching.
Those partings for many OF them
were the last, for three weeks later
thousands Of them faced the deadly
fucillade OF modern machine guns,
which have been devised 10 be
quick and sure.
The frequent riots regarding the
iSiie bOot VI iOou, tlc ludlly SlIttI
demonstrations, the bringing back
al night OF the dead and wounded,
the placing of chlorine in the sew
ers to prevent an outbreak OF chol-
era and other diseases, are all sub
jects which are too morbid to allow
detailed discussion. One day we
climbed the heights above the city
and saw some four hundred Servian
prisoners working on the bikes
which had been broken by the over
flowing of the Danube River. We
left Vienna at night in a special
train bound for Berlin. Under or
binary conditions the trip takes
about eight hours, but owing to the
movement Of military trains, the
journey lasted more than three
times longer. At Berlin we saw the
aeroplane and Zeppelin maneuvers
and the parade OF prisoners and cap
tured guns thru the Undermined
streets Of the city. Germany's cap
ital had taken on a more lively and
optimistic mood, the people crowd .