East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1914-12-24
CORRESPONDENT WITH
AUSTRIAN ARMY TELLS
ABOUT LIFE At FRONT
JUST ONE THING AFTER THE
OTHER BUT IT'S A GREAT
EXPERIENCE.
William G. Shepherd relates the
Daily ROutine-Change In schedule
Is Always Welcomed and Then
Excitement Holds Sway-Newspa-
pcrmen Under strict Orders.


Is Always Welcomed and Then
Excitement Holds Sway-Newspa-
pcrmen Under strict Orders.
(By William G.. Shepherd. United
Press staff Correspondent
FELDPoSTAMT, No. Ss, near the
Hungarian Frontier, Nov. 7.-(By
courier to Vienna. Heres the way
that We get our marching orders in
the Kriespressequartier the war press
headquarters in Austria Hungary.
Only yesterday morning some of us
returned from Przemysl to this quaint
little ancient town in Galica, expect
ing days Of dullness until we were
again taken to the front.
At the MONDAY meal the officer in
charge of carriages which are at our
disposal raped on his wine glass for
attention and said: "Who wishes to
go to-" naming the big Galician
town six niles distant, where there
are coffee houses. stores and other
blessings OF civilization. His question
Is daily one; he aswks It only to
know how many carriages he must
have ready after dinner and at what
hours. We raise our hands, he counts
heads and two hours later we find
ourselves after a ride through the
hills walking through the streets OF
a lively town where some OF the chief
officers of the army have their head
quarters including the particular Of
ficer who has charge Of the newspa'
per correspondents.
We go to the coffee houses to talk
to Max. He used to be a waiter in
a newspaper row restaurant in New
York and he's always willing to talk
Interestingly of those golden days be-
fore he took a notion to come back
home to Galicia with his pile" only
to lose it here. In 1915, though, he's
going back; he knows where he can
make $40 a day in New York or Chi
cago or Frisco by his walters tricks
He confesses some Of his New YORK
tricks to you, now that the old days
and the old place are far away and
so you talk, waiting for Sunday TO
end. II does SO with bang, at ex-
actly 6 o'clock. The arc lights have
heen going for an hour, but suddenly
the streets are turned into little
Broadways by store lights which
flood the pavements as the jewish
raise their shutters at 8.
You fare forth in the streets crowd
ed with officers, soldiers, civilians,
girls and youths a counting, and In
the rush you meet another newspa'
per man.
I'VE go to Servia in the morning
at O'clock" he says I've just
heard it."
You do not believe such good
news. You rush to army headquar-
ters and to the officers Of the colonel
who has charge OF the fates and des-
tinies of newspaper men in charge.
His offices are crowded with ether
officers receiving orders. There is
rot a chance to speak to him. Any
how, II the story is true, you'll hear
*, officially, in time. Officers are
rushing in and out One Of them
has a bale Of paper bills as high as
a silk hat. Something's doing. any
how, so you get out.
Back over the hills you go between
seven and eight in the cold evening
and enter the long, narrow room
where supper is at s.
An officer is reading orders, with
D group Of newspapermen standing
about him. He calls out a list OF
names; those mentioned cross to the
other side of the room.
Eat o'clock tomorrow morning
be at the depot" he says to them.
We are going to servia to see the
lines there. All those
names have not called will go on
a train that leaves at o'clock in
the morning, day after tomorrow. We
are to go in two lots"
Supper is gulped There's a lot OF
packing and a little sleeping to DO
done within the next seven hours
for those who go tomorrow morning
And so, all through the night. there
Is a scurrying OF soldier servants
through the streets Of the little cid
village. They rush from one little
house here to another little mouse
there where correspondents have
looms, collecting baggage. The village
folk look on in their night gowns,
night caps and slippers, holding can
lies for heavily shod soldiers who
clatter around their little homes;
they're not used to such carvings
On. At three on the dot. the train
pulls out for its 5O0-mile journey
across Hungary to Servia, where the
nfr is still warm and where our win
.er clothes will be in the way until
January.
Breakfast was a dull thing In the
,nce lively casino" this morning;
only few of US were left and tomor-
-ow morning at o'clock after an
1ther stirring up OF the village we,
90, shall start out. And, this old
own will become It's sleepy old self
again, with only the memory Of those
;trange days when newspaper men
rom the farthest corners OF the earth
here to watch the Austrians
light the Russians.