The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-09-12
Interesting Account of Former
BrattlebOrO Girls
Experiences
FIRST HEARD OF WAR
WHEN IN COLOGNE
Mrs. J. H. Soliday Tells of What She
and Her Companions Encountered in
Their Journey Across the Continent
and Then to This Country.


Mrs. J. II. Sohdav of Dedham, Mass.
daughter of Mrs. NJ. ). Jones of this
town. was among the passengers who
reached this country from Europe Aug.
80 on the Italian steamer San Giovanni |
and she tells the following interesting
story OF her experiences III gettlhS |
nome:
The hrst real feeIIh2 that we were
gong to encounter war or near war
came at Cologne on the evening OF jury
-, when we attended a military con
cert at hail where different military
bands gave daily concerts Inc nun
dreds of officers and soldiers present
seemed to be tailoring under great eN-
citement and we all wished we under
stood German that we might know
what it was all about, The streets
were filled with soldiers and we *aW
many details of cavalry and infantry
pass during our walks that afternoon
and evening. The following day we went
np the Rhine and from people on board
who had come from various places we
learned there was excitement on all
sides, but not being able to get an
English or French paper could read
nothing.
The 2Sth and part of 10Th at May
ence we learned very little, but stlII
saw hundreds of soldiers marching
| through streets, and on our railroad
trip to Lucerne found all stations filled
with them and at the Swiss frontier a
regular guard. NJ freIhurg our con
| duct0r 5 brother and nephew, who lived
| there, came TO the tram 10 see hlm, and
we were surprised to see the nephew
| in officer : uniform and hear he was or
dered to report for duty. y few days
! later NJ lntCrlake our conductor was
saddened by not finding the name OF
! his nephew among the survivors OF one
OF the first battles in which his reg
mcnt was about wiped out.
At Lucerne until the morning OF
| Aug. we still saw soldiers every
| where, but could not hud why. Gu
first difficulty about money occurred
here, as the hotel would not caai
checks and at banks or Coos S ONCE
4 one had long want IN line.
On Friday from Lueernc ON a trip t
4 Andermatt. the highest village OF tn
Alps near the Italian frontier, we pass
ed over a portion OF the road owe
winch so many troops have come iron
activity at all forts and passes.
Arriving At lnterIakeh carly III tn
afternoon of Aug. !, ON my FIRST trip O
exploration l saw 50 many pathetl
scenes that | went back to the hot'
! convinced that something was surcl
: about to happen. Women were clcamn
e and beating uniforms and weeping bi'
e terly at the same time outside thel
maj
where the trees made Il dense Shad
young men IN uniform wore hoIun
their sWeethearts on their laps, the glr
IN most cases III tears. y W"lrd part
Swiss mobilization were the mGl
marches. Our hotcl was on d mann foa
; leading to the frontier and the nigh
of Aug. and from 1870 to daNigl
| spent at my window, the first nigl
watching cavalry pass. and the secor
artillery and supply wagons. steao
st procession for hours, each night in Il
T. pouring rain, which certainly Won
o impress one with horrors TO come.
On Monday, the Bird. We were to
that the American minister at BerI
said to stay where We were, as war "
actually declared, and oar party cable
London to give up our saiIin9s on t
Cvmric Aug II. as We would be II
able to reach there. Iaf'S was ont
the question, and for over a week y
IF had no definite idea of when on lac
or we could get home. Also we began
rs experience hard times even though y
had plenty of checks in our poke
BY working all sorts Of schemes a
ic buying in some stores to about tw
thirds the amount of an American +
press check, we could get few fran
change to keep MS in stamps, e
4 Meanwhile Americans and Engll
: poured into the village Of Interlak
until on Aug. there were over g
- there. On the 4th notices were post
calling mass meeting for > pm. t
following day in the hnrsaal, Ont