The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-11-17
New York Times)

AprOpOS oil the thrilling tales Oh
American refugees from the war zone,
wireless censorship, and so on, | won
papers the story of the escape of my
friend Perkins from Germany" re-
marked man yesterday who was try
ing his best to make restaurant take
down the sign, ''Pilsener Beer Still
Sold Here" "As Perkins tells the
tale, it not only contains thrills, but
II is remarkable evidence of the fer
tility of resource of the American com
mercial traveer when a crisis arrives.
Il am not at liberty to tell what
Perkins was selling in Germany. and
that is not germane to the subject. Let
it suffice to say that he was on train
that left Strassburg for the French
frontier just before the war was de-
clared. His one hope of salvation,
though he did not know it, lay in the
fact that he had missed his luncheon.
Just before the train left the station at
Strassburg he experienced the pangs Of
hunger. He glanced through the win
dow. Near by on the platform he no
ticed stand garlanded with festoons
of frankfurters. He jumped out of the
compartment, ran to the stand and
thanked down two marks.
Give me this in sausages,' he told
the girl at the stand She loaded him
with strings of delicatessen, and he
darted back to the train just in time to
get aboard.
"At German Avricourt, just on the
other side of the border, the train stop
ped as usual. But to everybody's sur
prise the passengers were ordered out
of the coaches and informed that the
train would go no further. They would
be taken back to Strassburg, they were
told, or they could take their chances
OF getting across the frontier, provd-
ed that the German and the French
Soldiers would let them pass. Per
llins thought it over. He was due in
Paris the next day. He must get
through.
| Naturally there was nothing he
could do about his trunks, and he was
carrying with him only a suitcase,
which contained simply the requisites
for an overnight journey. A happy
| bought led him TO stuff the remaining
Ifiankfurters into the bag with his pa
I iamas. -
| The immediate experiences OF Per
! ms after his start for the French
frontier shall pass over lightly. One
Explanation for some of them is that
instead of taking the railroad track he
! lfcllowed the direction given him foI
setting on public highway, but
| missed turn, and, instead of going
vest travelled almost due north about
wo hours. Had he kept on the rail
road he would have reached French
| AvricOurt in due time AMI unquestiona
! bly, would have been sized up as AL
American and tourist, though the
presence of the frankfurters in his
suitcase might have required explana
lion. When he did discover his error
| night was falling, and it seemed diff
flcult to find road turning to the left
and toward France.
1T was 1880 when tired and agar
hungry, he decided to sit down, and
rest. AS he sat perched on the stone
fence he thought again of the frank
furters, and decided to give himself
courage by eating more. He wondered
Row they would taste toasted.
IF you have ever been on the roads
in that part of Germany you will know
that twigs are difficult TO find, but my
friend was SO fortunate as to come
across a portion of a packing box thai
might have been dropped from IA pass
ing cart. With a stone and his pocket
knife he soon reduced it to fuel Be
ling plentifully supplied with matches
he soon had a blaze and began toast
ing sausages on a spit made out of {
tWiS. lNdtuidiiy' Oie pICCeSo SpiSp'
Il succulent odor.
Whether it was thar or the flame
that attracted it soon Perkens behelS
a huge black shape approaching hin
lout of the sky. 1t was Zeppelin. Fl,
knew it at once. 1t came slowly, as i
drifting, for, although it could not hav,
been hundred feet above the ground
there was no sound from the propel
lers, which from that altitude woulI
have been almost deafening. Indeed
the big aircraft hardly seemed to move
Perkins held his breath. Something
ratified along the stone fence with
sound like chain running out of thu
bow of a small vessel.
In a flash Perkins knew what
was--an anchor hanging from the ali
ship. He bent over to grasp his sui
case. The Zeppelin was just overhead
The anchor dragged along near him
!. IN 1t. hnr, 1,f a..