Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-08-12
WAR SCENES IN FRANCE
ARE TOLD BY NEWARKER
John Swayze Describes ordeas of Himself Mrs. Swayze
In Trying to Reach Sailing Port-Paid High Premium to
Oct French Money-orltloIses Agency and Ship Line.

ences Of tourists In Paris at the be-
ginning Of the war convulsing all of
Europe Is John L. Hwayze, of AS
Ridge street. Mr. Swayze is a brother
OF Supreme Court Justice Francis j.
Swayze, and was secretary to former
Governor Franklin Murphy during his
term OF office. At the time Mr..
Swayze told his story to the news
paper men he did not know where his
brother was. However. he said that
the Judge, who, 1t is now known, is
in London, was pretty well able to
take care of himself, and even If he
happened to be bottled up in the war
zone, he would be entirely safe.
Although Mr.. Swayze was on the
high seas, under the American ensign.
before any of the countries had de-
clared war, he and Mrs. Swayze had
plenty of excitement.
I blame myself for not being aware
OF the situation long BEFORE" he said
We spent some weeks In an English
hotel In Florence and one of the
guests there was a general of the
italian army engaged In directing
target practice in the Apennipes.
Then one day he silently disappeared.
The mail began to pile up on his
table, and with the other guests we
began to wonder where he was. 1t
was not until Thursday, July 80
when. in accordance with our sched-
ule, We started for Paris, that either
Mrs. Swayze or myself had any Ink
ling of what was afoot.
AS the train wound itself on its
weary way through the country from
Florence we noticed that every bridge
and every station was guarded by
soldiery. There would be one or two
sentries standing stiffly upright at
each end of a bridge, with their rifles
held in military position. while an
other group. their pieces stacked.
would loll in ease in the middle OF
the structure.
Train Was Switched.
Even these scenes confronting us
at frequent intervals, did not alarm
us, and it was not until we were in
Switzerland, on the French border,
that we knew anything was the mat
ter. Then our train was switched
from the track and halted and all
the passengers were required to buy
new tickets. / had bought transpor-
tation for Mrs. Swayze direct from
Florence to Paris, but this did not
make any difference. I had italian
money In gold, and offered this, but
they would not take 1t, insisting on
payment In French currency.
This left me with only the Italian
gold and / was compelled to realize
on my travellers checks. We went to
Cooks, but found that we could only
get French money In notes and for
large denominations. ! drew really
more than needed, or rather than
would under ordinary circum-
stances.
fright here we had our first un-
pleasant experience. 1t really was
Mrs Swayze who had the trouble,
and she came near being arrested
because her money was only French
notes for large sums. Both of us
wanted to get rid Of the dust Of
travel, and while went to the barber
shop, she went to the hair dresser.
After being attended to, she offered
the hair dresser a fifty franc note
($10), but they wouldn't make change
for her. Telling the folks there that
she had offered them money and they
would either have to make change for
her or do without their pay, she
walked out Of the shop.
1T seemed to her as II every per-
son in the place followed her and
they would not let her go until she
walked up to the desk Of the Conti-
mental Hotel and they found that
their bill could be charged to the
hotel account.
Nov. for the first time in many
years. I found that had to curtail
my expenditures. On our way to
Florence we had stopped In the Con-
tinental and had taken wine with
our meals as q matter of course.
Now we contented ourselves with
meals of great modesty and avoided
the wines.
LET me say right here that the
servants and those who cared for us
treated us with the greatest sympathy
and consideration. / was compelled
to give tips that amounted to but
fraction of what the servants and
others were accustomed to receive,
but they fully appreciated the situa-
ton and accepted the small gratui-
ties with Just as much courtesy and
gave us the same attention that we
always had had,
Agents Were Arrogant.
But this was not true of the offices
of the Hamburg American line or at
Cooks agency. The agents of the
line were arrogant and mean In their
treatment of not only my wife and
Il.
to them. / had given Cooks all OF
my business; had engaged my hotel
accommodations and all of my trans
portation through them. Yet. when l
went to them with their own travel
1ers' checks on Friday noon they at
first refused to give me any French
currency. They finally compelled me
TO pay a premium of s160 for $40
when they saw that would not go
away from the counter unless they
gave me something. More I could
not get at any price.
And yet, when they had gouged
me, the clerk reached down beneath
the counter and brought up twenty
big five-franc pieces fresh from the
mint. I do not think that / ever was
more relieved in my life than when l
slowed ten of the big pieces In each
trousers pocket. But I knew that
there was plentiful supply in the
Office
"The whole of Paris was panic
stricken. The banks had closed and
everybody began to hoard money. If
one went to a department store with
a fifty-franc note, he had to either
purchase fifty francs worth or go
without change. I heard a story of
a hotel keeper that showed the panic
more clearly than anything else. An
American woman who had visited
the hotel for more than twenty years
was settling her bill. While she was
counting her money a gold five-franc
piece fell on the counter. Immedi-
ateIy the hotel man grabbed the coin
and could not be induced to give 1t
up.
when we went to the offices of the
line, the full Significance of our posi-
ton dawned on us. The office was
damned with tourists begging and
pleading for passage. AS soon as we
learned that the Imperator would not