The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-08-27

sured and shipped the balance to Lon
don. All our dress clothes, pictures
and everything except what we had on.
We took shirt or two apiece, a change
of underwear and a few little things.
We will never receive the things ship
ped to London We insured the bag
gage for $685., but of course it was in
a German Insurance Company which
will now be no good. In company
| with the head porter, who was in uni
form, we reported at the station and
could scarcely get near the train sheds,
| there was such great crowd that it
looked as if it would be impossible to
get aboard that train. We had two
| hours and eighteen minutes to slowly
work our way through the crowd with
the aid of the porter. We got aboard
| the sleeper and were ordered off sew
eral times but stuck and gave the con-
ductor ten dollars to allow us to stand
| up In the vestibule. We had to stand
| all night or sit on our grip. In this
we took turns and about two a. m. the
conductor allowed us to lie down on
the floor, but of course there was no
sleep for any one. We were stopped
a dozen times to let trains carrying
soldiers have the right of way. We
were on cur way to Colon and were
due there at $3.50 In the morning, but
it was $3.50 in the afternoon before we
vro oh
had the same trouble over again about
boarding the train.
What the poor unfortunate and old
people did and those with little money,
| do not know, but it was every one
for themselves and do the best YOU
could. We made arrangements that if
anything happened to separate us we
were to meet in London if possible.
AT Colon they would not sell us any
thing to eat so we had nothing all that
day or the next except one sandwich
apiece and no sleep for three nights.
We succeeded in boarding the train,
getting in the third class car and were
lucky We were only aboard about an
hour when we were all put out and
changed again for the German frontier
town Hubersthal' arriving there at
$50. Our bag was examined, pass
ports shown and we passed through in
to 43elgium, but were compelled to
walk through about two miles. There
we waited for an hour for the Belgian
train to come and take us to Ostandi.
We succeeded in getting into a first
class apartment with cushion seat,
tired and dirty to say nothing of be-
ing hungry. We ran about thirty
miles when we stopped ana were told
that there had been a bridge blown
up ahead and so we backed up to
small station and all got out.
We were there given the pleasant
information that the Germans were but
ten miles behind us, forty thousand
strong and coming right along and that
if we could get to Verviers by 100
g. m. there was a train leaving at that
time and we would be able to get to
Liege where the fighting was. A large
city surrounded by large number of
forts containing 10000 Belgian soldiers
and that all trains were running back
of Liege. So we in company with two
other young Americans, started to
walk it. It was twelve mile tramp
but we hired man to carry the GRIN
and left at once. We left at that sta
ton several hundred passengers who
did not know what to do and who
could not hire any conveyance to
get them away. How those poor souls
ever got away no one will ever know.
When we started it was raining hard
and 1t rained all the rest of the night
and up to noon the next day. We were
stopped several times in two small
towns and closely examined but allow
ed to pass. When we reached Verviers
there was big crowd outside the sta
t1on and we were informed that there
would be no train running. So tired
and as wet as if we had been swimming
in our clothes we went to the hotel but
could get no accommodations. People
We're sleeping on chairs and on the
floor, but they would allow us to come
IN and we got sandwich apiece. This
was at 200 a. m. Tuesday morning,
Aug. 4th. We lay down under the din
ing room table in our wet clothes from
four to six, but could not sleep. AT
SIX we Got up and hired rig to haul
us ,"enty-o miles to Liege for So
and we would have been willing to
have paid most any price. We started
at once, but did not get fg before
we net autos, wagons, carriages and
people on foot running, stating that it
was impossible to pass as the Belgians
Wet airing up the road, making
trenches and would not allow anv one
to pass. 1t seemed impossible for us
now turn back after all we had gone
through with so we went on and of
course met the same demands that
the Others had received but our driver
was plucky fellow and with the aid
OF our passports and good stiff talk
about American citizenship they al
lowed to pass. We were compelled to
get out and help the horse and push
the rig over the trenches. After pass
ing the first two we were all right.
Tbo 4co,.lox 1885,.