The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-10-24

Our trip to Nurnberg had used up al
our money. and to our horror on try
ing to draw on our letters of credit w,
found 1t impossible to get a pfennic
For two weeks about forty American.
were in the Marquardt hotel penni
less; but the manager was most kind
saying as long as he could get foo,
we were welcome to remain. For sey
eral days we were not allowed out ant
even standing on the steps to get ;
breath of air, the crowd became Sc
violent, that the doors were locked
not seeing that We stood outside. Or
our plight being discovered the mcr
in the little party were about to smash
them in, when the attention of the
porter was drawn.
Sitting at the lounge windows dur.
ing the long days that followed VIC
watched the endless procession OF men
coming from the neighboring Villages
to report for duty. Hundreds went b,
to return later equipped for service
Every day regiments left for the bat
tie field. 1t was not then that one
felt the misery Of it all, but when the
little slip Of a woman in black, car
rying heavy. golden haired baby.
came staggering from the farewell at
the station, then one, turned away
blinded by tears, then one could un-
derstand the set faces Of the soldiers.
Why does he not look filed with the
glory Of going to serve his country L?
Because he has left in some tiny viii
lage a wife and small children with
no food and nothing, nothing.
On the 3rd of August about II
o'clock at night we were already in
bed when suddenly began the report
of muskets. increasingly, shot after
shot. The halls became alive with
people and "a French acroplane" was
screamed from mouth to mouth. We
lay paralyzed with fear while the fir
ing continued. 1t was afterwards
proved that in their frenzy they had
been shooting at star.
Count Zeppelin was at our hotel,
with grizzled hair and very youth
full appearance for his sixty-five years.
Each time he went out in his auto
mobile the crowd cheered him deaf
eningly. as they have almost as much
faith in what ho will accomplish in
the air as in the army crops. Under
cover of the night the wounded ar-
rived and the nurses left. We saw
only French prisoners brought through
the city by day. Everything went like
silently, Systematically.
AS the days went by and order re-
turned our bank took upon itself the
chance Of giving the Americans mon
ey. The same day passenger trains
were again put on and although we
were unable to get definite infOrma-
ton or even buy tickets for more than
q very short distance we decided to
leave for Hanover where we had
friends and from which point we
hoped to reach Holland. The trip
which Is usually ten hours took us
two days. travelling all Of both nights
or rather going ten minutes and stop
ping two hours. The entire way we
passed train after train of soldiers.
Freight cars. gayly decorated with
green branches and scribblcd over in
chalk: "To Paris" etc, were used,
having horses i'm both ends ana sol
diers on straw in the center. Flat
cars bearing supplies, boats and can
mons, under each of which u soldier
slept at night followed. Thousands Of
soldiers swarmed in every station,
where temporary kitchens were erect =
ed md they were fed by the Red
Cross society and ladies who volun-
teered, spending whole nights in this
manner. We were unable to buy
food, but a girl seeing our distress
handed us brown bread and sausage
intended for the soldiers.
AS we were nearing Hanover only
two women got into our compartment
and things seemed to be getting quiet
CT. when one Of them called the
conductor in and demanded with az
eloquent gesture and disdainful cN-
preston "how it was that Englisl
people were allowed to travel
why they are Americans" th,
conductor assured her. | wonder
what she would have done to two Wo
men had we been English? In Han
mover il was ominously quiet. Tho!
have not the hot temperament of the
south Germans and do not vent th"i
feelings i'm an excited way but thci
intense bitterness TO the t'ngIiSh CS