The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-08-16
1EFUGEETELLS
OF ROUGHING IT
Otis B. Kent, Back IN Capital,
Not Likely to Forget War
Experiences.
ADOPTED" SIX WOMEN
Attorney for |. C. c. with Helpless
Germans on His Hands. Was Glad
to Get Even Steerase Passage.
Bz MILDRED DILLON.

ods B. Kent. attorney for the Inter
state Commerce Commission. arrived in
Washington yesterday. having landed in
New York wednesday night from the
nrst refugee boat, Philadelphia, that
brought hundreds Of war beaters" home.
NY experiences in Europe and getting
out Of Il were only common with hum
dreds OF other American Travellers" Mr..
Kent said
And then he proceeded to tell me some
OF the most amazingly thrilling expert
enceH that ] had ever heard related, or
seen portrayed even In panieky motion
pictures.
Mr.. Kent, with Charles H Ridenour.
went to Europe July for visit in Rus
STA and to Norway and Sweden. on his
usual annual vacation. He has spent
many summers in Europe and Is well
acquainted with the whole Continent
Adopts n Family.
Among the startling facts that Mr..
Kent believed to be ordinary occurrences
was that he had taken under his wing
six German women, one Austrian, and a
German child who, while he was making
arrangements to leave Hamburg for Eng
land. besought him to take them along to
'-qerica- He also Travelled Storage and
- side by side, with millionalres. scien-
md Iaborers the common fat pork
iaEN Of shs third-class passengers.
The FIRST inkIing that I had OF war
was when returning south through
Sweden from Nsrvik, the northern ter
minus Of the Lapland Railroad. no
ticed train loads OF troops, with horses,
ammunition, and provisions, on the side
tracks. Large numbers Of empty cars
also stood on these sidetraczs ready for
use. But there was not q word OF war.
when we reached Stockholm on July
IS the King Of Sweden was giving a re-
ception to the President Of France, who
had iust come from Russia, where he
was entertained by the Gar. And which
may be remembered was Just two weeks
before the war broke.
AT HRnge, Finland. we saw the pre-
liminary mobilization Of the Baltic feet
OF battleships, and still farther Non at
Helsingfors, the capital Of Finland, there
was further evidences Of mobilization"
Mr.. Kent said.
How II Came About.
81 fear that am tedious he would
say, fnterrupting himself after every
statement But I want you to get a
clear idea Of the conditions of those coun-
tries who were mobilizing long before
war was talked of and how It naturally
came about that I was a refugee on the
Philadelphia
AT Rronstadt. Russia. at the mouth
~ tire Neva, we saw men working night
ed day In feverish haste to complete a
hattleship. and when I asked the first
rate OF our vessel the reason he told me
that the EoVernHaent, had given out the
order to be completed for q naval review !
to be given August 6, :. and s. Then he
NH N he Signinranca
the haste-that he believed it would be
q naval battle instead of a naval review
that would christen the new war vessel.
Il was amazed" Mr.. Kent continued,
land tried to believe he spoke in jest but
] afterward learned that the first mate
was serious. He said that the relations
of Austria and Russia had been strained
for some time. and that at any possibil-
ity Russia and Germany would take ex-
ception to the great pacific mobilization,
and without doubt YOU will hear in few
DAYS of a great naval battle.
I'm st. Petersburg all was excitement.
and there were tremendous demonstra-
tons in the streets. The soldiers and
citizens MINGLED shouting. Down with
Germany Down with Austria The
mobs tore the ensigns from the doors of
the embassies and legations and the
streets were astir with military drills |
and awkward reserve squads
Berlin in Same Mad State.
Berlin was in the same mad state"
Mr.. Kent said. There the shouts Of the |
mobs were Down with the Russians, |
Down with the French
II arrived in Hamburg July 80. with my !
passage on the Imperator safely tucked |
in my pocket but learned after a parley |
of several hours that the ship would not /
sail. was advised by a cavalry officer
to leave the country While waiting in |
Hamburg for a definite decision from the |
steamship line, I attended the famous /
cafe, Alster Pavilion. Every avenue to |
the cafe was packed with frenzied peo-
pie. They were massed together so thick
that they remained staple, and three |
Erenchmen who were in the cafe were