Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1914-10-08


OF course, you have not forgotten the
message that you memorized before
the emperor"
A Dash to Spain.
assured him / had not, and after
q cordial handshake I bowed myself
out and hurried back to my quarters
Here ] found that my boy had my
travelling bag ready with his usual
thoroughness. One does not take
much baggage on these trips. Pajam-
as, slippers. a smoking cap. and .
toothbrush have seen me three-auar-
tiers around the globe, and ! Y
carried q s~fx-shooter in my life. In
all my experience / have 9 en few
secret agents who do carry one. The
only protective article I ever carried
was a little silk bag containing a mix
tnre Of cayenne pepper. snuf. q
certain chemicals. II liz very effective
to throw into the faces of those who
attack you.
Soon there came a messenger from
Wedell with the promised funds. q
thousand francs and two thousand
pesos. II lacked a half hour to three
thirty, so / made my way to the
FTfedrichstrasse depot on foot. Ex-
perienee had taught me that the
Orient express was generally over
crowded and that unless one reached
the depot early and used a good deal
OF palm OIL, 1t was impossible to SEE
cure q decent seat.
A judicious oiiing OF palms enabled
me to get a very pleasant window
seat In a middle compartment. After
making myself at home / took a tour
through the train. 1t is my invariable
custom to take stock OF my fellow
travellers, and In this ease 1t was
most imperative.
My arrival and what I accomplished
in Paris are commonplace. Arriving
In the Care du Nord. | took d taxi to
the German embassy In the Rue de
Lille, where an u~ndersecretary signed
for my dispatches and handed me two
letters addressed to the embassy OF
Madrid. l Immediately posted his re-
ceipt to the Wilhelmstrasse, some
thing German secret agents are al
ways obliged to do-maii the foreign
office signatures for documents as
soon as they are delivered. q
Without further adventure / reached
Madrid. As the train was four hours
late I did not present myself at the
embassy. was met by a commits
saire at the station, delivered him the
papers, received his signature. posted
1t to the Wilhelmstrasse, and made
connections for Barcelona. Some
where on that city, In the open sea,
the Panther was waiting.
With the utmost dificulty I char.
tered a tug. and in the twilight set
on to find the Panther. 1t was COM
Ing night when we finally saw her
dark, trim hull lying against the hort-
zon. She was we'll named the Pan
Their. for In this ease a false spring
by her meant war.
As we steamed up alongside a SEN
try hailed us from the deck. /
shouted that I had come to see the
captain, but he told us to stand oE
Finally. after persistently hailing the
warship, the officer OF the watch came
to the rail and held parlsy with me.
Il have imperial orders to see the
captain" l shouted.
The Amazing Message.
Apparently this satisfied him, for
he let me come on board. Without
further delay / was shown into the
captains room. Very important the
captain. Picture him, a man In the
forties. straightforward, rather jolly.
and with one OF those German naval
boards. The slightest mistake by the
captain OF the Panther would have
flung England and France into war
with Germany. He stood for a mo-
ment regarding me.
Well, what is this? What is your
Wilhelmstrasse number" he finally
said,
Seventeen" / told him.
That appeared to satisfy the cap.
tain. I knew that the Wiihelmstrasse
had wired him that Number Seven.
teen" was coming, Still he was care
full.
Where were your first instructions
received?'
From Wedell."
subsequently"
felt him looking at me sharply.
Confirmed by the emperor" / re-
piled. "and I deliver you herewith the
following message. You are re-
quested to use the private service
code ri soon as | have delivered this
message to you and repeat 1t at once
direct to Count Wedell."
The captain got up and, moving
noiselessly to the door, opened il
swiftly. There was no one about.
"All right" he said. let me have
IT," .
repeated what / had memorfzed
what the emperor had given me In the
secret chamber, and immediately
afterward destroyed all visible trace
OF. I said:
"On no account. II does not matter
what official commands you have re-.