The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1914-09-11

who were carrying our grips and told
them to see us to the hotel in Mann
helm. rgmarking, Always help the
American ladies'" Reaching the hotel,
which was another hours walk from
the ferry had very difficult time
making the boys accept fee for car
rying our baggage, which they insist
ed they should do free of charge, be-
cause we were Americans. From
Mannheim we left on the Rhine boat
EMMA" for Rotterdam Sunday noon,
reaching Mainz that evening. a. the
boat was not permitted to run after
sundown, we were allowed to get off
and go to a hotel. We located our
selves at the ''Haesler Graf" which
formerly was known as the Englisher
Hof but which mob insisted be
changed. At this hotel, which con
tanned 100 rooms, there was only the
proprietress and two maids in charge,
the proprietor and his three sons hav-
ing gone to war. This poor woman,
like many others We met, was heart
broken and constantly in tears. From
Miami we went to Cologne, where We
again stopped over night at hotel
at every stop the boat made offi-
GERS would come aboard and examine
our passports and baggage. The
next stop was at Weisels, the last
German station this side of Holland
and a large and important fort. The
boat having reached here at 1.3O p.
m, the captain who came aboard said
it was past the hour to permit the
passengers to get off, but after long
persuasion there being no accommo-
dations other than benches on the
deck to sleep on for the hundred or
more persons on board the COM
mander of the fort agreed to allow us
to 60 to a hotel under guard. A GER
tain hotel was designated, but it be-
ing 10 great "A distance from the boat
which We had to be On board OF again
at 5 o'clock next morning, we con
cluded to seek nearer hotel, and in
quiring, learned there was one sever
al blocks this side of the one We were
instructed to go to. Reaching this
hotel we had gone into the dining
room and were just ordering ouI
dinner when the proprietor came *
our table ana said | was wanted ir
the corridor, where | found an officer
and a soldier, the latter excited!
pointing to me and saying was the
woman wanted. Inquiring what the
trouble was, 4 was informed that
was under -.uspicion' as a French
woman and possibly a spy. Tht
soldier insisted had spoken French
and was gathering information abou
the fort. The officer asked if thi:
were true, then requested to see m!
passport, and asked if 1 had an!
further proofs Of my Identity.
showed him, besides my passport, m.
travelling checks and steamer tickets
which seemed to sufficiently convinct
him that l was an American. The
officer profusely apologized for troub
ling me, while the soldier insisted h
was right in his suspicious, but the
accusations of the latter did not alarm
me nearly as much as the presence o
the large crl.g-d that had gathered ir
the door way to whom the officer hat
to make quite a lengthy explanation
before it dispersed.
. Returning to the dining room aftel
this experience and resuming my sea
at the table, about five minutes hat
elapsed, when another officer anC
soldier came in looking for me- Going
into the corridor again | was asked
by the officer If we had lost any bag
gage. Telling him we had not, ht
asked me to accompany him to where
there was some that evidently had NJ
owner and see if l could identify it
| / told him l could not identify what
was not mine. A gentleman present
who was with our party, then vol
unteered to accompany the officer
They went to lot where this baggage
was placed, surrounded by about 81
soldiers, and a few hundred Of the
townspeople, all shouting not to toucl
it as it contained dynamite. WheI
the gentleman, who accompanied the
officer opened up the baggage, which
proved to belong to some one from
Boston who had given ii to an ole
man at the dock to carry and who haC
lost track of the party to whom the
suit cases belonged. A laugh wen
up and the soldiers and townspeople
went their way. The officer then ex.
planned the anxiety over the contents
of the suit cases by stating that a few
days previous to our arrival in Wei
sells, a party of mournerS had come
there with supposed corpse in a cof.
fin accompanied by a man who was
masqueraded as a priest and after
depo iting the coffin at the station on
the pretext of engaging burial lot
left without returning. Suspicion be-
ing aroused over the contents OF the
cotfin 1t was taken to the river and
soaked for several hours and then
opened when it was found to contain
dynamite.
From Weisels we proceeded to
Rotterdam without being further in
terrupted On the Ryndam, on which
We returned, everyone who had come
from Germany was warm in their
prais, OF the Germans for the cour-
teous treatment received and the as
sistance rendered to enable Ameri-
cans to reach their destinations.
Mrs. Schofield and party left on
Monday afternoon, accompanied as
far al Baltimore by Mr.. and Mrs.
Ford and niece. Catherine, for their
home iii ~. Louis. TO view the coun-
try from this city to Baltimore the
trip was made in automobiles.