River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-01-01

We were in Berlin. The MOROCCO
affair had stirred all Europe, and
war between the Teuton and the Gaul
was believed to be imminent. All
Berlin was ahame with enthusiasm.
Nikolai, passing a patriotic process
sion, laughed scornfully.
And this the folly Of these silly
sheep Of which the government hopes
to reap the advantage by an unpar-
donable attack on France he said
1t would be a charity to prevent it"
Prevent warp / exclaimed.
Nikolai turned 10 me. What
makes war possible?" Re asked.
Money I answered promptly.
And the German governments war
fund is"
In the fortress Of Spandau,' ] OK
claimed suddenly enlightened.
Everybody knows that after France
had paid Germany a huge monetary
indemnity i'm 1871, the Teutonic gov
eminent set aside a war fund of sev-
erai million pounds in gold. which was
inmured in the recesses Of the for
tress of Spandau, nine miles from Ber-
lin. And it was this sum that Nikolai
contemplated raiding.
| confess the audacity Of the scheme
staggered me Even knowing Nikolai
rs I did, the idea appeared to me in
creibIe. Yet here was this one man
calmly proposing to loot the treasures
of the kaiser, and those buried in the
recesSes OF one Of Germanys most
powerful fortresses.
The evening papers We're full of war
news Among other items we cleaned
that the guns Of Spandau We're about
TO be dismounted and sent to the
frontier, to help oyerawe the French
government 1t was the policy Of
Germany to obtain her ends peace
fully if possible. In consequences.
the publication or these items, as cal
culated to terroriZe France, was
rather encouraged. The papers teemed
with stories or the preparations for
mobilization
Among other things We read that
cargo of shrapnel shells was to be
hurried to Spandau, and thence to be
conveyed with the guns to waste
territory in Alsace, used by the gov
prnment for war manOeuVres on
large scale Extensive firing practice.
we learned, was to be carried on
there, and, If the French government
did not then come to terms, the mimic
war would be converted into reality.
Nikolai was morose on the follow
ing day. ] think the magnitude of his
scheme was now better realized by
him Together we haunted the vic
nifty of the freight yards.
Those shells will arrive from the
Krupp factories" lie mediated. Sum
mers, it will be our task to convey
them to Spandau in person"
But how?" / asked
Nikolai smiled In a bureaucracy"
he answered, everything is possible"
Aud he made an appointment to meet
me at the freight yards at seven
o'clock that evening
That was the hour at which the spe-
cial train bearing the load of shells,
was due to arrive. Everything goes
by clockwork In Germany, and punct-
ually at seven o'clock the train en-
tered the station, the great shells
openly displayed in the cars Upon the
engine was representative of the
krupp works.
Disguised as mechanic. | waited.
terrified lest at any moment some or
the officers should inquire my bust
ness. But they were too much alb
sorbed with the affairs in hand A
tall officer in uniform, wearing crossed
swords upon his shoulders, stepped
forward among those waiting and dis
played an order | gasped; it was
NikoIai himself.
lie beckoned me and said, with as
sumed roughness:
Il want you, my man. to help unload
this cargo at its destinations" Then.
turning to the officers assembled. he
added:
You see, gentlemen. it is the en-
peror's special order. These shells
must be run in to Spandau this eve
ming or | cannot answer for the con-
sequences
They did not scrutinize the paper
hard. They saw the signature of the
kaiser and saIuted Then. turning to
the station agent Nikolai commanded
that the train be shunted to the priv
ate line which runs direct to the
fortress.
Half an hour later the rain was
in motion. Nikolai and | rode upon
the engine, our solitary companion be-
ing the driver, whose duty would be
completed when he had taken the
train to its destination. a brief run
h,0ssht us within sight of the frown-
H. fortress, a bastion strong enough
TO have defied centuries of time and
all the artillery of any hostile army.
Yet Nikolai had set himself 10 capture
its treasures,
The tgain ran right within the walls
and halted in a wide square inside,
around which the great black hulks
of the guns doomed like some prehis-
toric monsters. Soldiers were pass
ing busily to and fro; none of them,
however, paid any attention to us.
They had their orders, and in Ger
many meddling with external affairs
is discouraged. Nikolai stepped off
and proceeded toward a little archway
which led to the quarters of the com
handing officer. Presently the two
emerged together.
Your Excellency," said Nikolai L
have now fulfilled the emperor's in
structions. You yourself, doubtless.
have received orders as to the DISPOSE
ton of these shellsA / shall proceed
to unload them, with the help of yo2r
men, and my mechanic here will ex-
anime each shell separately for AIRY
possible defects sustained in transit