The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-08-27

Kenosha people got the first real
story of the devastating war in Europe
today in the nature of letter from
Dewitt G. Cregier of Chicago, who
with Robert w. Allen of New
Rochelle, n. T., formerly of Kenosha,
had been making tour of Europe
when the war broke out. The letter
bears the date Of Aug. 9th and was
written Oh the arrival CT Messrs,
Cregier and Allen in LONDON. il part
Mr. Cregier says:
Safe, sound and well in dear old
London at last, after five OF the worst
and most trying and most exciting
days of our lives. We arrived last
night at 1890 on a boat from
"Ostandi'' Belgium, minus car and all
our clothes, except small grip which
we managed to carry aud get through
with. We have sent several cables and
short letters but don t suppose you re-
ceived any of them. We cabled from
here again today and hope you have
received that one.
Such excitement and turmoil one
never saw and hope | will never see
again. Ike excitement as a general
rule, but not so much or of this kind.
J. thought several times that it would
be a long time before you would be
able to hear from me if ever again,
as things We're during the past few days
looking very black. We were right in
the center of it all and / know we
were the last two Americans to leave
and cross before the battle of Verviers,
as the Germans were but ten kilometers
behind us (about seven and half
miles), and advancing fast. We have
been arrested as spies, searched, the
car held and all our luggage gone, but
we are safe and well, so don t care.
Would not take anything for the ex-
perience nor would we go through it
again for all England
! will try and relate just what hap
peped, when and where, but YOU may
mot receive this and we may get home
before the letter, as it is our intention
to get the first accommodations posi-
Bile, but that is what some 10000 other
people say. We have as good chance
as the next one and will do our best
Will cable you the boat and date of
sailing, but the thing you must not do,
is to worry--as we may not be able to
come for some time.
We are quartered in the best hotel
In London, with ample credit, but no
money and a thousand times better off
than thousands of Others Never were
we so glad to reach anywhere in our
lives as we were to reach England last
night at eight clock We shook hands
with ourselves and every one else. We
Mad good lunch in comfortable
room and good nights sleep, the first
since last Friday, just week. We
did not have our clothes off or even
see bed in five nights and at one
stretch of forty-eight hours we each
had one piece of bread, drank what
water we could and--our pockets full
of money. Can you imagine anything
like that could possibly happen in
civilized countryg
We arrived at Munich on July Goth
where we have a consul generals of
flee where We expected to get the cor
rect news and our passports We
drove right into the thick of it all.
We visited several very large cafes and
they We're all jammed, singing, speech
making and great excitement. We of
course, then knew that we had come
too far and should try to return bv
way of Switzerland as we had come.
Back to Paris and Havre to ship the
car as we were'sure that war was about
ITO be declared and that our trip was
over. So the next day, Saturday Aug.
Elst--I will never forget the date-we
visited the American consul general.
presented department of state LET
ter and received our passports but
were notified that the German govern
ment had issued an order at noon Fri
day that all autos, horses, wagons and
other vehicles could not leave Ger
many. There were number of Ameri
cans there with cars who could not
tget out. They even sealed all the
gasoline and no one was allowed to sell
any but luckily or unluckily we had
just filled our tank before entering
EMunichSso we had enough to take rs
Eback tosSwitzerland, about $50 miles,
Ebut things happened so quickly on Sat-
urday that it was like touching a match
to a key of powder. Everybody went
fwild at once. War had been declared
and it was all off. There was a gen
eral rush for one g consul and the rail
roads. All trains We're ordered stop
ped, telegraph lines were taken over
lby the governm ant and soldiers seem
ed to come up out of the ground. It
was well laid and long thought of
plan, In one government building
there were housed and had haen for