Evening journal., 1915-08-07
Newspaper Writers Tell of Some
Experiences in Getting TO The Front

this gathering at Udine was made p
OF the biggest men I have seen IN one
big group Among these italian sol
diers you are in a boydom. Your
carriage. going through a narrow
street, passes moving picture the
atre which is just emptyng Itself of
soldiers; they're shouting and laugh
ing and gesticulating; you can see
hundreds of pairs of hands waving
Your carriage comes to a halt;
the horse is pulling in vain; twenty
soldiers have caught the spokes OF
the hind wheels; the rear end of the
cab kicks up: the soldiers lave lifted
II into the air; the horse and the cab
and you suddenly shoot forward, thir-
ty giant Italian soldiers are pushing
the rig from behind like n wheel
barrow. Then someone yells. "Oh
you Americani"
"American Americanl American"
runs through the crowd Then some
one yells, Long live the Ar>ericans" "
In moment everybody yells it,.
Three cheers for New York" yells
another in good New York English.
Long live New York." yclls the
army
The rear wheels Of your carriage
come down with thud. AS you drive
away you stand up and bow and
everybody cheers again for America.
You find the police station closed
for the night
You've come all this way to Udine
with the curtains of your car window
closed tight; when you 60 to the ho-
! tel you find the wooden shutters
closed You cannot open thom. It's
against the military rule You can't
open them even after you've put your
candle out at night The hotel keep
er doesn't know why; you don't know
why; the only thing is you can't
In the morning while you're eating
breakfast. with a headache that comes
from sleeping in a closed room on a
/ hot summer night a huge man steps
/ up TO your table. hat in hand.
He's a detective. Very like a New
York detective.
"I'm very sorry to disturb your
breakfast and I've given you chance
TO finish it, But now you must come
to the police station"
You 60 The chief of detecti, es
meets you at the door.
/ correspondents Ht say AVu
can't stay here. You've got to go
back TO Rome right away
But give me a chance to go and
see the general" you plead.
Fifteen minutes" he says. "But
l know he'll tell you to go, too"
OF to the generals headquarters
you go. You send in your card. Out
comes an officer, the secretary TO the
great Italian leader. Cadorns. lie lis
tens very politely to your plea.
All you want him to do is to give
you an automobile and let you ride
fifteen miles over toward the noun
tains where the Italian artillery is
booming.
He listens politely. Then ne says.
"My dear young man. II is impos-
sible. Italy doesn't want any cor
respondents"
But the English and French have
them" you say.
This is Italy" he says Then h'
continues. 81 must ask you to leave
on the first train. It goes a. 11.2'
and it is now IL. You have yer,
little time"
but isn't there a later train?"
There is. but II you remain i
) town until II goes, you will surely b
arrested and there is a chance tha
you will be shot"
It's an Italian joke There are
hundred American and English wa
! reporters over here who have see
a hundred times as much war as mos
{ OF the officers in the Italian arm,
and, if the young officers suggestio
[ that you may be shot" is intende
TO give you thrill of fear. it doesn
r succeed. Armies and military mer
after you know them. are not hal
I as terrible as a new young officer. /
his first war. might be Inclined [
q believe.
But, the fact remains that you hui
/ ry to your hotel, pack your grip. an
dash to the train. at 11.25 your
off for Rome again. with the curtain
\ all pulled down and with the al
z sitting and filthy. You've been I