East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-01-11
SMALL ARMY NEEDED
TO TAKE CARE OF THE
WAR CORRESPONDENTS
ONE TOWN ON HUNGARIAN
FRONTIER SET ASIDE FOR
NEWSPAPER WRITER'S.
Only Thing They Pay For Is Their
Beer-FOod Is Furnished Free
How the CensOrs Handle the Copy
Before IL Is Sent TO the Press
Other Sidellghts on the War.
BY WILLIAM q. SHEPHERD.

/ lUnlted Press Staff Correspondent
ON THE HUNGARIAN FROM
TIER, Nov. 6.-(By Mail TO New
York.)-our little newspaper party
numbed with the cold, climbed out
OF the car today and were led by a
sentinel through a great double door
into the muddy passageway OF a
building. A side door opened and
we entered a huge, long room, warm
and well lighted with oil lambs. Three
long tables ran the length OF the
room. There were the remnants OF a
giant dinner on them, which soldiers
were clearing away. A plano was
banging. A huge man with a jolly
face was singing. Men sat about the
tables In small groups drinking beer
and listening. II was my introduce
ton to the Austro- Hungarian press
headquarters.
In this little town sixty newspaper
men are lodged. II requires small
army OF officers and soldiers to care
for them. The town is set aside en-
tirely for the press and every soldier
to be seen, every horse, every one OF
the scores OF supply wagons. every
automobile. every officer-all have as
their duty or purpose the convenience
Of the correspondents who are mostly
Austrians and Hungarlans. In add
tion to the comforts which the writ
ing men have. there are two auto
buses at their disposal which make
regular trips between this little town
and headquarters. And on the road,
you often see a train OF four or five
small wagons carrying beer which
the newspapermen. The correspond
ents pay for their beer but their food
Is furnished them free In this great
room where ] ate my hot. belated sup
per the Correspondents do a great deal
Of their writing and here the censors.
who are appointed TO deal in various
languages. talk over the copy OF the
journalists, read out news at meal
time and give instructions as to pos
tai and telegraph arrangements.
An auto was waiting for me and I
was whisked TO a whitewashed house
on the outskirts OF the town where
room had been reserved for me.
The family was Polish. All about the
walls OF the little room were pictures
OF the Christ and the Virgin Mary.
II was the parlor, and three clocks
were ticking away merrily. have
been In scores OF such houses in AM
erica. | remembered that one time
in a Massachusetts, town. during a
strike. / had slept for four nights In
Just such a polish home waiting for
the deputy sheriff to come and put
the family out into the street but the
sheriff had not come and / had
missed my story. There had been two
clocks in my room in that hous
in America. Poles seem TO run to
clocks. / locked two OF the clocks in
my valise TO muffle them and went
to bed. II looked TO me Just as /
was dropping off into slumber as II
/ had been pocketed by the Austro-
Hungarian war department. Here /
was In small town. hundred miles
from the front and no way to get
there except by army trains and the
Polish woman raped at my door to
tell me It was seven o'clock In the
morning. At breakfast time in the
big room / found that my status was
absolutely military. received In
structions that was to so to the
headquarters town at 9 O'Clock
took the long ride over the hills In
A coach in a wintery sunshine. l met
Colonel Won Hoen. who has entire {
charge OF all the field forces OF cor
and he had pass ready
for me. In German It is known as a /
legitImation." 1t bears my photo {
graph and my autograph and a care
iul description Of my personal appear
lnce.
Tomorrow. Col. Hoen told me, {
you are to be started for the 'front.' S
,ut first YOU will be received by Cen c
,ral Count Won Hertzendorf. the CHIEF
)f staff"
This was far more than an Ameri-
AN or any other correspondent coulo
,ave expected in the way OF Austri- c
In courtesy. The Archduke of Fred
rich is the commander in chief or
he entire Austro-H Hungarian army
md General Won Hoen escorted sew S
raj correspondents including myself
o the field headquarters and we were
hown into room which was enter
d by a grey-haired quiet appearing Z
entleman of slender stature who eI
reeted us with as much ease as II o.
he occasion were reception instead h
Z an incident in the worlds supreme b
,ar. He spoke to German corre- al
pondent in German. to an italian In II
Italian, to a Swiss in French and
q not kow how may other tongues pl
q commands There was not even in
repe on his arms for the son who tn
-as recently killed in battle. Anoth-
r Of his sons had just been wound st
d. He asked me about my country 81
nd told him that what the United fu
tates wanted was the truth.
1--WE want you to have the truth" pJ
g replied. Then he told us-there as
ere six of us--that We must be very su
areful of our health when we went pI
the front and carefully regard all In
le regulations and precautions that &C
le doctors would impose on us. Then in
o went back to his maps and his du- pI
es of directing millions OF men on
Is million mile chess board and we vi
ent back over the hills to pack up sh
-. - m