The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-07-01
Fleeing From
War
BY DONALD CHAMBERLIN

London, where / could get steamer
for America as soon as possible, for /
feared an interruption of travel. But
there was such a crowd of fugitives,
besides the troops, being moved west
ward, that I concluded to wait till
the trains were less crowded, SO / re
manned where / was, and finally there
came a time when / felt that / could
go through comfortably.
chose a way train, because the
main exodus was on the express
trains. The former are composed of
compartments holding eight persons.
between which there is no connection.
The latter are also compartments, but
there is passageway SO that one can
walk through the train, as in America.
The compartment In which I started
was full, but travellers kept getting
out at the stations until there was
but one person left, a woman who
wore a veil thick enough to conceal
her features.
As soon as she and / were alone
she began to show signs of illness. /
asked her Ii could do anything for
her, and she replied-in coarse voice
for woman, I thought asking me If
had any liquor. / told her / had
not, Whereupon she said that she had
some very fine brandy which she had
intended to make q present to her
mother, but she must use it. Taking
1t from handbag, she poured little
of 1t into a glass she produced and
drank it off. Then, suddenly remem-
bering me, she poured the rest of the
liquor into the glass and handed it
to me-
Drink it." she said, my gift is
spoiled
''But it is more than care for" /
| protested.
"Drink what you like and throw the
rest out of the window
did not propose to throw away such
! good liquor and drank it all. A few
minutes after / had done so I began to
| feel dizzy and the power to move or
| speak leaving me. The woman at once
discarded all appearance of illness and
| asked me how / liked her liquor.
could not reply, and when she was sat
| isfed that could not she threw off
| her feminine attire and appeared as a
man. Then he took my travelling cap
! off my head and put it on his own. His
next act was to go through my peck
cts till he found my passport, which
he appropriated.
His German speech had been with a
| foreign accent, and now that he had
taken my passport suspected that he
| was foreigner to the country trying
| to get out of it. I was completely
| helpless from the effects of the liquor,
which had been undoubtedly drugged.
Nevertheless, was perfectly conscious
! of all that was taking place. The man
/ put his Woman'S apparel under the
! cushion of the seat, and when the train
! stopped at the next station and the
/ guard unlocked the door of the com
| partment he got out and hurried away.
endeavored to tell the guard to stop
j him, but was powerless even to point
to him. The door was again locked.
4 and the train moved on.
4 The effect Of the drug did not last
4 long, and when / righted I found my
/ self on train leaving Germany and
Il required to show passport that did
/ not have. was not permitted to re-
main undisturbed, for later on in the
day, when the train stopped. couple
of German officials appeared at the
door of my compartment, evidently
looking for some one. They bounced
upon me and demanded my passport
/ told them how I had been robbed
of it, and I had but half finished my
story when one of them exclaimed,
"He is our man. Then they ordered
me to produce any secret papers / had
about me. I protested, and they
searched me.
n 1t was evident that they were after a
spy. and believed that he was the
man who had drugged me and taken
my passport. They took me out of the
train, and we boarded one going to
Berlin. When we reached the capital /
was taken before an officer and ques-
toned. / did not correspond with the
description he had of the spy, and /
heard him tell my captors that they
had made a mistake. / was able to
produce letters received from America
and told him that If he would permit
me to communicate with the American
embassy, where my passport had been
vised, / could further substantiate my
identity.
They were about to call a messenger
for this purpose when telegram was
received stating that a man had been
arrested with military information on
his person and bearing the passport OF
an American. the name being the one ]
had given. This proved my case, but
| was held till the spy was brought to
Berlin and to the Office where was de.
!. tanned. As soon as saw him recog-
nized him for the man who had drug
, ged me. He was a Frenchman and
had gathered lot of military informa.
ton.
There was not much formality about
such matters. and instead of trying the
spy the officer who examined him told
his captors to take him away. ! fan
cied that this was an order to shoot
him.
Having recovered my passport,
made another attempt to leave the
country. This time | accepted no in
vitation either to drink or to smoke
but pursued my way without word tt