Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-11-03
SOLDIER WITH TWO
COUNTRIES WORRIED
Austrian Baron Has Won Brit
ish Medals for Service Under
Kitchener in Egypt.
E WILL NOT FIGHT


Correspondence of The Associated Press.)
Stockholm, Sweden, Oct. 3.--There
came to Stockholm little while ago
one of the distinctly unique personal
tiles OF the great world was-a man
who had lived by the sword almost
from boyhood, but who in the sudden
turn OF events in 1914 found himself,
not a man without country, but a
man with two countries-two coun-
tries arrayed against each other in the
bitterest of all world combats.
He had served under the Austrian
crown prince and had been aide to
Kitchener OF Khartoum. He had gone
into Egypt when Kitchener was there
as lowly subaltern. For twelve
years he was a prisoner Of the fanati-
cal Mandi and the wild Dervish tribes
who threw back, for the first time in
centuries; the ever advancing from
tiers of civilization. Escaping from
the clutches of the barbarians he won
the opportunity OF participating in
that remarkable march across the
desert and the wonderful campaign
alops the upper reaches of the Nile
which brought civilization back to the
Sudan and won for Kitchener his first
great fame.
Britain Honored Him.
He came to Stockholm from Wen
ma unannounced and to all intents
and purposes "incog." There were
few who recognized him as Rudolf
Carl Won Slatin, baron Of the Aus
trian empire, pasta Of Egypt, lieu
tenant general of the Egyptian army,
major general of the British army and
six times the recipient of the coveted
British orders from Companion Of
the Bath to Knight Grand Cross of
the Royal Victorian Order, all won
by distinguished service. He was in
spector general Of the Egyptian
forces under General Sir Francis
| Wingate when the crash Of war in
1914 brought new crisis in his al
ready eventful life.
| When the parting of the ways came
| in 1914 Slatin found his love for Aus
tria was still strong although most
Of his life had been devoted to Brit
ain and its wards in Egypt. He had
become essentially part of the Eng
| lish military machine. But he could
not fight against his fatherland, nor
could he serve in any way against the
country which had meant so much
to. him and which had lavished hon.
| ors upon him.
| So Slatin regretfully met the issue,
He resigned his English and Egyp.
tian commissions, sheathed the sword
which had been part Of his very life
and passed into comparative security
in the very midst of war. Slatin felt,
however, there was one service he
could render with all propriety. He
| returned to Vienna, attached himself
to the Austrian Red Cross and now
is doing all he can to better the con-
dition of prisoners Of war, not alone
in his own country, but as part of a
plan to bring about reciprocal agree
ments among all the nations in arms.
Slatin suffered sufficiently himself as
| q prisoner in the Sudan and has the
widest possible sympathy with any
sort of captive.
II ~ ~ HdppNuo tHat thiS WY NhANAN
personality OF the war now has come
| Into more or less direct relationship
with America. His mission In Stock
holm was to meet here a representa-
tive OF the American embassy in Pc
trograd to discuss further means Of
relief for the hundreds of thousands
| of Austrian war prisoners now in
Russia, as we'll as the immense colo
nies Of Austrian civilians informed in
various sections of the big northern
empire. The Austrian government
he said, was ready and anxious to CO.
operate in any possible way to bet
ter the condition Of prisoners gener.
ally and would gladly reciprocate for
anything Russia might do. He also
expressed the appreciation Of the
Austrian government for the relief
work already accomplished under the
direction Of the American embassy al
Petrograd. Slatin, who devoted his
life to militarism, speaks now of war
| ootv from the standnoint If humanity