The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-21
AMERICANS FINALLY FREED BY BULGARS Had Been Nursing Servian Wounded at SkOplke. WERE WELL TREATED Great Difference Paid English Pubic Opinion-Columbian Expedition
 Broken Up When Equipment
 Was Seized.
WERE WELL TREATED

London May S.-(Correspondenc of the Associated Press )-Eight Americans who were prisoners of the Bulgarians while members of the English hospital unit al Skoplke, Servia, have recently arrived with Lady Paget, who has been in gen eral charge of the hospital maintained at that point by the Servian relief fund.
 The party inlcudes three physicians each of whom originally went to the war zone to aid in the work of the American sanitary commission under ol- rection of Dr. Richard c. Strong: pr. A. F. Cornelius of Berea, Ky. pr. F.. D. Forrest of Providence, R. l., ana pr. Raymond V. Brokaw of New York touf memb CTS of the original Columbia univer- sity relief expedition to Servia in the party are: Montague Hancock of Omaha, G. B. Logan and Duce Peters Of New York and Webster W. Eaton of Colum- bia, O. Also returning was Miss Roberta Parsons, a nurse of Lima, O., who left London with the English unit last May.
 ALLOWED TO LEAVE
 The Americans were finally allowed to leave Skoplke February +, after which they were held prisoners three weeks longer at Sofia, before being permitted to depart for England by way Of Rou- mama, huSSla ana SWtOell hioo | ea1 sons had been i'll for three weeks before the order of release for the party was received and was removed the first 50 miles of the journey from Skoplke on a stretcher in an ambulance. She intends to return to Servia with the English unit after a time.
 We were nursing the Servian war vlc- tins and members of the civil population in the large hospital of 750 beds main +oi, I1x-{ ion ra1i of Q Ike when the Bulgarians took the place on October p last said Miss Parsons. The members of the large Turkish pop ulation, on seeing that the Bulgars were coming in triumphantly took the guns of the Servian wounded and shot down Ser van soldiers. After the Bulgarians took the town, we continued our work as prisoners, but about the only difference was that instead of treating only Serv- aims, we turned our attention also to a large number of Bulgars and Austrians as well, the Bulgarians permitting us to continue our attention to the Servians as well.
 'On the whole we found that the Bull garians treated us with the greatest con- sideration, seeming to pay a great deal of attention to English public opinion. On being transferred to Sofia, the queen paid several visits to Lady Paget and inquired as to the welfare of us at our hotel. We were given a special train that took us right through Roumania and Russia to Stockholm"
 Duce Peters Of New York, told how the resources of the Columbia relief eX- petition, including their 25 motor cars were promptly absorbed by the Servian army the equipment coming as a great boon to the hard pressed veterans. The 25 Servian interpreters sent by Professor Pupin and the other organizers of the expedition were promptly drafted into the army. The action had the effect of breaking up the expedition, some IT mem bers forthwith returning to New York in September while the remainder sought other activities
 It was a party of Americans incltd- ir Hancock Logan Peters and a young physician named Osborne who hurried out from the hospital at Skoplke in an au- tcmobile on the approach of the Bul garian army to arrange that the artillery should spare the institution.
 The firing came pretty close about us before the United States flag that We had hoisted was seen," said Peters. By that time we had experienced several nar- row escapes and had sought cover on the ground by a ravine. We were agree ably surprised, however, to find that the officers greeted us courteously and promptly compiled with our request While during our five months in the hospital under Bulgarian domination we were told plainly that were prisoners of war, we have no complaint as to the Urea tment accorded us."