Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-12-12

who spent the past summer IN Bucn;
rest, Rumania. the Ottumwan tells tn
horror of war as it is felt in tn
European countries today. He give
first hand information. based or hi
own observations and experiences a
to what the war has done to Rumanis
From time dating months before tn
declaration of war until October !
the day of leaving the sufferin
country, both Mr.. and Mrs. Vile
experienced all the terror that Nigh
be expected In city frequently BON
barded with bombs dropped from al
craft of theLTeutonic forces. He ais
tells of having read his own obituar.
upon arriving at Bucharest in tn
spring and of the feeling of scorn AM
contemptn which Americans are hell
abroad The last installment follows
The city was in reign of terro
night and day from aerial lombard
ments and refugees from frontier
towns were pouring into the city while
the inhabitants Of the city were a.
rapidly pouring out. The rich gather
ed few personal belongings and fec
to the country, leaving their homes ufl
guarded and in some cases in the
hands Of caretakers who promptly
looted the places after their departure
and fed also. Stray chickens, ducks
geese and pigs walked about in con
slant jeopardy of their lives and fire.
quently simmered in the wrong kettle.
All wearing apparel scared to tremen.
dous prices and many an old suit was
pressed into service. Comedy walked
hand in hand with tragedy and ones
personal misfortune was anOther's
gain. War In the columns Of news
paper il vastly different from the real.
zsppeIlns Drop Bombs.
The second day of the war brought
this realization to our very doors. At
3 o'clock in the afternoon, seven aero.
planes appeared over the city and
dropped shrapnel bombs. The pOpulace
looked on with smiling interest-it
was something new, its terrors and
dangers unknown. But the screams of
the wounded, the torn and shattered
dead, the ambulance trucks piled high
with dead. racing through the streets
dripping blood. changed the people In
to 4 frantic, frenzied mob, running
madly in all directions to escape those
merciless messengers of destruction.
Nearly 1000 dead and wounded non
contestants, mostly women and chill.
dren. was the harvest of the first air
raid and brought home to us all that
war spared neither rich nor poor, man.
woman or child and that civilization
Is found only in the dictionary.
II took eleven minutes for an aero.
plane to reach Bucharest after passing
the frontier As kpon as one was
sighted. notice was wired to the city.
]. policeman rushed into the street
and blew his whistle, which was i'm
mediately taken up by others and
whistles and bells warned us that once
more we we're face to face with death.
Daily we were bombed" sometimes
three and four times nightly.
The Zeppelins sailed above us Wis
lble to all in the glow Of the search
lights from the fort. The crash Of
The falling bombs. $50 pounds In
weight. the flash and roar Of bursting
Ihells from the forts and the red glare
IL burning buildings set on fire blythe
bombs, lit up the inky darkness.
Three and four times nightly, we were |
'oused from sleep by alarms. some !
lines real, sometimes false and fire.
luently We were brought up all stand.
nc by the crash Of bomb that had
cached the city unseen.
From 200 to 800 was the daily toll
4 dead while the hospitals were over.
lowing with wounded from the city
ind battle front With armies con.
Ierging on it from all sides, shells al.
eady bursting around it, the food and
uel supply cMt of and a beaten army
vithin It's circle OF forts and air raids
ally, Bucharest must make Dante's
Inferno seem like description Of par.
disc.
4 On our way over we left New York
n the steamer New Amsterdam of the
Holland American line for Rotterdam.
re were detained at Falmouth, Eng
md; for two days by the English ad-
niralty as thirty.two vessels had been
unk by mines and torpedoes during
he week previous to our arrival be-
ween Dover and Rotterdam in the
,nslish channel. We were ordered to
oil around the English Isles 1900
niles further and seven days jour
ey to avoid this strip OF water about
so miles in extent.
. l notified Bucharest of my arrival at
'almouth before learned Of the extra
Durney. The Sussex, channel steam
r between England and France. was
orpedoed the following day after our
rival at Falmouth and my delay in 7
eael,ing my destination caused re-
ort to be circulated in Bucharest and I
ublished In the papers that my wife
nd myself were aboard the Sussex h
nd lost. ] had the pleasure Of read e
IL particularly pleasant and fatter- G
AZ obituary of myself in the papers. e
] man never realizes how valuable u
itizen he 10 until he is dead. I am \
ertain the papers have not forgiven S
.e yet for spelling their beautiful II
ulogy. t
came very close to living up to the k
( pectations and becoming a good cit b
;en when Zeppelin bomb landed 4
thin 200 yards Of me. I brought Y
cine a section Of 1t with me. We sue
.eded in getting across Germany h
ithout trouble and were stopped at t
assGu. the Austro-German frontier Il
al sent back to Munich in the middle q
Germany under arrest as spies. Up a
, our arrival at police headquarters. J
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