El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-01-29
a Trip Through Rumania, "the Land of Thieves"
Correspondent's Troubles In European War Zon

, Paris, and speaks French like native.
It vas expected. so French statesmen
say. that, having thrown away her first
( opportunity. Rumania would join the
fight when Italy. her Latin sister de-
clared war. Again Mon. Bratianu did not
act. because at that time Russia had
been driven from the Carpathians and
Rumania might find herself clamped
between Austro-Hungary and Bulgaria
II the Allies Are Victorious.
In answer TO my question under what
circumstances Rumania would enter
neutral diplomat. who is in a position
to know. replied that a decisive allied
victory would cause her to think about
it seriously. II there were everything
to win and nothing to lose. Rumania
would then be willing. as he expressed
it TO come home with the band
wagon"
Another factor which may influence
Rumania is the concentration of large
Russian forces in Bessarabia. more
specifically al REM and Ismail. on Ru-
mauia's northeastern frontier. near the
Black sea Bulgaria fears that Rumania
will join Russia in an attack from the
north. or at least that Rumania. follow
ing Greece's example OF friendly neu-
trality.T will allow the Russians to
march through her territory Bulgaria
is also on the lookout for an attempted
landing Of Russian troops at Varna. on
the Black sea
A South American lad called Natau-
san. attached to the United States Legal
ton, piloteG me around town the morn4
ing after my arrival in the Rumanian
capital Natausan knew the ropes like
A sailor. He had studied the ways Of
Rumanian grafters. the sympathies and
foibles OF the officials of the city
speak German here" he warned me,
as we stepped through a deserted gar
den into a one-story shack that called
l. IL
man. decorated with black whiskers.
played the part of examining physician
although. physically speaking. he did
not examine me at all He said some
thing to Natausan which I did not IN
derstand, but I denied having any dis
ease. No matter. I was 10 report every
morning for the next seven DAYS. and
was to pay fine OF coo lei (abogt 75
dollars). Natausan told me to get an
CRY. so I banged the table with my
walking stick and started from the
room
oh very well-if YOU feel that
way about it'-and the governments
physician wrote across my yellow tick
ct that 7 had been examined seven
times" and was in perfect health. Need
less to say. the 800 lei would have gone
no further than the oily ones pocket
At Police Headquarters
Sharp turns through confusing streets
brought US TO police headquarters,
where a motley crowd of citizens. in
Guiding peasants in picturesque tunics,
besieEed the passport bureau The COM
missioner is French" was my guides
advice. Say to him Bonjour camarade' /
and let me do the rest"
Natausan edged to the head Of the /
crowd. tapped on a wooden window. and |
slipped through the commissioner Z
side door. pulling me after him IN five /
minutes we had recovered my passport, |
which had been sent down from Pre-
deal later learned the double object !
of the game: first. by taking an aliens {
passport-to which he has as much Z
right as to his money or his overcoat- /
to make him report at the destination I
where he has promised to go; second, /
TO brighten him into paying as much 4
graft as possible
Getting out Again
With paraphernalia in hand / boarded /
a train for Ramedon, frontier station 4
on the north bank of the beautiful /
blue Danube" muddy as a dish OF /
army SOUP; was searched twice more; Z
changed our Rumanian lei for Bulgarian /
coin; fell in with some Austrian and ,
German officers (smuggled through Ru- 1
mania with fake passports and in citt- |
zens' clothes); and late that evening, /
together with a party of young Turks
and their war time harem of only one /
woman, boarded a tug which zig-zagged I
It's way between the Austrian river /
gunboats lying at anchor under the pale /
Balkan moon.
Here we said goodbye temporarily |,
Al least, to Rumania, the Land of
Thieves.