Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1917-03-01
Re-establishing
A anily,
By F. A. mitchell

Herman Won Bishoff came to .Ameri-
ca young man, determined to make
fortune, return with it to Germany
and build up his family, which was
IN old one though impoverished. Won
Bishoff chose a valuable field for
money making in America. He be.
came brewer and by the time he was
fifty years old was in position to re-
tire from business with the fortune he
had come over for But business
life had accustomed him to active hab-
Its, and he did not relish going back
to Germany to life of idleness Be
aides, the n-European war had come
on, and he thought he could be of more
service to the Fatherland by sending
money for hospital service.
Won Bishoff had no son, but he had
d daughter, Hilda, about twenty years
old. 1t had been his intention to send
for his nephew, the son of his older
brother, to come over to America with
the hope of making match between
this young man and Htlda. His for
tune would ultimately pass to Hilda
and through her and her husband the
former influential status of the Won
BishOffs would be re-established. But
the war came on, and of course Carl
Won Bishoff was needed in the army.
and on this account the plan was de
]ayed if not altogether extinguished.
Hilda Won Bishoff's associates were
native Americans. and she had not that
love for Germany that had remained
in her father. When the war broke
out she told him that she wished to 80
abroad to do Red Cross work, and he
only consented ee her promise to de-
vote herself to the care of sick ana
wounded soldiers in Germany. But
H1lda, though she had learned the Ger
man language in her childhood. had
forgotten it, and she did not relish the
idea of going among people whose
language she did not understand. Her
father would not consent to her going
to any other country.
Hilda had been given plenty of pin
money and. not having spent it all,
had something in bank One day she
left for Europe without saying any
thing to her father as to her going
and on her arrival at the seat OF war
was enrolled in the American Red
Cross service. She found that the sick,
and wounded consisted of all kinds
There were English, French. Belgians
Germans. Austrians and citizens of the
United States to be cared for, and ali
received the same attention. OF course
the enemy sick and wounded as soon
as they recovered were considered
prisoners and placed in concentration
camps, while the French, English and
Americans were returned to duty.
iilda remained at her post of duty
a year, when, her health giving out.
she returned to America Some of her
friends suspected while nursing a sol
der she had lost her heart to him, but
Hilda would not admit it. Her father
got hold of the rumor, and it Worried
him very much, for he had not given
up re-establishing his family in Ger
many through her. He questioned her
as 70 the matter, but got. nothing out
Of her Indeed, she denied the story.
However. Won Bishoff's plan for
building up his family by marrying
his daughter to her cousin Carl was
dashed because news came to his IN
Gle that he had been killed in the war.
One day a young man who gave his
name as Ficgler appeared ut Herman
Bishoff's residence and asked for Hill
da. He WAS the soldier that she had
nursed as prisoner. He had been
sent to England as a prisoner of war
and had escaped. He had then got
transportation to America by securing
berth as fireman on ship about to
sail for New York. His object was to
get back to Germany by way of the
United States.
The first thing Won Bishoff knew
about the strangers coming was in
formation from lis daughter that she
had given her troth to the fugitive
and desired her fathers sanction to
the match. She and her lover planned
TO be married before his return to the
army. Won Bishoff realizing by this
time that his daughter would have her
own way in the choice of husband.
gave a forced consent. The couple
were married, and few days later
the groom sailed for Holland, from
which country he expected to cross the
line into Germany.
Six months after his departure his
wife received word from him that he
had succeeded in what he had under
taken and was again in the ranks
fighting for the fatherland. Then came
a letter stating that he was at home
badly wounded.
Hilda, now Frau Fieglcr. determined
to join him. Her father, finding that
she was resolved OH doing SO, deter
mined to go with her They went by
way of Copenhagen and in due time
arrived at the village from which Her
man Bishoff had departed thirty years
before for america. The schloss, Il
diapidated residence that had once
been n noble milo was still in nOsSpS-