The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-09-18
Incidents at the Opening Of
War


War
Quite curiously at the beginning OF
the great war there WAS a belief on
tho mart OF the Germans that Japan
would declare war on the aliies ana
range herself on the side Of the CEN
tral powers In fact on one night
there was a friendly demonstration in
front Of the Japanese embassy. nut
these hopes were soon dlspelled bN
the ultimatum Of Japan sent on the
sixteenth day Of August and finally.
nv the declaration OF war on August
20. So
The warning powers INDUCED dur
ing the first DAYS of the war In mu-
fual recriminations as to the use OF
durndun, bullets. and I received sew
eraI packages or cartridges contain
ing bullets bored out ut the top,
which the Germans said had been
found In the French fortress OF
T,orgyvv. accompanied with the re-
cuest that ! send an account Of them
To President Wilson and ask for MS
Intervention In the matter. cry
wisely. President Wilson refused to
do ANYTHING Of the Kind. otherwise
no would have been deluged with
constant complaints from both sides
az to tho violations Of the rules Of
war
The cartridges given to me were
in packages marked on the outside
''Cartouches de stand" and from
this I took " that possibly these cart
ridges had been used on some shoot
ing range near the fort and the hut
let's bored out in order that they
might not 20 too far II carelesslH
fired over the targets,
With our naval attache, Comman :
der Walter Gherardi. on August .,
called upon Won Tirpttz to learn
tSrotfS him no which ports he coRSAo =
cred II safest for the ships to be SEM
from America with gold for stranded
Americans. He recomn ended Rotter-
dam.
also had n conversation on TINS
day with Gehcimrat fetze, OF the for
elgn Office. with reference TO the
/ proposition that Z Iglsh and German
ships respectively, should have 3 de-
law until the fourteenth Of August,
within which To leave the English or
4 German ports in which they CHANGED
to he
Nv wife's sister, tic wife Of Count
Sieray and her husband arrived In
! Berlin the second week In August.
Count Sirray Is reserve officer of
+ the Hungarian. Hussars and was in
: Montana when the first rumors of
war came. He and his wife imme-
| dintelv started for New York and
sailed on the fourth of August. They
landed in England. and as England
had not vet declared war on Austria
were able to proceed on their Journey.
| With them were Count George Fes-
tetiCs and Count Cziraki the former
from TIE KnsfTfan embassy In Lon
don and the latter from that in
iWashiuFton. They We're all natur-
! ally very much excited about the war
and the events or their trip.
The Hunearians as n people are
+ quite like Americans They have
/ agreeable manners and are ablf to
/ laugh i'm n natural way~-son ething
which seems 70 he lost art in Prus-
sta Nearlv all the members of Hun
garian noble families speak English
perfectly and model their clothes,
! sports and country life as far as pos
sihle after the English.
The thirteenth saw the departure
nj our frst special train containing
! Americans bound for Holland. saw
the Americans off Mt the CharIotten-
! burg station They All departed in
great spirits and very glad Of an op-
perturitv 10 leave Germany.
I had some negotiations about fhe
I purchase hv America or Americans
of the ships of the North German
/ LLOYD bur nothing came of these
| NEGOTIATIONS
/ Tratnloads Of Amerlcans continued
/ to leave. hut there seemed 10 he no
end to the Americans coming into
! Berlin from an directions.
on August % Count SzSSepvenv. the
Austrian ambassador left Berlin. He