Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-11-19

4
Poor Sweden is being squeezed more
and more between the upper and the
lower millstones Of the belligerents
Cranberries and a few cattle are now
the only things which are being ship
ped from Sweden to the central pow
ers. It is central Europe that is be-
ginning to feed Sweden now. Cargoes
of salt and Roumanian grain have al
ready arrived in Sweden and large
quantities of German potatoes are ex-
pected soon; also more wheat. The
other day 80 tons of lubricating kero-
sene, the first of series of shipments
from Austria arrived.
Looking like wild man, weeks
growth of beard on his face, his tongue
swollen from six days of raging thirst,
| eyes blazing with fever, body shaking
with nervous chills, but still full OF
fight, his German prison uniform rag
ged, an American made a flying leap
| for liberty from the deck of the Ger
man freighter Undine, NOrrkoeping.
He had suffered seven months OF hard
labor in the German prisons at Kiel,
Dulmen, Brandenberg and Lubbock fol-
lowing his capture by the German
raider MOewe Smith is from Norway,
Conn, where he was employed as a
ha no
He is "a years old and unmarried.
Smith leaped right into the arms OF a
Swedish dock policeman, who, after
realizing that he had not caught a
ghost or maniac, demanded who he
was, while the mate of the Undine was
shouting the same question from the
deck. For several seconds Smiths lib
erty hung in the balance while the po-
liceman, the mate and he stood gaping
at each other. Where do you come
FROM" howled the mate, from the
bowels of whose ship Smith had
leaped. Hearing the mate speak Eng
lish, Smith shouted in reply, Same
place you did-Lubeck," whe1eupon the
mate plunged below, evidently to rout
out the captain. The Swedish steve
dores, grasping the situation and
manifestly sympathetic, shouted to the
policeman to move further away from
the ship with Smith, which he prompt
ly did. Smith, with imploring gestures,
begged for water. The policeman un-
derstood. He guided Smith to by
drant, where he thinks he must have
drank gallon of water without stop
ping, the policeman patting him on the
shoulder the while. He was taken to-
the police station. A telegram was
sent to the American consulate at
Stockholm. Immediate arrangements
were made to have Smith sent to the
consulate where he is now being car
ed for. The Germans could not make
any pursuit nor demand Smiths re-
turn to them after he had touched
Swedish soil, for he had taken the pre-
caution to rip the yellow arm band
lettered in black with the words,
"Kriegsgefangener Nnmmer Neum'
(war prisoner No. 81, from his sleeve
during the days he was hiding on the
Undine. His unmarked clothing,
therefore indicated that he was not a
member of the crew, so the Germans
could make no claim for him.
The latest news from Stockholm is
that the king has asked Professor
Eden, the liberal leader, to form
cabinet, and this is taken to mean
that his majesty has abandoned the
hope of coalition ministry.
Stockholm must get along with war
beer, that is, beer which contains
much lower percentage of alcohol than
ordinary beer.
NORWAY.
The Norwegian minister to Berlin
has presented to the German govern
ment claims for the losses sustained
by the Norwegian merchant marine on
account of the ruthless U-boat OPP
erations. Norway does not ask for
the payment of damages in money, but
wants Germany to replace the Morse
ships sunk by the U-boats with Ger
man ships of equal tonnage. Germany
has recently made certain admissions
of liability which have aroused hopes
in Norway that a settlement may be
obtained, and Norway would rather re-
ceive settlement on the "ton for ton"
basis than to be compensated in money,
as ships are needed Immediately. Hol-
land has recently obtained a settle
ment for damages wrought by U-boats
on this basis.
The United States minister to Nor
way has informed Road Amundsen
that he will be accorded the privilege
of exporting all supplies for his North