The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1917-07-19
=
and read:
Alfred Smith, Restante, Brussels: We
continued u trip as planned. All well.
Next address Nice. William.

SG4E &a4a+M 5IHE IL ~ EFfE5A G5
You will see, "Lepine went on,
that these messages are such as
an ordinary tourist would send
and receive"
But Delcasse was not listening.
He was reading the message a e
ond time and yet a third, and there
was a wrinkle of perplexity be-
tween his broWs. AT last he looked
up, and the project was aston
ished at the expression of his face.
There is one thing l forgot to
tell you last night, Lepine, he
said. Il did not myself see its sigr
%nificance until / had got to bed.
The first telegram received from
any foreign power in reference to
the disaster was from the German
emperor
Lepine smiled.
"The German emperor was the
first to get word of it," he said. II
examined the other kilograms fled
Monday morning. At 10 minutes
to Z, the German consul here mott
fled the minister of state at Ber-
lin of the explosion. Admiral Bel
lue did notfile his message to you
until 40 minutes later. No doubt
he wished to assure himself of the
extent OF the disaster, In order not
to alarm you needlessly. You
should have received it not later
than s o'clock.
1T was, in fact, a few minutes
before that hour. And when 1
reached the Elysee palace, I found
the president with a message from
the kaiser in his hand. It struck
me as most peculiar"
1T was %ironic, certainly"
agreed Lepine, "but, under the
circumstances, easily explained /"
You think, then"
Il think that Crochard has as
sumed too much; I think that, be-
fore we accuse these men, we need
more proof
Delcasse pushed back his chair
and paced for some moments nerv-
onsly about the room. AT last he
sat down again; and rolled and
lighted a cigaret.
You r right he said we
need more proof. It is for you to
find it, ii it exists. And at this mo-
ment, | am interested not so much
in the movements Of these men, as
in the cause of the explosion. Even
surprising hat they had a hand III
1t, how was it accomplished
Lepine returned the kilograms
to his pocket.
agree with YOU he said,
THAT that is the vital question.
And | am unable to answer it.
shall institute a board of in
curry at once, went on the min
ister; have, in fact, already
summoned the officers who will
compose it. ! will arrange for it
to visit the wreck and begin to
take evidence today, as it is i'm
portant that the evidence be Sc
while the event is still fresh.
would suggest that you place
some Of Your men at the DISPOSE
Of the board
Very well, sir, Lepine agreed,
and withdrew.
ioulon vas awake again, and
Lhe streets were thronged as on a
fete day. The first shock Of the
.isastes had passed, and the in
born elleerfuiness Of the people
asserting itself. The excuse
for a holiday was not to be over
looked, and every one who could
take q day, or eve an hour of leis-
IRE, did 50, and spent it partly
the quays staring at the wreck,
in the Place de la Liberte
listening to the orators, partly IN
the Place d'Armes watching the
men at work draping with black
the Northumberland where the
Of inquiry was to sit, and
the church Of Saint Louis, where
requiem high mass was to be cele-
brated. Finally as much as re-
NAMED Of the holiday was spent
at q cafe before q glass Of coffe or
aperitif, with the satisfaction ofsa
sacred duty conscientionsly per-
formed.
sepine, as he made his way
through the crowd, noticed that
wassno longer any talk OF
treacherv 81 treason,-even the
word sabotaggewa no longer
uttered. Eyeryon agreed that
the affair WAS another accident,
'dcplorab1e indeed, but nnavoidaSs