Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-05-13

sirens blowing and screaming II was
the signal for the people to rush to the
cellars. The Frenchmen were making
an air raid and had begun dropping
bombs. The sirens weren't meant for
us, however. We had no cellar to go
to. In fact. we learned that IL was the
railway station the Frenchmen had been
after repeatedly and that the detention
camp had been moved near the station
as SORT Of protection to the latter.
The German logic vas naive--if the air>
men knew there We're allied prisoners
near, they miCht not try to get the sta>
ton. and even II they did, the prison.
ers were more apt to get the bombs
than the station, the camp was so much
larger and there were so many more OF
us to get.
At intervals the sky frightened with
flashes from the airmens rockets which
were sent with the bombs to show where
the hits We're made and the alternate
sounds of the bursting bombs and tho
anti-aircraft guns played a duet that
threatened to become dead march
The bombs burst with a dull, booming
sort Of sound and the air guns encored
with sharp, barking sort of noise
Four raids occurred while we were in
the camp, and three men were injured
and one was Killed. The Germans were
giving us every chance to meet our Maker
and must have figured that If we per.
sisted IN living in spite of the food and
the bombs 1t was our own fault
1 was repeatedly trying to get word
to the American and British consuis.
attempting to get interviews with tho
commandant of the camp And writing
letters almost daily. The letters were
never sent. But on Wednesday, Febru.
airy Fl. the commandment sent for me
and | went to his Office in the barracks
The commandment, tall. fine figure of
man, about forty years old was talk.
ing to German lieutenant when | ems
tered. Both were very civil. The cons
mandant spoke with only slight ac-
q al .sega
been wounded in the right leg by a
sa5er slash and walked with a linn.
He stepped to the table, spoke TO one
Of the two young Germans beth in
uniform. there, in German and then adj
dressed me in English. There was
stenographer, woman. who must have
weighed $50 pounds wondered what
kind of food she was getting-and an
interpreter, an arrogant Prussian
The commandant explained that he
thought we neutrals were going to he
released shortly; said he had been IN
communication with Berlin and gave
me a glass of wine. The following SAL
urday we We're told we would be re-
leased the following week. and on Feb
ruary p the five neutrals-Dr Davis
of Columbus. Ga; DIR. Snyder of At.
Kim of WATERFOWL. \. Y. from the
Georgia myself and a Norwegian Off.
cer-left Karlsruhe.
X X
We left Wuenemunde, on the German
border between Germany and Denmark.
and crossed the ferry to Gedse, Dem.
mark, on the 2Sth. in neutral territory.
out of the clutch of the iron hand Of
Germany at last.
At Gedse We went into a restaurant
for our first real meal in months While
waiting for our orders to he cooked
we devoured the bread as fast as il
arrived and thaz ordered some choco.
lates. repeatingfth the order several times. =
and filled up on Snese and then tackled
the other food when it was brought on.
In our famished condition it was toNs
much for us. Next day every one ofus
was sick.
Three of US. Davis. Snyder and NV
self, remained in Copenhagen three
weeks and then left for America. from
Bergen. Norway, on the Bergensfjord
OF the Norwegian-American line. This
was April Is. We landed tat Halifax,
Monday. the 23d. remained there until
FRIDAY. and arrived at the 39th stree<
dock in Brooklyn. Sunday morning.
April 20. safe on United States soil,
almost five months after the phantom
German raider sent our ship to the
bottom ! weighed 40 pounds when
we shipped out of Montreal and
turned the scale at 122 pounds on the
dock in Brooklyn.
Copyright, 1917, by the Wheeler Syndicate. Incl