The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1917-03-16

A F anily
By F. A. Mitchell

Herman Won Bishoff came to Ameri-
ca a young man, determined to make
a fortune, return with it to Germany
and build up his family, which was
an 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 a position to re-
| tire from business with the fortune he
had come over for But a business
| life had accustomed him to active hab,
its, and he did not relish going back
! to Germany to a life Of idleness. Be-
sides, the pan-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
| a daughter, Hilda about twenty years
| Old It 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 a match between
| this young man and Hilda. 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-
| layed 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 go
abroad to do Red Cross work, and he
/ only consented on her promise to de-
| vote herself to the care of sick and
| wounded soldiers in Germany. But
| Hilda, though she had learned the Ger
| man language in her childhood, had
forgotten it, and she did not relish the
idea of going among a 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 all
received the same attention. Of course
the enemy sick and wounded as soon
| as they recovered were considered
prisoners and placed in concentration
i camps, while the French, English and
/ Americans were returned to duty.
i Hilda remained at her post Of duty
year, when, her health giving out,
she returned to America. Some of her
friends suspected while nursing a sob
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 to the matter, but got nothing out
Of her. Indeed, she denied the story.
1
building up his family by marrying
his daughter to her cousin Carl was
dashed because news came to his un-
Gle that he had been killed in the war.
One day a young man who gave his
name as Fiegler appeared at Herman
| Bishoff's residence and asked for Hill
da. He was the soldier that she had
| Y1Ticn
sent to England as a prisoner of war
and had escaped. He had then got
transportation to America by securing
| a berth as fireman on a 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 his 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 a 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
letter stating that he was at home
badly wounded.
Hilda, now Frau Fiegler, determined
to Join him. Her father, finding that
she was resolved ON 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,
I4I