Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-08-28
Engineer Protected Lives Of
Americans Despite Blazing
Bridge. and Burning Cars.
Editor Wife Tells How Par
" Was Saved.
,N IRIS. GREGORY MASON of New
N York, who recently reached ia

lv1 4oIh, WIZ Recently IcdCAeu ga
3, pan from Russia, was an eye
witness of the two attempts to wreck
the special train carrying the Root
commission. Mrs. Mason's account,
written for the Tokyo Advertiser, of
+ which her husband, Gregory Mason, is
managing editor, is probably the only
one which has appeared in any pub
LEGATION, says the New York Evening
Post.
Angered by the efforts Of the Root
mission to get Russia to fight. German
agents and Russian anarchists burned
the bridge across the river at Viatka
(named Tcheptsa, ! think) ahead Of the
train carrying Mr.. Root and his party.
Only because their act was badly timed
did the train carrying the American
mission escape being dashed into the
river. A vigilant trainman discovered
the fire in the bridge in time to warn
the engineer Of the Root train. Baf-
fled in this attempt, the anarchists and
German spies then set fire to several
trains and rolled them down toward
the train carrying the Root party,
which was forced to back five miles
away from the town to find position
Of safety. I was surprised to find on
arriving in japan that all news Of this
terrible attempt to murder the official
American party had been kept from
the press.
The Root special train left Petrograd
Monday evening, July 8. The regular
Siberian express, on which travelled,
left Petrograd the evening Of the fol-
lowing day. On Wednesday from
trains coming toward Petrograd we
heard rumors that an attempt had
been made to destroy the Root train,
but we gave these reports scant cred
ence, as Russia now is full of all
sorts Of horrible rumors. But, awak-
ening in my compartment Thursday
morning at Viatka, heard the well
known voices Of Commissioner Charles
Edward Russell and Major Stanley
Washburn under my window. They
were talking to some one on our train.
"Yes, the bridge is down." Washburn
was saying. They tried to burn 1t un
der us, but they didn't time it right.
Still, they've already forced us to stay
!, twenty four hours IN this dirty place"
M dressed as quickly as possible and
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Russian Treachery Involved?
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Cnaries Euwaru russell, -w.o IS . oo-
cia'ist, ana James duncan, wno - eon-
nected Win tue american rsuela''on
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