The Cordova daily times., 1918-08-27

can | tTpnu m" ihr way l feel ms blessed day." and hr needed no second invitation. Incidentally 1t gave me n chance to laugh at him. for l was about as much amused nS he was.
 After he had laughed himself about sick he got up and slapped me on the back and invited me to tell him my story
 Lieutenant" he said when I had concluded. you can have anything you want. I think your experience entities you to it."- --s.i-ssf sf..-- .s .~ass'rz. Well, consul" I replied. II would like a bath, shave. haircut and some siyIllgsd G!othcs about as badly as q man ever needed them. suppose, but before that I would like to get a cable off to America to my mother telling her that am safe and on my way to England! ,.-'"
 The consul gave me the necessary information and had the satisfaction of knowing before left the office that the cable, with it's good tidings, was on its way to America.
 
 men who had been interncd there since the beginning of the war and who was able to speak Dutch and told him to take good care of me.
 After l had been bnthcd and shaved and had haircut bought some new clothes and had something to eat, and I felt like n new man.
 As I walked through the streets of Rotterdam breathing the air of free dom again and realizing that there was no longer any danger of being captured and taken back To prison, il WAS wonderful sensation.
 don't believe there will ever be n country that will appear in my eyes quite as good aS Holland did then. l had to be somewhat careful, however, because Holland was full of German spies and I knew they would be keen to learn all they possibly could about my escape and my adventures so that the authorities in Belgium could mete out punishment to everyone who was in any respect to blame for 1t. AS was in Rotterdam only one day. they didn't have very much opportunity to learn anything from me.
 The naval officer who accompanied me and acted as interpreter for me introduced me to many other soldiers and sailors who had escaped from Bel gum when the Germans took Ant werp, and uS they had arrived Tn llol- land in uniform and under arms, the laws of neutrality compelled their h. ternment and they had been there ever since.
 The life of n man who Is interned in a neutral county. l learned. Is any thing but satisfactory. He gets one month year to visit his home. If he lives in England that is not so bad, but if he happens to live farther away. the time he has to spend with his folks Is very short. as the months leave does not take into consideration the time consumed in travelling to and from Holland.
 The possibility of escape from Hol- land k always there. but tn" British authorities have an agreement with the Dutch government to send refu- gees back immediately. In this re- speCt, therefore, the position of n man who Is intcrn"d is worse than that of n prisoner who, If he does succeed in making his escape. is naturally re- crivrd with open arms in his native land Apart from this restraint, how ever, internmcnt, with all its draw backs. iS Il thousand times, yes, mill lion times, better than being n prisoner of war in Germany.
 It seems to me that when the war Is over and the men who have been imprisoned in Germany return home, they should be given bigger and greater reception than the most vic torious army that ever marched into city. for they will have suffered and gone through more than the world will ever be able to understand.
 No doubt you will find in the Ger man prison camps one or two faint hearted individuals with pronounced yellow streak who voluntarily gave up the struggle and gave up their lib- erty rather than risk their lives or limbs. These sad cases. however. are. l am sure. extremely few. Nine hun drcd and nincty-nine out of n thousand of the men fighting In the allied lines would rather be In the front trenches. fighting every day. with all the horrors and all the risks, than be n prisoner of war in Germany, for the men In France have n very keen realization of what that means.
 But to return to my day in Rotter- dam.
 After 1 was fixed up I returned to the consulate and arrangements were made Tor my transportation to Eng land at once. Fortunately there was boat leaving that very night and l was allowed to take passage on it.
 Just as we were leaving Rotterdam, the boat was on rammcd our own convoy. one of the destruyers, and in- J4red Ii so badly that Il had to put