The Nevada County picayune., 1918-10-24

review all Fat had happened.
 How different everything was after the first year of the war! My home was now as calm as a graveyard In this town, which had q population be fore the war of 5000 souls, more than 40 had been killed and many others crippled. Food was very high with lit tie to be had.
 There was no enthusiasm for the war manifest anywhere. The people were downhearted, stunned.
 It was the same in other cities The longing for peace was universal yet no one talked of peace or expressed the desire for it.
 One word spoken, which displeased the autocratic government, merited the seyerest punishment That Is how 1t Is to be explained that the German peO- pie cannot force the HohenzOllerns into peace because the government, with assistance of the military. smothered every expression of peace with blood, even at that early date.
 The present PrHssian government will slaughter any German citizen to further its own interests in the same way that it attacked the innocent pop ulation of Belgium without regard.
 With a clean conscience and clean hands,
 "Gott strafe England. Er ist strafe es '!
 Going through the streets this was heard right and left as a comment and q reply.
 To me, fresh from the front. this kind of greeting was unknown.
 Presently I learned the reason of this modern form of salutation The hatred within the German nation was not so great toward France and Rus sia.
 The people quietly accepted the enor- nous sacrifices which the war demand ed from them in course of time.
 But the government. which even then. foresaw the unfavorable course the war was taking, conceived the idea of setting England up as the arch enemy which intended to destroy Ger many entirely.
 The German war machine made use of the blockade which England drew around Germany to such an extent. playing upon child murder, so-called, that the people developed an ever-in- ereasing hatred toward England.
 The French language was no longer spoken anywhere. A large part of the German people formerly used the French word "adieu," as d farewell ex- pression but that was stopped. Care had to be taken in the use of this word to avoid arrest on a charge of high treason
 I thought about these things as neared my temporary destination. I was sufficiently acquainted with the border so that when I arrived in Kal- denkirchen l was able to reach it with out asking any questions. The spot which 1 had selected for crossing lay in a forest. After march of two hours I arrived near the border. It was soon dark and decided to remain in the woods over night.
 The next morning at daylight I ven tured on and without being seen by the guards I crossed into Dutch territory. With q sigh of relief I arrived at the next town, Venlo, in Holland.
 Everywhere I was received in a friendly manner. I observed that the Dutch people hated the German people as much as I did.
 After passing several months in Holland. where tens of thousands more German deserto-s lived, I made up nay mind to move farther away than that from Germany for the arms of the Ger man government are long and its spies are everywhere In most cases con scienceless criminals.
 Some of my Dutch friends made me acquainted with sailors and these con sented to smuggle me to America on their ship. When the ship departed was placed in the coal bunkers and ar rived after II days in New York. safe and Een.
 The first thing that struck me on ar- llNAnS III lllt ClilN'u oidltN NdS lilt wide latitude permitted German prOpa- ganda.
 Most of the German papers pub. lished here were body and soul for the kaiser and tried daily to justify the German fight for the German cause.
 In this respect the government in Washington certainly went too far uu- til lt sas realized that no concessions could be made to the Prnssian govern meut and that concessions made to Washington were nothing but doceitful talk, sustained only hy action when it served its interests Of imperialism
 The promises which the German gov crnment mado to Washiugton concern ing the Euslaaia ease. the E=baat war fare and so forth, Were nothing hut de- ceit on Che part of the Berlin govern ment
 II was the desire to preserve peace for the American people which im-