Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1918-12-06
s;;;S,,s;ssd "a TggeB our Nint6ws sEllesis;ssd so

s1fred Is Kseb our Nfnd6ws c1essa so
that no enemy passenger could crop
bombs on the bridges we crossed. 1t
was a hot August night and the lack
of ventilation was most oppressive.
Our compartment was crowded with
officers on their way to join their regi-
ments and very grand and important
they felt in their new field-gray uni
forms which may have long been put
away in moth balls for just this oppor-
tunity, but which took the German peo-
ME as well as the allies completely by
surprise.
At Naumberg, which is about half
way between Frankfort and Berlin, a
company of soldiers boarded the train
and guarded the corridors while non
commissioned officer questioned the
passengers.
My wife, who was asleep in a cor
ner of the coupe l, was the only WON
On in the compartment. Believing that
her sleep might be feigned and she
might, in fact be q man in Womans
clothing, the officer yelled at her:
"Where are you going" Her Amerl-
can accent, revealed when she an
svered him, incensed him the more
and he demanded angriy: what right
have YOU to use this train? Where is
your paSsportT
Bv that time had produced all the
papers of identification Tcould find and
tried to tell him that my wife and /
we're returning to our home in Berlin,
but he was too excited to listen ana
would have dragged us off the train
had not an officer, with whom l had
been talking en- route, interviewed and
.Said: 'T shall make myself personally
..csponsihle for these people" was
glad I had admired his new uniform.
t'r9m the coupe next to ours saw
:,,i!lrs drag six Russians, throw them
r;vn and kick them in the face, ana
Il, was a woman! The train pulled
II as the crowd closed in on them 81
,;.t I was unable to ascertain the fate
these innocent but helpless paSSen-
FRS.
When we finally reached Berlin
in.t five the next morning, it seemed
ire dead city. There was not a
ruscllke, taxi or q tram in sight.
very available means Of locomotion
ard been mcEiIiZed for the time being.
rs we had heavy bags, we simply
iad 10 find something to take us home
md after half an hours search far
rom the station l found an old cab
!river who thought he could take u
or the liberal bonus I agreed to pa!
aim. We had hardly got seated wheI
N officer tried to force us out, ant
only my wife's quick plea Of illness
.avad him q black eye and me iron
bars or large fine. .'
After England declared war, the eff
forts to capture spies were doubled,
and the mob had Il new lot of signs to
tear down. We were forbidden to talk
English on the telephone or on the
street. We kept to our homes rather
closely. Most of the buses, taxicabs
and horses had been Communicated,
and the only signs Of life in Berlin
were furnished by the officers driving
madly about in high-powered cars
which exceeded all speed limits and
other traffic regulations.
After a few days, things began to re-
turn to normal again. The food sup
ply seemed ample and the headlines in
the newspapers were so encouragin.
and the reports of victories upon vic
tories so convincing that every one ex-
pected the war to be over within a
very short time and they began to eat
up the stores they had so excitedly
collected.
Bread cards were initiated, it is true,
but the amount allowed was more than
adequate for all except, perhaps, the
very poor who depend aldost entirely
upon bread.
The press began advising. the peo-
pie to conserve food but at the same
time said that if care was taken there
was no danger Of there not being
enough for all. School teachers gave
daily talks to the children to eat every
thing on their plates. One went so far
as to announce: II always lick my
plate, children, and you should do the
samew
The result of these warnings was
merely to increase boarding and buy
ing from food spectators. / never
knew of single German who volun-
tarily deprived himself ola single
article of food out of patriotic mo-
tivcs. The only sacrifice German is
willing to make for his country is the
one he cannot escape
As time went on and England's
blockade became increasingly effective,
the internal condition Of Germany
went from bad to worse, and long be-
fore I left Berlin, on January %, 1918,
conditions had become well-nigh I'M
bearable.
CHAPTER XVII.