The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-11-09
CONTINUED from Previous Issue.)
CHAPTER v
CHAPTER V. =
Wanpenheim Smupgles the "Goeben"
and the "5reslau' Through the
D~ardanelles,

Nat'GNN"
On August 10th, l went out on a lit
tie launch to meet the Stella, a small
Italian ship which had just arrived from
Venice. | was especially interested in
this vessel because she was bringing to
Constantinople my son-in-law and
! daughter, Mr., and Mrs. Maurice Wer-
| theim, and their three little daughters.
The greeting proved even more inter-
esting thar / had expected. ! found
the passengers considerably excited, for
they had witnessed, the day before a
naval engagement in the lonlan sea.
I'VE were lunching yesterday on
! deck" my daughter told me, "When l
saw two strengthening vessels just
above the horizon. ! ran for the glasses
and made out two large battleshtps, the
first one with two queer, eXotic-look-
ing towers and the other one quite an
ordinary looking battleship. We watched
and saw another ship coming up behind
them and going very last. she came
nearer and then we heard guns boom
ing. Pillars of water sprang up in the
air and there were many little puffS
Of white smoke. 1t took me some time
to realize what it was all about, and
then It burst upon me that we were
actually witnessing an engagement. lhe
ships continually shifted their position
but went on and on. The two big
| ones turned and rushed furiously for
the little one, and then apparently they
changed their minds and turned back.
Then the little one turned around and
calmly steamed in our direction. At
first [ vas somewhat alarmed at this,
but nothing happened. She ctrcled
around us with her tars excited and
grinning and somewhat grimy, They
~signalled to our captain many ques-
lions and then turned and finally dis
appeared. The captain told US that
the two big ships were which
had been caught in the Mediterranean
and which were trying to escape from
the British fleet. He said that the
British ships are chasing them all over
the Mediterranean, and that the Ger
man ships are trying to get into Com
stantinople. Have you seen anything
Of them? Where do you suppose the
British fleet is?'
A few hours afterward I happened
to meet Wangenheim, When l told
him what Mrs. Wertheim had seen, he
displayed an agitated interest. I'm
mediately after lunch he called at the
American embassy with Pallavicini, the
Austrian ambassador. and asked for an
Interview with my daughter. The two
ambassadors solemnly planted them
selves in chairs before Mrs. Wertheim
and subjected her to a most minute,
though very polite. cross examination. |
II never felt so important In my life"
sch afterward told me. They would not
permit her to leave out a single oetalli
they wished to know how many shots
had been fired, what direction the Ger
man ships bad taken. what everybody
on board had said, and SO on. The visit
seemed to give these allied ambassa-
doris immense relief and satisfaction, |
for they left the hopse in an almost
i|ubilant mood, behaving as though a
great weight had been taken off their
minds. And certainly they had good
reason for their citation. My daughter
had been the means of giving them the
news which they had desired to hear
above everything else-that the Goeben
and the Breslau had escaped the Brit
ish fleet and were then steaming rap
idlv In the direction Of the Dardanelles,
For 1t was those famous German
shtDs, the Goeben and the Breslau,
which my daughter had seen engaged
In hattie with a British scout shin!
The next dav official business called
me to the German embassy. But Wan
genheir's animated ann soon dis
closed that he had no interest in u
tine matters. Never had l seen him
80 nervous and so excited. He could
not rest In his chair more than a few
minutes at a time; he was constantly
iunring up rushing to the window and
anxiouslv out toward the Bos-
porous, where his private wireless sta