New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-02-13
WAR WORKER TELLS
OF HER EXPERIENCE
Mary Boyle O'Reilly Brings Mes
sage From "Oyer There

Direct from the battlefronts of the
western war zone in Europe, with
recollections of all the frightfulness of
war still wildly impressed upon her
memory, Miss Mary Boyle O'Reilly.
daughter Of John Boyle O'Reilly, ap-
peared before a large gathering of the
Commonwealth club at the Y. M. G.. A.
last night, bringing a message from
ehe old world to the new and urging
upon all the need of cooperation and
CO. ordination in crushing PrussianisnE
and making the world safe for de-
mocraCy.
Knew Edith Cayell.
Miss O'Reilly has spent three years
and more in the war zone, and her
talk was, therefore, filled with per
sonal "reminiscences and anecdotes
During her stay abroad her work as
"a Red Cross nurse brought her III
touch With almost all of the famous
men and women of the allied forces,
and in her talk she quoted frequently
from the statements made to her hT
these people. Especially interesting
was Miss O'Reillys reference to the
famous Edith Cayell. the English Red
NIOSS nurse, VINO was ultimately ca
,ecutcd as spy by the Germans. In
this connection, Miss O'Reilly said
that she knew Miss Cayell we'll and
worked with her on the battlefront.
Contrary to popular belief, she said,
Miss Cavell was not a young woman,
but an estimable woman in her ffties
at the time she was executed by a
firing squad. She said that Edith Ca
veil was known as Sister Edith and
she added ''if ever there was a wom-
an who dared Prussia to do it's worst
and was glad the dare was taken it
was Sister Edith"
The speaker also had only the words
of greatest praise for the work of the
American consuls and am bassadors
abroad. She met them frequently in
her work overseas and said ito those
who think slightly of American con-
suls let me tell you when you are in
trouble in German lands an American
consul looks like an archangel about
nine feet high" Miss O'Reilly herself
was once arrested by the Germans for
talking back" to a Prussan officer.
Touching upon the Russian situa-
I ton as it was during the early part
of the war Miss O'Reilly told an al
most incredible tale of intrigue and
traitoroEs acts in which the Germans
the Russian soldiers and the greed of
the Russian aristocrats. In one in
stance she told of a large fort sup
posedly firmly held by Russians which
was easily captured by the Germans,
giving them a firm footing Investiga-
ton showed that this fort was built
h by a Russian nObleman who had con-
Structed it out of sand and put a thin
coating of cement over it. For this
traitorous feat he was paid a large
sum by the Germans and was also
said to have been decorated by the
Gear for building a fort that did rot
blow up when captured 1t was this
intrigue and political rottenness that
lsasteued Russia downfall the speak
er said.
During her long stay on the battle
front Miss O'Reilly saw war as it
really is and today her voice is some
what rough as result of a gas at
tack in which she figured. In COM i
menting upon this she explained that
she was fortunate in getting only a
mouthful of the poisonous gas, and
the boys at the front get more than
that so that they have no more than
a croak left to their voices in some in
sances. Speaking of the inter-rela-
tons of the Allies, she said that to-
day the Allied nations across the wa
ter are marking time waiting for the
Americans to bring up their legions.
During the past year, she said, the
Germans have failed in their cherish
ed hope of bringing the war to a close
through the use of the submarine.
She also laughed when she recalled
that a few months ago this country
was much wrought up over the SUI
gar shortage. She said that 1t is up
TO the civilians to do their part toward
prosecuting the war and in reference
TO the sugar question she said that in
her tent on the front there was an
ancient lump of sugar over which Was