The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-11-20
Night Of Tension
Before Surrender
All Eyes and Ears prirncd FOR the
First News Of the Par
iianenra ries
Bs DAMON RUNYON

With a.. IS vaerl~nu ffrsl Army. No
Nemher LIT Is NOW perta.a.table
TO tell de1 lied story of iHe begin
ming 81 the end" The great war.
On the t1Drulns OF November r
General iorshlng WAS notified - hrs
private train vi near thn American
front, 81 ne arrival OF tAe German
spaaha rsenfaires
The American Goa maodor in chief
susuaaiS Via ps Of The trein which is
consfaaflg On the as4ye. Fo~ ~! diels-
Ion commands along the front had
been aeep5rr q loohouf for thc par
Hamentay.ee in c'4,se they shout ap-
pear tefh the American tines.
Late w dnesday 0Ighi our wiz oss
tnterceptea . Gernaa wireless s4y-
4 Ing thai the parlia,nentariea had left
Berlin. The messages we 70 NOT coded.
The Germans probably wanted them
Interceptad. All through that n Eht
the French had leen sending out
4 wirelelss messages across the front ad-
Y dressed to German general headqHart-
SerE telling The ENJOYS TO go IN Guise,
and ever specifying the roads for
[ them 10 follow
Evidentlg they had received no
Acknowledgement from the Germans.
for ut O'Clock Thursday a uess re
u was sent ont from Marshal Foeh's
headaaarters which was received at
saying:
"Tfe following message from Mar
shall Foch' 8 HEADQUARTERS Is transmit
4 ted for necessary action.
II the parlan ntaries present
i themselves al any point ON tn" front
TO submit a request 10 Marshal Foch
1 they VIII be stopped al the front line
division.
s ''T1sfs srieiston will irEodiateiy in
form Marshal Foch Of Their status
and the objects of their mission They
Will be detained NJ the division head
quarter anti Marshal 'orh has made
4 his reply.
The-fiaal word in this message Is
!. Il 4 { X n ~ = 4 =.
short time after a wireless ncS-
Aags came from u #rnar ef f'rSueh
Il armies OF The center saying that the
4 pArliamtntaries had presented them
( selves at La Capelle 4 little later Ma
I JOr Mickans. OF New York. who was
our liason officer with the French
4 called up American headquarters by
telephone ana confirmed the news
General TerslainS was Immediately
u notified. WORD was sent on the dtvis-
ion commands to keep an eye open
for thu envpys. The word was accom-
panied by information that the arri-
val Qfstlie epvoys would probably be
1 nreceded by cessation Of firing by
The Germans.
IL Americaa fronts were concerned up
~ Wednesday Hight which was the
4 turning night Of the wor Up there
\ thr artillery was still pretty active and
n patrol were stil feeling their way
through ths hiackncss which smother
"a the land that n.xLt
III Americar front line ,ronrs d 4 ect
/ been officially Informed az the peace
nrocee aine2. ore reason being that
n xavs h4s
n even .he news could Not uatch up
with ia IN However. there is an un-
aergroand tumor system N every
army through whish reports travel
4 even fasfe' tran nv wireless II Is ~
TO means jmpre Ngbie that nur troops
" had SEM mixing of affairs
a Certainly ~ WAS pretty we'll known
/ i,ack of til" Inns For several weeks
Il the American army had Ger
h thoroughly satisfied that Tia coila pse
4 af the Gern ars was imminent , nat
Il ennviction however M de no al. err
H Fnce in thu agntne AS the results
show The Germans rad been inst as
II xstisfied Of IN ir impending doom
N Judging from what prisoners said
In the American camps where all
the details OF the situation are known
~ far anybody al the front can
know, there was undoubtedly feel-
4 Ing Of relief that tho bloody business
n Waa nearins an end
Yet at the same tine the : s1cricans
Nor~ prepared to go on IL neoess ary.
@4N fact there had not lCcn the slis nt-
<n0G abatement Of the armies efforts
#An any respect, Men ard suns were
G13H moving forwar9 Lead abd steel
%S13l whis.ied along h. from line
EEAere Liggott IS vste rams were hv-
19Rclng. waiting for the coming dawn
FeAn resume their triumphant march
E&nAa began three weeks ago.
The people In the French towns
~Mtnd the American army were
lnetfng their friends from. across the
- with Ia suerre rst Ami. meaning
tAa war If finished" an expression
&*ey had been using for some days
3hey were ae Convinced as the
xWGf4cana that Germany was
&0ngh. The first thing that tn girl
1treas in the Office club at The town
0Ue the headquarters IN located ask
" one Of her patrons Thursday
N was whether the Germans had
i parli0mentaries 10 the Americans
~ French. When told it was the
0ch she was int nsely delighted
osoxemplfied the quite natural feel
"a the part Of the French people
the Ansmywho have ravaged this
DN .counlay finally bent his knee is
pJtAnce io it.
1SSV verdict For Defendant.
vsraict for the defendant was
nn n city circuit court yesterday