The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1918-12-12
EDITOR RETURNS
FROM FAR EAST
w. D. Peiley and Wife Reach Home
After Many Inconvenience


Mr.. and Mrs. w. D. Pelley return
ed last exennng from a five-months'
tour of Ear East.
! They hasz faded to make a tour
of the world, an Francisco to
Japan, China, Indfss she Mediter-
ranean. War conditions Orient
aggravated by the Allied iffs ION
in Siberia mitigated against hg
further than China. While waiting
for transportation around that coun-
try to India, Mr.. Pelley had the OPP
portunity to go into Siberia with the
Allied troops as publicity agent for
the Red Triangle and secretary in the
field. He left Japan for Siberia early
in September and stayed with the
Japanese, Czecho- Slavic and Ameri-
can troops until the arnistice was
signed, taking a prominent part in the
Y. NJ. C. A. work and making a study
of the country for magazine and
newspaper material.
Returning to Japan, he received the
first news from home since sailing
from San Francisco in the summer
Among his mail was a newspaper Civ
| ing details of the death at Camp
Devens of Mrs. Pelley's only brother
two months before, and one or two
letters written in August regarding
his newspaper business. On receipt
of this information about affairs at
home, he and his wife cut their trip
short and caught the first steamer for
San Francisco. They have been
travelling steadily since November 5.
| One of the chief reasons for not
going on with. their journey was
this inability to get mail both from
! and to this country. AS soon as the
Allies determined on intervention in
Siberia, a rigid censorship was estab-
ished which nearly cut off America
from the Far East Mr.. Pelley could
get no letters from home excepting
those from two to four months late
and he was unable to get his maun-
| scripts, letters and remittances home,
out of Japan. A clipping in a stray
newspaper which had somehow slip
ped past the censor was the first and
only news Mrs. Pelley had of her
brothers death.
Scores of letters sent to him and
his replies, manuscripts and other
documents which would have made
easier shedding for the Caledonian
force during his absence, are some
where in the mountainous piles of
mail at Yokahoma OF SanFranciscu
awaiting censorship which now that
the war is over may be distributed.
/ All Of his stories and manuscripts,
isuch as are not ancient history, will
have to be written over. In many
cases he found that renlittances sent
to his family and business associates
were; never received and some that
were received two months late were
Iminus checks and drafts which vi
/ IDENTIFY had become separated in the
censorship.
Mr. and Mrs. Pelley travelled over
$4,000 miles, counting Mr.. -Pelley's
"trip in Siberia and Manchuria. Mr.
Pelley went to Vladivostok the day
after the arrival of the first consign-
ment of American troops and was
with the consul general in Harbin,
Manchuria, the day the armistice was
reported from Washington as signed,
concluding the war. This was 10
days before the event was known in
Japan. He was aboard the first train
that penetrated the Armur river line
following the defeat of the Bolsheviki
and Germans by the Japanese and
Czechs, before the Americans got into
the game. He travelled into the cen
ter of Siberia, which at that time was
deep in snow. He has brought back
material which is invaluable in his
business and which will be prepared
for publication within the coming
month. He also has scores of pho
tographs which he took with his own
camera, in the interior of Siberia and
on the battlefields.
He met many famous people while
abroad, including General Otani, the
Japanese commander in chief, Gen
eral Gaida of the Czecho-Slavic
forces, Admiral Knight of the Amer
lean squadron, Consul l-General Harris
of Siberia, Capt. Toisler of the Amer
ican Red Cross for Siberia and Russia,
and was entertained in scores of
places by the American consuls,
pleased at meeting folk from home.
Among the most unique of his ex-
periences was travelling 1000 miles in
Siberia in boX-car with two mem
bers of Ambassador Francis's staff
trying to leave Russia via Vladiyos-
tok, with hundreds of thousands of
lrubles bedlcnging to the International
Harvester Company which had es-
teaped communicating at the hands
!, of the Bolsheviki. There were many
anxious moments when they were in
, the vicinity of the Bolsheviki ano
burning Siberian towns when they
Wondered if they were going to get
out successfully. Carl W. Akermar
of the New York Times and Herman
Bernstein of the New York World
were with him in Siberia. Mr.. Pei
ley was the first correspondent tc
get out of the country, however, with
his material
While he was travelling in the Fal
: East Mrs. Pelley remained in Toxic