Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1918-12-12

walters IN the restaurants and hotels
had already left and that the older re-
serves expected general call the next
day.
The next morning we started for
Frankfort. As we passed through vii
lage after village, war preparations be-
came more and more evident. Measures
were being taken everywhere to arouse
MISUNDERSTANDING men gathered on
school steps were singing patriotic
songs. students were marching and
speeches were being made In the mar.
ket places.
About five o'clock that afternoon we
arrived In Frankfort. The whole place
was In fever of excitement over the
mobilization posters and their resent
ment against the French was being
aroused by "extras," which were
handed out without charge, announc-
Ing that the French had already
dropped bombs on the railroad ut
Nurnberg and TINT French officers In
autos had over-ridden the borders.
The ridiculous statements about
French flyers dropping bombs on the
railroad at Nurnberg had not the
slightest foundation, of course.
The older people who had lived
through the war of 1870 had Interested
audiences for once while they related
past experiences and gave advice as to
what preparations to make. A posi-
bility Of food shortage seemed to be
uppermost In all minds and the gro
ceries were stormed with eager buy
ers. Salt suddenly jumped to rs cents
q pound and other things In proper
ton.
On Sunday. August 2, all the gaso-
line In the country was Communicated,
and we heard Of many American tour
lists being put out of their cars In the
cities and even on country roads, no
matter how inaccessible to trains they
might be. We accordingly decided to
stow our car away In IN old wagon
shed attached to hotel and sought to
return to Berlin by train.
At the railway station there was
such tremendous crowd that II WINS
quite impossible to get anywhere near
the ticket Office. and anyway no prom.
ise could be given us to trains to Ber-
lin.
Trunks and bags were piled high in
every available space and 1t was
months before that enormous pile of
baggage was finally sorted out.
We decided to defer our effort to
reach Berlin until Monday, since there
seemed no hope of getting away that
day.
On Monday morning, the streets
were filled with excited crowds de-
stroying every sign with a French
word on 1t and looking for spies. The
papers had announced that the coun-
try was full Of French spies, women
us well us men. / saw the crowd stop
an automobile, take n woman out and
literally tear her clothes to shreds be-
fore the police succeeded In rescuing
her from the mob and took her to the
police station. The general suppose
ton was that all the man spies were
masquerading rs women and the first
thing the mob did was to pull out hair
pins to see whether the hair was real.
On Monday evening. we managed to
edge our way into the last through
train to Berlin. We were side.tracked
innumerable times to allow troop
trains to pass through, and we were re-
CURED to keep our windows closed so
that no enemy passenger could drop
bombs on the bridges we crossed. It
was u 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 feld-gray uni
forms which may have long been put
away In moth balls for just this oppor-
tunity, but which took the German peo-
pie 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 nom
commissioned officer questioned the
passengers.
My wife. who was asleep In a cor.
ner Of the coupe I. was the only won.
an In the compartment. Believing that
haf sleep might be feigned and she
might. in fact, be man in woman's
clothing. the officer yelled Mt her
"Where are you going?" Her Ameri-
can accent, revealed when she an
swered him. incensed him the more
and he demanded ansrily: "What right
have you to use this train? Where is
your passport"
BY that time had produced all the
papers of Identification could find and
tried to tell him that my wife and I
were returning to our home in Berlin,
but he was too excited to listen and
would have dragged us Off the train
had not an officer. with whom I had
been talking en- route. interviewed and
said: 81 shall make myself personally
re, pOnsible for these people" / was
glad had admired his new uniform.
From the coupe next to ours / saw
NDldiers drag six Russians, throw them
n III Al. =