Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1918-08-29

he wanted to laugh in the worst way
go ahead and laugh !" 1 said. "Yol
can't offend me the way I feel thi!
blessed dayl" and he needed no second
Invitation. Incidentally it gave me {
chance to laugh at him, for / wa.
about as much amused as he was.
After he had laughed himself about
sick he got up and slapped me on the
back and invited me to tell him my
story.
Lieutenant" he said when I had
concluded, you can have anything
you want. 1 think your experience
entities you to It."
Well, consul" 1 replied. Il would
like bath, a shave, a haircut and
some civilized clothes about as badly
as man ever needed them, suppose,
but before that 1 would like to get a
cable of 10 America to my mother
telling her that I am safe and on my
way TO Englandr"
The consul gave me the necessary
information and had the satisfaction
of knowing before l left the Office that
the cable, with its good tidings, was
on its way to America.
Then he sent for one Of the naval
men who had been informed there
since the beginning of the war and
who was able TO speak Dutch and
told him to take good care Of me.
After had been bathed and shaved
and had haircut 1 bought some new
clothes and had something to eat, and
/ felt like a new man.
AS 1 walked through the streets of
Rotterdam breathing the air of free
dom again and realizing that there
was no longer any danger of being
captured and taken back to prison,
it was a wonderful sensation.
1 don't believe there will ever be a
country that will appear in my eyes
quite as good as Holland did then. I
had to be somewhat careful, however,
because Holland was full of German
spies and 1 knew they would be keen |
TO learn all they possibly could about !
my escape and my adventures so that /
the authorities in Belgium could mete /
n any respect to blame for it. As was
n Rotterdam only one day, they
didn't have very much opportunity 10
earn anything from me.
The naval officer who accompanied
ne and acted as interpreter for me
Introduced me to many other soldiers
md sailors who had escaped from Bel
,ium when the Germans took Ant
yerp, and as they had arrived in Hol-
and in uniform and under arms, the
avs of neutrality compelled their in
eminent and they had been there ever
ince.
The life Of a man who is interned
j neutral county, learned, is any
hing but satisfactory. He gets one
lonth a year 10 visit his home. II he
YES in England that is not so bad,
ut if he happens 70 live farther
way, the time he has to spend with
is folks is very short, as the months
ave does not take into consideration
lie time consumed in travelling to and
'om Holland.
The possibility of escape from Hol-
md is always there, but the British
authorities have an agreement with
lie Dutch government to send refu-
aes back Immediately. In this re-
'ect, therefore, the position of a man
no is interned is worse than that
prisoner who, if he does succeed
making his escape, is naturally re-
lived with open arms in his native
nd. Apart from this restraint. how ..
er, internment, with all its draw
cks, is n thousand times, yes, mil
n times, better than being a prisoner :
war in Germany. l
1t seems TO me that when the war !,
over and the men who have been :,
prisoned in Germany return home, =
ey should be given a bigger and !.
eater reception than the most vic :
fous army that ever marched into
city, for they will have suffered
d gone through more than the world y
II ever be able TO understand. \
No doubt you will find in the Ger .
N prison camps one or two faint
lrted individuals with pronounced :,
low streak who voluntarily gave -
the struggle and gave up their lib :"
y rather than risk their lives or =,
lbs. These sad cases, however, are,
I'M sure, extremely few. Nine hun y
d and ninety-nine out of a thousand -
the men fighting in the allied lines y.
uld rather be in the front trenches, =
lting every day. with all the horrors :" ~
all the risks, than be prisoner -
war in Germany, for the men in ~
nee have very keen realization q.
what that means. ~
Tut to return to my day In Rotter- =.
q.
fter l was fixed up 1 returned TO VI
consulate and arrangements were -,
lie for my transportation to Eng "
l at once. Fortunately there was as
oat leaving that very night and ~
: allowed to take passage on il. 81 81
ust us we were leaving Rotterdam. =,
boat / was on rammed our own va
10Y, one of the destroyers. and in uo