The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1918-11-30
CHAPTER XVIlI-continued

L Deckoned to the chauffeur to o.
with me up to the office, as 7 had n,
money with which to pay him. an,
when he got to the consulate
told them that if they would nav tb
taxi fare I would tell them who
was and how l happened to be there
They knew at once that I was n,
escaped prisoner and they readil,
paid the chauffeur and invited me :,
give some account of myself.
They treated me most cordia,,v orf
were intensely interested in the brie
account l. gave them Of nv adven
lures. Word was sent to the consu
general and he Immediately sent fo,
me. When I went in he shook bands
with me, greeting me very hearth,
and offering me a chair.
He then sat down, screwed a mon
ocle on his eye and viewed me from
= top to toe. could see that only good
breeding kept him from laughing al
the spectacle presented. I could see
he wanted to laugh in the worst way
60 ahead and laugh" I said. "You
can't offend me the way 1 feel this
blessed day." and he needed no second
invitation. Incidentally it gave me q
chance to laugh at him, for I was
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 nv
story.
Lieutenant" he said when I had
concluded. "you can have anything
you want. I think your experience
entities you to it,"
"Well, consul" replied. 81 would
IKE q bath, shave, a haircut and
some civilized clothes about as badly
as man ever needed them, suppose,
but before that would like to get q
cable off to America to my mother
telling her that am safe and on my
way to Englandw
The consul gave me the necessary
information and I had the satisfaction
OF knowing before I 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 interned 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 a haircut I bought some new
clothes and had something to eat, and
/ felt like new man.
As I 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,
At was q wonderful sensation.
I don't believe there will ever be a
country that will appear in my eyes
quite as good as Holland did then.
had to be somewhat careful, however,
because Holland was full Of German
spies and 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
out punishment to everyone who was
Tn any respect to blame for it. AS was
tn Rotterdam only one day, they
didn't have very much opportunity to
learn anything from me.
The naval officer who accompanied
me and acted as interpreter for me
introduced me to many other soldiers
and sailors who had escaped from Bel
zfum when the Germans took Ant
werp, and as they had arrived IN Hol-
land in uniform and under arms, the
laws of neutrality compelled their In
ternment and they had been there ever
since.
The life of a man who Is interned
In a neutral county, I learned, Is any
thing but satisfactory. He gets one
month a year to visit his home. If he
lives in England that is not so bad,
but If he happens to live farther
away, she time he has to spend with
his folks is very short, as the months
leave does not take into consideration
fhe time consumed in travelling to and
from Holland.
The possibility of escape from Hol-
land is always there. but the British
authorities have an agreement with
the Dutch government to send refu-
gees back Immediately. In this re-
,spect. therefore, the position Of man
who is interned is worse than that
of a prisoner who, If he does succeed
in making his escape. is naturally re-
ceiyed with open arms in his native
land. Apart from this restraint, how
ever, internment, with all its draw
backs, is a thousand times. yes, mil
zion times, better than being a prisoner
of war in Germany.
It seems to me that when the war
fs over and the men who have been
imprisoned In Germany return home.
they should be given bigger and
Greater reception than the most vic
torious army that ever marched into
a city. for they win have suffered
and gone through more than the world
win ever be able to understand.
No doubt you will find In the Ger
man prison camps one or two faint
hearted individuals with pronounced
yellow streak who voluntarily gave
up the struggle and gave up their lib
erty rather than risk their lives or
limbs. These sad cases, however. are,