The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1918-09-17


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 mt
Nurnherg and that French officers in
autos had over-riddcn the borders.
The ridiculous statements about
French flyers dropping bombs on the
'niIroad at Nurnbcrg had not the
slightest foundation, of course.
The older people who had lived
thrslgh the war of 1870 had interested
audiences for once while they related
past experiences and gave advice as to
what preparations to make. A poSsi-
bllity of food shortage seemed to be
uppermoSt in all minds, and the gro
ceries were stormed with eager buy
ers. Salt suddenly jumped to 75 cents
pound and other things in propor-
ton.
On Sunday August 2, oil the gaso-
line in the country wtts 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 thew
might bN We accordingly decided 70
stow our car away In an old wagon
n 70,
return to Berlin by train.
AT the railway station there was
such tremendous crowd that il was
quite impossible To get anywhere near
the ticket office, and anyway no prom
ise could be given as to trains 20 Ber-
lin.
Trunks and bags were piled high in
every available space and IL 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 filed with excited crowds de-
stroying every sign with a French
papers had announced that the coun-
try was full of French spies, women
as well as men. saw the crowd stop
an automobile, take a woman out and
literally tear her clothes to shreds be-
fore the police succeeded in rescuing
her frGmi the mob nnd took her TO the
police station. The general supposi-
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 slde-tracked
lnnumerable times to allow troop
trains to pass through, and we were re-
Quired to keep our windows closed so
that no enemy passenger could drop
bombs on the bridges we crossed. 1t
was 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 field-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 ns well as the allies completely by
surprise.
AT Naumberg. which is about half
way between Frankfort and Berlin, q
company OF soldiers boarded the train
and guarded the corridors while nom
commissioned officer questioned the
passengers.
My wife, who was asleep In cor
ner of the coupe l, was the only wom-
an In the compartment. Believing that
her sleep might be feigned and she
might, in Cact, be a mun In womans
clothing, the officer yelled at her:
"Where are you goingw Her Ameri-
cnn accent. revealed when she an
swered him, incensed him the more
and he demanded nngrily: "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 |
were returning to our home I'm Berlin,
but he was too excited to listen and
would have dragged us off the train
had not an officer. with whom | had
been talking en- route, interviewed and
said: T shall make myself personally
responsible for these people" | was
glad | had admired his new uniform.
From the coupe next to ours 1 saw
soldiers drag six Russians, throw them
down and kick them in the face. ant
one was woman! The train pulled
out as the crowd closed I'm on them so