Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1918-11-27

fighting every day, with all the horrors
and all the risks, than be a prisoner
of war in Germany, for the men in
France have a very keen realization
of what that means.
But to return to my day in Rotter.
dam.
After I was fixed up / returned tC
| the consulate and arrangements were
! made for my transportation to Eng.
| land at once. Fortunately there was
a boat leaving that very night and
was allowed to take passage on it.
Just as we were leaving Rotterdam
the boat I was on rammed our own
convoy, one of the destroyers, and in
jured it so badly that it had to put
back TO port. 1t would have been a
strange climax to my adventure if the
| disaster had resulted in the sinking
while on my way to England after
/ having successfully outwitted the
| Huns. But my luck was with me to
the last, and while the accident re-
suited in some delay our boat was not
seriously damaged and made the trip
| over in schedule time and without fur
Their accident, another destroyer hav-
ing been assigned to escort US through
the danger zone in place of the one
which had been put out Of commits
sion.
When I arrived in London, the re-
action from the strain I had been
under for nearly three months imme-
diately became apparent. My nerves
were in such a state that it was abso-
lutely impossible for me to cross the
street without being in deadly fear
of being run over or trampled. I stood
at the curb, like an old woman from
the country on her first visit to the
city, and l would not venture across
until some knowing policeman, recog-
nizing my condition, came to my as
sistance and conveyed me across.
Indeed, there was a great number OF
| English officers at home at all times
getting back their nerves" after a
long spell of active service at the
front, so that my condition was any
thing but novel to the London bob
| bies.
1t was not many days, however, be-
fore l regained control of myself and
felt in firSt-class shape.
Although the British authorities in
Holland had wired my mother from
Holland that l was safe and on my
way to England, the first thing l did
when we landed was to send her a
cable myself.
The cable read as follows:
''Mrs. NJ. J. O'Brien, Momence, ILL.,, q.
S. A.
"Just escaped from Germany. Let
ter follows"
AS 1 delivered it to the cable dis
patcher l could just imagine the ex-
ultation with which my mother would
receive it and the pride she would
| feel as she exhibited it among her
neighbors and friends.
1 could hear the volley of 81 told
you so's' that greeted her good It'd
ings.
1T would take more than the kaiser
to keep Pat in Germany" l could hear
one of them saying.
"Knew he'd be back for Christmas,
anyway" l could hear another re-
mark.
81 had an idea that Pat and his
comrades might spend Christmas in
Berlin / could hear another admit
| ting, but l did not think any other
part of Germany would appeal to him
very much"
Mrs. O'Brien, did Pat write you
how many German prisoners he
brought back with him?" I could hear
still another credulous friend inquir-
ing.
1t was all very amusing and graft
| flying to me and 1 must confess felt
| quite cocky as I walked into the war
department to report.
For the next five days L was kept
very busy answering questions put to
me by the military authorities regard
ing what l had observed as to condi-
lions in Germany and behind the lines.
What I reported was taken down
by a stenographer and made part OF
the official records, but / did not give
them my story in narrative form. The
I information l was able to give was
| naturally of interest to various
branches of the service, and experts
| in every line of government work took
it in turns to question me. One morn
ing would be devoted, for instance,
to answering questions of a military
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