American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-11-29
ket places.

hel pldCeS.
About five o'clock that afternoon we
arrived in Frankfort. The whole place
was in a 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,
ing that the French had already
dropped bombs on the railroad at
Nurnberg and that French officers in
autos had over-ridden the borders.
The ridiculous statements about
French flyers dropping bombs on the
railroad at N%urnberg 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 IS cents
a pound and other things in propor-
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 an old wagon
shed attached to a hotel and sought to
return to Berlin by train.
At the railway station there was
such a tremendous crowd that 1t was
quite impossible to get anywhere near
the ticket office, and anyway no prom
Use could be given as to trains to Ber-
lin.
Trunks and bags were piled high in
every available space and It 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
ntlO AiAIu Win tANAlGu NlONuo ut-
stroying every sign with a French
word on it and looking for spies. The
papers had announced that the coun-
try was full of French spies, women
as well as men. l saw the crowd stop
an automobile, take a woman out and
literally tear her clothes to shreds be-
fore the police succeeded in r~escuing
her from the mob and took her to the
police station. The general SUPPOSE
ton was that all the man spies were
masquerading as women and the first
thing the mob did was to pull out hail
pins to see whether the hair was real.
On Monday evening, we managed tC
edae u way into the last through
train to Berlin. We were side-trackeC
innumerable times to allow trooI
trains to pass through, and we were re
CURED to keep Our windows closed 81
that no enemy passenger could droI
bombs on the bridges we crossed. l
was a hot August night and the lacl
of ventilation was most oppressive.
Our compartment was crowded witt
officers on their way to join their regi
ments and very grand and impOrtan
they felt in their new field-gray uni
forms which may have long been pu
away in moth balls for just this OppOr
tunity, but which took the German pee
pie as well as the allies completely b.
surprise.
At N%aumberg, which is about hall
way between Frankfort and Berlin,
company of soldiers boarded the trail
and guarded the corridors while a non
commissioned officer questioned tn
passengers.
My wife, who was asleep in a col
ner of the coupe l, was the only won
an in the compartment. Believing tina
her sleep might be feigned and sh
might, in fact, be a man in woman
clothing, the officer yelled at her
"Where are you goingT" Her Amer