Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-17

Special Cable to EUPHing PuOHC LedgeF
Copurioht. 1918. by New York Times Co.
Havana, June II.
MFRS. ADOLPHUS BUSCH, widow of
AV1 the St. Louis brewer has reached
Havana on board the Spanish steamship
Alfonso XIII, on her way to the United
States. which she has been striving to
reach for several months. She was seen
soon after arriving by your correspond
ent. but she declined to make any state
ment and referred all would-be inter-
viewers to Harry u. Hawes, of st.
Louis. her attorney, who was with her
Mr. Hawes was little more communica-
tive than Mrs Busch. but explained that
he had been asked by representatives or
the American State Department to
make no statement regarding German
conditions unit! he had reported to the
proper authorities at Washington.
AT all legations along the line,
Switzerland, France and Spain,' said
Mr. Hawes. I'VE were requested to save
all our information for the State De-
partment at Washington. and. of course,
as a good American. Mrs Busch could
not do otherwise, and you can safely say
that she has not and will not make any
statement of any nature whatsoever.
If we can get accommodations on
steamship sailing for certain Ameri-
can port on Monday we shall, do So
Then Mrs. Busch will continue to her
permanent residence in st. Louis while
I shall go to Washington to report in
full to the State Department.
Published Reports Denied
while It is impossible for me to dis
cuss conditions ruling in Germany, l
can say, however. that lot of rot which
has no foundation has been published
about Mrs Busch in certain news
papers. especially one in New York.
For instance, the paper to which l refer
represented that Mrs, Busch was promi-
nent in German court circles and had
been visited at her castle on the Rhine
by the Kaiser and the Crown Prince. In
the first place, she has no place on the
Rhine, and, in the second place, her
house has never been visited by the
Kaiser or the Crown Prince.
"It Is also untrue that she contributed
a million dollars or any large sum to
the German hospital service. She was
in Germany when the European war
began visiting her two daughters. one
of whom is married to a captain in the
German army and the other to a Ger
two children in Germany, she has four
more in the United States and eighteen
grandchildren. all of whom are Ameri-
cans. She may have helped in allaying
suffering in the German hospitals be-
fore the United States entered the war
but since the latter event she has con-
cerned herself regarding how she could
return TO the land of her birth.
Our trip has been a trying one for a
woman of her age-she Is seventy
four-but she stood the hardships well.
The American State Department cabled
the Spanish ambassador at Berlin, who
is representing American interests In
Germany. last November to arrange for
Mrs. Busch to meet me in Switzerland
and I left the United States at once to
assist her in returning. l expected to be
gone six weeks, and you see it will soon
be nine months.
I'VE hoped to leave in March, but we
encountered difficulties all the way,
railroad strikes first and submarines
last. Not the least exciting of our ex-
periences was a German air raid during
four passage through Paris. We saw no
submarines on our way over, however,
as we went as far out of their path as
possible, coming by the Canary Islands
which, though out of our way, we con-
sidered as well worth while.
Swiss Tired Of German Spies
Switzerland is suffering greatly from
| the effects of the war, more so than any
other country through which we passed
| You have to have cards for almost
everything there in the way of some
thing to eat. The whole country IL 9
nest of spies and the Swiss are getting
very tired and are considering means o.
getting rid Of them, as they are making
great hole In the Swiss larder. Spair
is the best fed Of the neutral nations
The Spaniards seem to want for little Il
the way Of raticns. but are W eGairs
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