Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1918-02-20
Leaning the
Ways Of Europe
Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Union.
By WARREN MILLER

-
down to the practice of my profession
| made tour in Europe. Taking ship
for Naples, in ten days / found N.Y.
self in that city, and after visiting
the curiosities there took a train for
Rome.
l should have first landed in Eng
land, the European country most like
America, and made my way through
France southeastward to Italy. In
this way [ would have gradually be-
come used to the extortiOns travellers
were subjected to in the peninsula.
AS it was [ was very ignorant of
them.
While in Rome hired a cab to take
me to see the baths of Caracalla. The
driver, [ noticed before stepping into
the vehicle, was not of the usual type
OF cabman. He was dressed STABILITY.
as cabmen are dressed, but his looks
belied his appearance. He was ex-
tremely deferential, but his Difference
was more like that of a gentleman
than a cabman.
| knew nothing of Rome or it's en-
virons. Whether he was driving me to
the baths of CaracaIla or not I did not
know, but he took ME through one of
the Roman gates and out into the
country. On the way we overlook a
young woman, dressed in the fantastic
colOrs worn by the Italian lower class
es. The codchman drove slowly,
speaking a few words to her.
She looked at me through the cab
window and l noticed that she was
comedy. What the cabman said TO
her [ did not know, as he spoke in
Italian. He pulled up and the wom-
an approached the cab, saying:
"Signor, would you object to my rid
ing short distance with you? I am
very tired and / have walked all the
way from the Piazza EsQuilino in the
city"
An American is nothing # not oblig-
ing, and throwing open the door I
made room for her beside me.
She was rather a large woman,
though the only unfeminine thing
about her was her voice But 1 had
noticed that many Italian women
have coarse voices. She carried
bouquet of flowers which emitted a
singular perfume. She held it under
my nose that I might enjoy its frag-
rance, which was sickening. But to be
polite inhaled it. [ had not taken
whiff before I felt my senses passing
away from me.
The woman kept holding the flowers
under my nose at intervals, not hav-
ing the power to put them away, and
at last was in oblivion.
When I came back to consciousness
[ felt assured at once that [ was I'M
derground. The darkness was re-
lieved by a couple of candles which
we're with me, one being the cabman
who had driven me, the other a man
whom I recognized as the woman who
had held the flowers under my nose.
The cabman had spruced up q bit in
his appearance, and the man who had
personated a woman was we'll dressed
in mans clothes.
I was sitting on a cold floor, my
back resting against a wall. The
place were occupied was about II by
Is feet in area, narrow passageway
leading from either end Human
bones protruded here and there from
the walls, and on one side Of the space
was a marble coffin.
"Where am II" I asked of the men
who were looking down on me with
evident composure.
"You are in the catacOmbs, signor."
"Why did you bring me here? I
told you to drive me to the baths Of
Caracalla," I said, only partially hav-
ing regained my senses.
"My friend the cabman," said one Of
them, wants to make sure of his
pourbois (naming an extra fee with
which to buy drink and feared you
would deny him. SO we brought you
here until it is paid"
was not so stupid but that knew
I was in the hands of bandits. I
asked how much ransom would salts
fly them. They named $4,000 Ira, or
about $4,000. I told them that had
only money for travelling expenses. I
would give them that for my liberty;
but they told me that I must cable to
America for the funds required for
my ransom. 1 told them / had no
such amount in cash even in America.
With this they coolly took the can
dies and left me.
In the catacOmbs, with their endless
tortuous passages but a few feet wide;
the burial place Of generations who
had died more than fifteen centuries
agone; alone; not ray Of light. I
was ready to give up a property I
possessed four times the value Of the
ransom and at once began to think
how I could raise the funds. My
property was unencumbered and
money could be easily borrowed on
it. The bandits evidently knew the
effect leaving me alone in the cata-
combs would have on me for they re-
turned in a few minutes
I wrote cablegram to my agent in