The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-05-06

am not one of the original "four," those famous Kings Messengers known to us in the forgotten days of peace. My ntEslon before the war was serni-polfttca1 and journalistic. fv1ent many years in Southeastern I1uropa and the Balkans doing conf dential work for the government and literary work for myself When the crash came I xas actually in the Bos- nian town of SeEajevo, and there witnessed the assassination oe the Archdulze Ferdinand and his nor ganotic wife.
 Trs result of chat tragedy was to set Europe in & blaze The Arch dulra, whom Austria merely meant to frighten, was actually shot by young revolutionary Serbian who was waiting for an opportunity to see the ArchducaI parade at the city. A certain military offcer of Austria Hungary was that day in charge of the Parade and also supervised the police
 Austria. showed her appreciation Of the diligence of this official by re- warding him subsequently, with the highest honor the Empire had to be- stow, and by giving him a command upon the Ga1fcian front. When he failed before the Russian advance he was put in 0 madhOuse for three weeks so that, if ever he should tell the truth about Serajevo, the answer would OS-NThis man was insane
 The Drelfminaries of this story were known to me intimately at the time of which am going to write. was at the window of my apartment in Se- rajevo when the fatal shots were fired and within an hour afterwards l vas closeted with a. distinguished Allied statesman, who instantly per ceived the meaning of the tragedy.
 An Importanb Message.
 'HThero will be war;" he said to me. ''and 1t will come about in O few weeks time It is very necessary that your people should know what all this means; but there arc many reasons why I cannot communicate 1t officially. Equally, am not able to give permission for any details to be published in d newspaper. It re- mains, therefore, to ert the despatch if J can, to Lord - - naming g. British statesman of great emil hence - and as aan convinced that the official bass will be searched from today syy tho Austrian authori- ties, I am going to ask you to set it to London for me. Nothing is easier in your case. You are a journalist and you desire to return home. I do not think that anybody will trouble about you: but if anybody should, re- nlember that the document you carry might itself expedite the declaration of war, and I beg yeu to destroy It immediately should the need arise.
 I told him that I did not think it would arise. The matter seemed to me qI1fte simple. I had made up my mind to return to Ersla1I6--not via Vienna, as I should ordinarily have dora, buS from the Adriatic from Met koyitch, where could got on board an Austrian Lloyd steamer, and so make my way to Venice
 We upon tho scene believed that war would como very rIuch quicker than the rest of the world ever an ticipatsd. and a certain premonidon forbade mo to enter Germany if could help if.
 Yet imagined that the diplomatist was wholly correct when he said that I should not experience any trouble. and l packed my bag, and left that strangely Eastern City of Serajevo with an the confidence imaginable.
 I say Eastern city and most people know that it is that Prior to the war tt was often spoken of as possessing the finest bazaar out of Damascus, and certainly it Is wonder fully Oriental. Few, however. could have guessed that 1t YVES to become in a day the centre Of the greates st drama ever played in tie story of tho world; and when I left 1t that night there was little witness to the fact,