The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1919-02-07

!: were not advisable 10 mOt0r In be
]: GUM and France, where we wer
!: bound, we might safely plan a tour
!: the Black forest In Germany.
!: We had left Berlin late In the aftel
: noon. In the evening, when we arrive
!: at Gotl,a, we found that the younge
!: walters in the restaurants and hotel
had already left and that the older re
serves expected general call the mex
day.
The next morning we started 70
: Frankfort. As we passed through vii
lage after village, war preparations be
came more and more evident. Measure
: were being taken everywhere to arous
: enthusiasm-young men gathered oil
school steps were singing patriotic
: songs, students were marching ant
speeches were being made in the mar
ket places.
About five o'clock that afternoon VIZ
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. announc-
ing that the French had already
dropped bombs on the railroad at
Nurnberg and that French officers in
autos had over-ridden the borders.
Fhe ridiculous statements about
French flyers dropping bombs on the
railroad at Nurnberg 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 rs cents
pound and other things in proper
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 hotel and sought to
return to Berlin by train.
At the railway station there was
such a tremendous crowd that it was
quite impossible to get anywhere near
the ticket Office, and anyway no prom
iCa oorr1d hn civ m fro IN Ror-
lin.
Trunks and bags were piled high In
every available space and 1t 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 |
were filed with excited crowds de- |
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. 1 saw the crowd stop
an automobile, take a woman out and
literally tear her clothes to shreds be-
fore the police succeeded in rescuing
her from the mob and took her to the
police station. The general supposi-
lion was that all the man spies were
as women and the first
hing the mob did was to pull out hair
pins to see whether the hair was real.
On Monday evening, we managed to
Edge our way into the last through .
rain to Berlin. We were side-tracked
times to allow troop
rains to pass through, and we were re-
Iuired to keep our windows closed SO
hat no enemy passenger could drop
onlbs on the bridges we crossed. It !
vas hot August night and the lack -,
f ventilation was most oppressive.
Our compartment was crowded with
Ulcers on their way to join their regi-
1ents and very grand and important
hey felt in their new field-gray uni
Orms which may have long been put
way in moth balls for just this oppor-
unity, but which took the German peo-
lie as well as the allies completely by q
lrprise.
AT Naumberg, which is about half =
ay between Frankfort and Berlin,
)mpany of soldiers boarded the train
nd guarded the corridors while nom
officer questioned the
assengers. u
My wife, who was asleep in a cor II
,r Of the coupe 1, was the only wom- u
] in the compartment. Believing that g
sr sleep might be feigned and she IL
light, in fact, be a man in woman's d
othing, the officer yelled at her
Where are you going?" Her Amen- Is
In accent, revealed when she an c.
vered him, incensed him the more
I'd he demanded angrily: What right Il
I'VE you to use this train? Where Is 81
ur passport IL
By that time had produced all the bt
pers Of Identification could find and tn
led to tell him that my wife and l re
ere returning to our home in Berlin, tn
It he was too excited to listen and
,uld have dragged us of the train to
d not an officer, with whom had SO
en- talking en- route, interviewed and m
nv ~