The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1919-03-14
HE KISSED THE FLAG.

Mention was made last week in the
columns of the Gazette OF the visit to
Oroville of Louis de Caro-, formerly
resident of this place, now living near
Spokane who was on his way to Pen
ticton, b. c., called there by the NUM-
cipal authorities 10 remove building
owned by him that had been partially
destroyed by fire. Mr.. de Caro- reached
Penticton Friday last and walked in
to wasp's nest His presence at the
pretty Okanogan lake city came very
near precipitating riot, in which de
Caro- would have figured as the victim
had the riot developed. He returned to
Oroville Sa -urday and had to remain
over until Sunday until helcould catch
train for his home Mondny morning.
His coming back was announced over
the telephone, and the word received
was to the effect that Mr.. de Caro- had
been compelled to kiss the Union Jack
and then urged to move out and keep
moving
This paper has heard only one side
of the story, and that the side of the
individual whose presence at Pentic-
ton created so much of sensation. 1t
may be stated here that when Mr. de
Caro- came to Oroville from British
Columbia shortly after the declara-
ton of war by England, thelrumor fol-
lowed that he had been invited to leave
Canada on account of his pro-German
t,,Ix Do thnt Nxyn ora
confining our item at this time to what
happened at Penticton during his brief
sojourn in that city on teh trip that
has just drawn to close. Upon his
return to Oroville Saturday Mr.. de
Caro- visited the Gazette office and
while apparently very much broken up
over his experience, calmly related his
side of the difficulty without word
CT denunciation nor bitterness in prac-
tically the following statement:
During February l received notice
from the reeve Of Penticton, an Off
cial that corresponds in his duties to
mayor on this side of the line, that
building I owned had been partially
destroyed by fire and that | was re-
quired to come to Penticton and ar
range to have the ruins removed. /
was given until February goth to
carry out these Instructions. At the
time of receiving the notice was sick |
with the influenza and wrote to the
reeve explaining my condition, re-
questing that the time be extended to
March GOTH This was granted. reach |
ed Oroville as You know lzsSSS week |
and from here went to Penticton |
When l appeared on the street man
far advanced in years, whom had for
merly known, and who was a personal /
enemy, grasped me by the lapel of the |,
coat demanding why l was back to |
Penticton without permit, and order |
ing me to appear before the chief of |
police. accompanied this man to po- |
lice headquarters and explained why |
was there. The reeve was called, SUBJ
stantiated my statement and instruct |
ed that | should be protected until |
could get out of town, which l could |
not do until the stage left at 8 o'clock |
Saturday morning. That evening l was
waited on by delegation of returned |
soldiers, and was asked when | in |
tended to leave. told them that it was |
impossible for me to 60 until the stage
left at o'clock the next morning, and |
they expressed themselves as satisfied !
At the appointed hour this morning |
entered the stage with two other pas
sengers. When the stage pulled up in
If ha Aff hi oev
mine was there with Union Jack He |
ordered me out of the auto, and l COM
piled, and then he demanded that
kiss the Union Jack, which did with
the greatest of pleasure.
Mr. Dallam, King George has no
more loyal subject than myself. There
Is not drop of German blood in my
veins. My father was Frenchman
and my mother a Jewess. l was born
on the boundary between Germany
and France. No one has any greater
reason to despise the German than
myself, because l have come in direct
contact with them and know their
ways. In the old days when a civilian
met German officer on the sidewalk
he was treated with contempt and had
to step aside to allow the officer the
right of way. | could not feel friendly
toward that kind of people. When the
war broke out told friends at Pentic-
ton that the English had hard fight
before them, simply because l knew
that Germany had been preparing for
war since 1870, and not because had
any sympathy with the German gov
ernment 1t was merely stating my
knowledge of conditions over there
without thought of taking sides with
Germany, and 1t was because of my
statements regarding the preparedness
of Germany that the impression gain
ed ground that l was a German SYM
pathizer."
PLACERING on THE SIMILKAMEEN