Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-13
BY OLIVER OWEN KUHN.

nv balconied window. | look down on
the grim old warship Dante Aleghlerl'
numerous SuuboatS. deStroyerS. san
ing craft all dashed tightly to their
berths. but pulling at restraints ever
so lightly as the brilliantly blue wa
ters OF the QuarHero. sparkling uhucr
a morning sun, broke in murnurS
against their sides. There was mac
tion-aImoSt deathly quiet-tHrouSh-
out the port. . -,
Suddenly from tho tunnels of the
warship Dante there burst forth 'ilSh'
heavy clouds of inkE-biack SMOKE
Sailors were running hither anu
thither over the decks. AS suddenly:
on IN. hills over which the city OF
Fiumc stretches there came the s%''hu
of ringing bells. y cannon boomeu'
Fiurne sleeping. Fjume the para
lived. was transferred in an instant
Down the streets came runhl li.S-;;t 80,
diers. From every quarter ciNtLi".9
iurped forth. Broad cobbled StreeIS
became alive with humanity. aIl
bound in one direction-the great
long pier where lay the Dante
Town Is Electrified.
Tbnre was widest excitement. the
waving of arms in common ProteSt-
Tn town was alive as if some grtat
Electric current had been sent phtSdtiHs
through its almost atrophiad BODY
Soon the weird screechiuF OF motor
horn sent people scurryins. with the,r
hacks to the walls of the nuliolnsS IN
tn. business streets OF the = -
great automobile dashed ont onto tu5
broad pier. stopped suddenly anu
Fich military officers stepped out ana
plunged aboard the Dante
Then my eyes fell upon strange
sight. .ho~o
were ner-eVen WON en-thelr ley
braced on the pier and pulling as IN
a tuE-of-war. just as II tht.L pThnt
s.renc-th could in any wise match thdt
of the great iron hulk before them-
These men = these women = were
striving to prevent the sailing oil thal
warship.
And they succeeded.
Not their mere physical strength;
hut because the spirit and the soui
behind that protest was contagious
The commander of that Warship
needed the demands that were hlaue
when his own men SCI up W.
cheers. which were echoed ana re-
echoed resoundinEly through the now
hacked streets along the F'iume water
side. He knew it was futile TO re-
sist.
Furthermore. had the Dante pulled
anchor and steamed out OF the hai
bor with a half crew. whlch alone
was left OF the loyal Italian san
ors there would have been broken
hearts in Fiume. Italian hearts 10
whom the presence of TINS ~arship
had not meant so much protection. put
whom IL was a SN VI q
unitv between themselves and the
,ower of their native land. power
that would forever protect and shield
them.
Reveals Spirit of Italians.
T, WAS an incident that caused one
20 understand why these people III
Fiume are willing to witness the cis-
-,,ptioD of their business Hfe' why
thew are willing to live under an al
most choking veil of isolation from
the world; why they are carrying on
courageously. never despalringly; why
they face the future calmly
Boarding" my little grey Jackass-
I saw boarding" for it was typical
when thinking or speaking OF the
little beast which. though the most
opinionated. impressionistic and tenn
permental jackass in all this mullsh
world. had piloted me successfully
over the Istrian mountains, through
the military lines and into the heart
of Fiume-one morning l set out into
the country toward the betrencned;
bewired becannoned and beSoldiered
countryside stretching toward Serbia.
"donkeyed'' out through the quiet.
almost silent streets of Fiume. amid
corridors of dignifed old residences
with their pretty white-walled gar
dens and shady courts. out over the
bridge crossing the little river lying
between Fiume and Sushak, which has
marked the dividing line between
Italian Fiume and all of Croatia.
dividing buttress between rival ma
tional ambitions. and followed the
road vending its way through the tall
mountains and beautiful valleys to
the east.
The Croat and His Donkey.
Astride an animal similar to the
one | possessed, l saw big, strapping
oil -ad 20
ground by but an inch or two. and.
as he approached, one had the SEN
sation of not Being able to figure
out which We're donkey legs and
which Were those of the Croat. Be-
side the donkey bearing his lord
md master walked two women. They
we're barefooted their fiimsy cottc1
rresses coming down scarcely an inch
Glow their knees. Upon their backs
,ere strapped large baskets contain
ere carried additional baskets of
rain and food stores. They were
ound Fiumeward.
One wondered why the man should
de the donkey without burdens
lille the women should walk and
rain beneath their task over the
ng winding roads
I stopped the group and with a lit
American high school German be-
IN to ask them simple questions
German and Croatian. but one un-
erstood enough TO know they were
ping to Fiume to sell their food TO
e Italians
Did they like the Italians? Yes
q the Italians treat them we'll? Oh
5. Did they want F'iume to be
allan? Yes. or under the control
the league of nations. Did they
mt Fiume TO be Serbian? No. no
~ said. and repeated it quite en-
atically.
)ne speculated at this. But one
membered that though the Croat
d the Serb may be of the same
&c and of the same origin. for CEN
ries there has been suspicion and
tipathy between them. ore also
ought Of the fact that today more
an 200. geo Croatians are preparing
cretly TO resist Serbian rule
thought of the suspicious and rad
al differences that delayed the NAM
of the most recent cabinet. these
cry differences today being u men
&c to its existence.
Perhaps this apparent latent an.
pathy VIII wear off after the peo-
lie have come TO trust Serbian rule
thought. as / pressed. my heels into
EsmerelGaS juttine ribs and moved
Fl up the road after saying good
~ye 10 my companions of a moment
Assisted by Italian Soldiers
Soon l encountered q group of three
'easant women likewise bound Fiume-
God They, 100. would have carried
aSketS upon their heads and upon theil
acks had not two kindly Italian soldier!
greed to bear them for them. / though
the spirit Of the Croat who rode him
IF while the women labored, and theI
I these men
Farther on becoming intensely inter
sted in what these peasants reall,
nought and what fate they wished L