Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-03-03
AMERICAN GIRL
WINS FIUME:
GIVEN MEDAL
DAnnunziO Makes Vera Bloom
Captain of Arditi for
Bravery.
DEFIED MANY PERILs

LONDON, March 3-'ExcUse me,
madame, but may I ask the meaning
of the badge you wear on your arm ?"
The speaker was man of high rank,
who gazed with curiosity on 4 gold badge
in the design of a sword, epcircled by
laurel wreaths and the inscription "Fers"
(which may be translated as meaning
.'unfinching''), worn on the sealskin coat
Of q dark-eyed young American woman
who is one of the recent arrivals at the
Carlton hotel
The answer was startling. The gold
badge, which had aroused curiosity IN
Venice, Rome, Paris and now in Lon
don, was given to its wearer, Miss Vera
Bloom, in Fiume by Gabrielle d'Annunzio
a few weeks ago.
THAT makes you captain of the ltal-
Ia efditi You are now soldier Of
Ffume," declared d'AnnunziO, who made
her q captain of his army as a mark OF
his admiration of her bravery in enter
ing the blockaded city, where she had
been warned she would be in danger Of
her life.
Miss Bloom is a young New York
newspaper woman, and the daughter Of
a wealthy business man, Saul Bloom
ST suppose I am the only woman Of
ficer in the italian army said Miss
Bloom in an interview. Il was in Italy
with my father and mother, and every
where we went we found intense eX-
element about the state Of affairs in
Fiume so much so that I decided that
we ought to get in at all costs and see
what was happening for ourselves
I'VE determined, in spite of many
warnings, to make the attempt Our
Italian government passport took US to
the little town Of Abbazia but no ope
could enter Fiume without a permit
from d'Annunzio, who is dictator.
"Not only must you have a personal
permit but only motor cars that have
actually come from Fiume are allowed
TO return there, and our only way or
reaching the city was in one of these
permitted cars-the mail cart. If I had
not been able to speak Italian we'll
do not think we would have been able
to persuade the mail cart driver to take
u.s. As it was. we sat on top Of the
mails, and safely negotiated the FIVE SEN
try posts between the Italian and dan
nunzio lines. and so reached Fiume.
GAS soon as the director heard OF our
arrival he deputed one of the soldiers
Of Fiums to act a. my personal escort.
Next day I was received by d'AnnunZiG
himself, who occupied q top room in the
governors palace, now his headquarters,
and filed with soldiers. The dictator
worked nineteen hours a day. He was
terribly busy we were told. but would
spare US a few minutes. AS 1t was, we
stayed talking an hour and q half, and
he seemed intensely interested on hear
ing news from the outside world.
'eThe large room in which we found
him was divided by screen, half being
used as his bedroom and the other half
for the transaction of official business.
Signor d'AnnuuZio was very calm and
quiet. wonderful talker, and most i'm
pressive He wears full cOlonel's uni
form, with the aviator's wings. There
seemed, by the way, plenty of food IN
Fiume."
Miss Bloom saw d'Annunz!o on many
other occasions duringg her ten days
stay in Fiume, and, in addition to max
ing her a captain Of the Italian arditl,
he gave her the star of Fiume. which
she was wearing pinned to her breast by
the knot of Savoy. The medal is in
the form of a gold star symbolizing hope,
and bears the shield Of the king Of
Italy, signifying that d'Annunzio is still
a loyaIist. On the reverse side is the
inscription:
"Gabriele d'Annunzio
Fern Bloom
Fiums, so Oct 1919"