The Washington times., 1936-10-15
BY H. r. KNICKERBOCKER
Copyright. 1895. by international
News Seryice)

news SSrVlCe)
SANTA OLALLA, Spain, Oct
15.-Swarms Of flies walked me at
dawn and I was up and begging
coffee from the legionnaires be.
fore Major Castejon appeared. We
drove back to TalaVera de la Reina
to stock up on food and to make
inquiries for our courier car.
What was our delight to run
into the car on the big square and
with it. besides faithful old
"Chadders" at the wheel. was our
best friend of all the white Of
ficers, Captain Aguilera, the seven
tenth Count of Alba y Yeltes.
Captain Aguilera is 50, looks 40,
acts 80, and is the best press
officer it has ever been my
pleasure to meet, because he really
takes us to the news, namely, the
front.
Ready for Risks
Most press officers in wartime
use the formula: II am reSpon-
sible for your safety, so I cannot
let you run any risks" Captain
Aguilera uses no formula, but oper-
ates on the principle, Il am re-
Sponsible for getting you a COM
plete view of what's going on, so
come on, and if there are any risks
we'll have to take them"
After having been bombed,
machine-gunned and Shelled a
dozen times with Captain Aguilera,
and after lying in bitches with
him for hours at a time waiting
for red planes to get through their
unpleasant work, we have a feel
ing of comradeShip, so we shook
hands warmly, slapped each other
on the back Spanish style, and
then set out for food.
I could find two shops in all Of
Talavera with a remnant of food
left. But not much choice. We
bought some cans of tuna fish and
some of asparagus, and a half
dozen big cans of tomatoes, for
their thirst quenching quality. But
we couldn't find any bottled water.
This is serious, because the
water in Talavera they use for
drinking has a greenish milky
color and a very bad taste. sup.
pose they have put chlorine in it.
But with all the dead lying about
it is better to drink chlorinated
water than the stuff out Of the
wells, so we loaded up with half
a dozen jugs of the Talavera water.
We also found vegetable shop
and filled a box with fresh ton1a-
toes, great big onions, sweet red
peppers and cucumbers. Also two
melons.
Then we lit out for Santa Olalla
again and got there about dusk.
We agreed we could not afford to
wear out our welcome with Major
CaStejon and would eat our own
food rather than horn in again on
his mess. Sure enough, after 1 had
introduced Captain Aguilera to
him the Major invited us to dine,
but we declined with thanks, and
the Major ordered his soldiers to
clear off a table for us, fix chairs
and serve our food.
Then after we had opened up
our canned goods the Major sent
to our table a smoking dish of
army hash, so we had a very good
meal.
Two Irish Cited
After the Major finished dinner
his officers dispersed and some
Of them came to our table, among
them the two Irish lieutenants,
Nangle and Fitzpatrick, and just
as they sat down an orderly came
up and pressed in their hands
duplicate typewriter sheets.
You could see the bushes rise
IN their faces as they read the
sheets and Captain Aguilera trans
lated:
81 have the pleasure of COM
municating to you that in the
order of the day concerning the
taking of the village of Ell Casar
de EscalOna you have been
cited for very distinguished
conduct, not only for your par.
ticipation in the action but also
for the idealiStic and disinter-
ested spirit In which you have
entered this struggle against
MarxiSm.
"(Signed)
"ANTONIO CASTEJON."
We all cheered, shook hands
with the lieutenantS and drank
their health in a few precious
drops from somebody's whisky
flask. What had happened was
that the two lieutenants had been
caught in a fierce counter-attack
by the reds at the village of Ell
Casar. which was the key to the
taking Of Santa Olalla.
VOTE AMERICAN
3 Killed in Florida
billiard, Fla, October Is
Q.N.S0.-Three men, all believed
residents Of Daytona Beach, Fla,
met death here yesterday when
L. -