The Key West citizen., 1940-02-23


ences of Mrs. Mary Reid Cory
Umstead in 1915. Mrs. Umstead
is resident of Key West, living
at All Simonton street.
Her story follows:
After reading the recent story
about Miss Patterson's most in :
teresting experience written by
your writer, Myrtle Cosgrove, it
occurred to me that the story of
my own most unusual experiences
during the early part of the
World War, 1915, would be of in
terest to your readers.
when 1 sailed on the Dutch
Steamship Noordam for The
Hague, Holland, with our Rev.
cred Jane Addams and "Woman's
International Congress for Peace
and Freedom, was not an i'm
portant delegate, because Miss
Elizabeth Allen was, selected by
Miss Addams to represent New
Jersey but she, being superinten-
dent Of a High School, was unable
to go, and almost-at-the-laSt-day
for departure, urged me to go in
her place. And although | was
AND am still-an earnest advo-
cate flor peace in this troubled
world my then husband, Mr..
GeoIge W. Cory, had Is mem
bers of his Canadian family as Of
ficers of the British Arl1,y-Sir
Sidney Muborn was minister of
militia and defence. Gen'l George
Norton Cory was with the Army
and sailed alone in a submarine
and obtained the surrender of
Constantirople, later to be
wounded in France.
"Sir Sidney Muborn's only son,
just graduated from college, join
ed the Army in France. While
training there he wrote his fam
lily that he wished he was back
home in Canada. A few days
later he was killed. y
! "To return to our trip; None of
us knew what was in store, but
that there was danger could not
t be denied.
""As we neared the, danger zone,
q canvas sign was placed zall
along each sidef of the ship and
! in very large letters in black, On
the white canvas. were the words:
f'Woman's Peace Party At
might, when the ship was almost
in darkness inside, these signs
were illuminated so they could
| be seen by all ships alike.s Fl
1--WE had to grope about in the
almost total darkness within. We
were delayed some time before
entering the Straights of Dover,
while chains were removed. from
Ireland across the waters to al
low us to pass.
"It was twilight when we ar
rived opposite the Straights OF
Dover. A shot was fired across
our bow and we were stopped.
noticed four great warships lined
abreast. just behind the entrance
to the Norh Sea, looking like four
horses champing at their bits. In
the morning they were gone.
"On board the Noordam were
| few passengers besides our own
party. for we had chartered the
ship. but there were two young
men from one of our southern
states who were sent to try and
locate asshipload of cotton which
had not been heard from. The
next morning they were rejoiced
to see their .Shiplo3E of cotton at
anchor quite near. 1t seemed that
! a former shipload of cotton had
been searched and war material
destined to, be- seatFvia yHoI land
into Germany had 'beenss found,
and that was why the second ship
was held up.
ga young German girl on
board also was going to Germany
to see her grandparents-via Hol-
land. The two southern boys
were very kind to her and when
British officers came on board to
search our ship, this little Ger
man girl was terribly frightened,
but while the officers were look
ing into the staterooms, these
boys kept hiding the girl-one
watching while the other slipped
her from one stateroom to an
other out of sight of the officers.
They did not find her
There was another young man
aboard who had in charge. a lot
of war materials for Germany
thinking our Peace Ship would
not be searched. But the Second
night while we were still held
up, / heard fleatH oaseafsheing
thrown from lower deck into the
Chsnnel-sQehe did, not get them
into Holland at all. After dark
the second dav. saw in the dark
ness a single light on the waters
approaching our ship. 1t was a
British tugboat andr drew up
alongside of us and anchored
there. / was walking along the
side of the ship and when it an
chored I called to the sailors on
board-it was so alone-and said