The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1940-07-18

ton. Oldsters? All, they knew what Hitler was
peaceably because they were old. But accept 1,
| they would not. In the provincial peasant areas
where in one valley generations of family had
lived married held to tradition, customsthere were
the anti-Nazis 1t interrupted their habitual pur.
suits; they have mind Of their own. But storm
troopers, the strong young fellows of the Nazs
completed the political coup They stoned the build
ings at Conisianum, broke windows They suppressed
Jews treated violently. Suicides, Herman point
ed out, increased enormously. The liberation
of Austria was nearly complete.
At the seminary students were meeting the
summer vacation. Then" Herman chuckled, 1--WE
outsmarted them little" The Nazis had expected
them to return in October; instead they occupied
the buildings quickly in September But what they
knew was coming, came. They were ordered to
leave Austria ten days notice. Only because of
the international element at the seminary, predomi-
nantly American did they give such gracious ex-
tension. Many theological schools, where only Aus
TRAN students involved, evacuated in two
four hours. In ten days the school emptied
coach after coach of train taken by the stu
dents and on they went to their last home in Sion
in Switzerland. They refugees. There
was technical trouble Entrance of priests of the
Jesuit order of which the instructors of the school
Were is contrary to the Swiss constitution. But an
order from the federal body, recognizing them as
refugees gave them permission to remain until July
1910 And that was enough
Herman had been in Germany several times Wis
ting relatives, crossing on summer tours. He had
been there just before the Munich crisis. And just
before September, 1889, he planning another
trip dependent the advice of several consuates.
:. He was warned not to go. This is the Mccoy,
he told. And so it was. The world turned up
side down and fell to warning. Then quite with
out warning in May, 1940 came the end for the
American semnarans. They told consular
orders to leave the continent flee to America. Then
for ten days hectic racing against time to pack,
to study, to take exams then a month earlier than
scheduled There little sleep those nights Then
electing of their group president the 80 Amer
lean seminarians-on one for all policy-set out
Gxyf Gov, p1rI
the refugees, million more, homeless, examining
every lodging spot including the station Rushing
to Royan on the coast, pell nell, they found the
Washington on direct orders from the U. s. State
Department not ready to sail for two weeks.
Finally late in May they boarded the Washington
and one night, after sunset she steamed out of
Royan-eight hours ahead of schedule. Four and one
half hours later the people-laden pier was
blown to bits in bombing raid. They sailed for
Lisbon, Portugal where more refugees joined the
ship. The first morning out of Lisbon at o'clock
came the six shorts and one long of the emergency
alarm. Sleepy-eyed passengers tumbled out of
berths Standing off at sea some three or five miles
away that the ship mercilessly in the sweep
ing range of her torpedo tubes, squated the water
gray hull of submarine Visible only the
signal light 1t told them to abandon ship in ten
minutes. Passengers stood at emergency stations;
lifeboats were lowered. That began what may
enter the saga of sea history of the most
dramatic crossings Of all time.
Salvation of the affair was that people generally
didn't know what going Sleep-drugged, they
saw only the winkng light off at Some said
it lighthouse, others lightbuoy, others still
ship. Actually it could be none of these things
The Washington stood 200 miles out at At the
time Herman could see nothing dramatic. The drama
of the crossing is in the lack of it. He lady
drop her purse between the deck and the lowering
lifeboat. He heavy set man angry because
he was awakened so early in the morning for an
euvered. Some were frightened. But most thought
it horribly early hour for drill and were dis
gruntled. But after that was the undercurrent
of fearful beings. The danger of the awful conta-
gon of panic. For after Galloway Ireland, the ship
headed to the open sea housing small city popula-
ton. 24OO people aboard. crew overworked, tense
doing double duty With stewards doing three
shifts meals, one upset because the salt was
gone from his table. The overworked steward could
stand none Of his TRADE. On the deck he met the
complainer; a quick blow The steward spent sew
eral hours in the brig -.
One lady was so frightened that she vowed not
to sleep, but sat propped up in her cabin wearing
the lifebelt. Her husband, reast, snufed off the
fears. But his drowsings were interrupted at every
slight sound. John, what's that?" she'd break into
his sleep. So obnoxious it was funny were the
prattlings of the ships pessimist. He went about
bemoaning They'll get u.s." wagging his head sadly
And when the sub danger well past he had found
a worry. floating mine had been found
off the coast of Boston. Surely that danger would
take them. If that failed, not the ship going
at full steam, loaded with 700 passengers over its
capacity? The rvets in the boilers would surely
burst. Too much for Herman he found himself
laughing at those fears. 81 became a realist," he
said my worrying couldn't stop torpedo anyway.
ssss
1t was a dangerous crossing, more dangerous
from within than any real presence from the out
SIDE The crew was continually beset with those who
had jumped, grabbed life belt and with excited face
had run down the deck. A thing like that car
spread. 1t like riding powder key And
the blast might have been panic And as the wal
rumbled on in Europe the thirty-nine set foot or
American soil. In all their travels and changes
without the loss of a single piece Of baggage.
In all Herman told powerful story. A story
of heartbreak, ruin, and humanity Of many chapters
not told here. For while after his return here in
Sank Centre, Herman felt like man stunned, out
of place. And then he found a certain reflection OF
attitudes that mirrored etherially from one
continent to another. II am not surprised at any
attitudes find" he said. There's significant
story that dovetails in message to all of America