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The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, March 31, 1919, Image 6

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THE BRIDGEPORT TIMES
And Evening Farmer
; (FOTJNDEE 1790.)
fubllahed by The Farmer Publishing Co.. 17 FnJrfleld Arfc, Bridgeport, Cobb.
OAILY.. ,.6o month, .0O per year WEEKLT..I1.0D per year in advance
FOREIGN REPRESENTATIVES
' Bryant, Qrlffltb & Brunson. New Tork. Boston ana Chiro
MEMBER OF THE) ASSOCIATED PRESS
SCHOOL DAYS
By DWIG
LOOKING BACK 50 YEARS
WcClurt Newtppr Syndic
(From The Farmer April 1, 1SG9)
Extensive alterations are being effected today at Birdsey's
Dry Goods Store on Main street.
A large bull dog belonging to E. II. Harrol of the Japan
Tea store, having become so vicious that no one could approach
PHONB
PHOND
EDITORIAL
DEPARTMENT
Barnum 11S7
him, was started out with the peddler's wagon and attached to it
by a heavy iron chain. A few days since while in Norwalk, he
broke the chain, and seized a cow by the l"g. The owner being
BU8INE83
OFFICB
Barnnm 1201
The AflBoclated Presa is exclusively entitled to tne use for republication
of all news dispatches credited to It or not otherwise credUect In this pcpM
an alao the local news published herein.
Entered at Post Office, Bridgeport, Connecticut, as second class matter.
unable to pull him off, shot him. when he let go. and seized the
other leg of the animal, a second shot was fired at him which
proved .fatal. The cow was badly lacerated on both legs, but
. - -w
MONDAY, MARC1I 31, 1919.
MH. HOOTS
XIIE SPEECH of Mr. Root on tho League of Nations ap
pears to be au innocent method of getting in out of the
wet. His proposed amendments are harmless. There is no
objection 'reasonably to bo made to suggestions by any Ameri
can, if they aro offered in a helpful spirit. The public hear
ing is a precedent to profty nearly all democratic legislation.
It is suggested, by The Tribune, that President Wilson did
himself harm when be denied himself the aid that men of
.quality, like Mr. Root and Mr. Hughes could give him. But the
President denied himself no such
Mr. Hughes and Mr. Root and
axe been spontaneously swift
1 their ideas to the President
ircumstancos as makes it reasonably sure that they have noth-
ig concealed. Their help has been given more or less ungraci-
sly which has done no harm;
whispering, which has been wholesome.
In tho meantime the people have given many thousands
rotes for and against the league. The opinion in favor of it,
favor of the very league advocated bv Mr. Wilson, is three
,ne.
More than half, perhaps, of the party of Root, Lodge and
jes favors the league the President advocates.
r Unfortunately there cannot be a Covenant of the League of
ons drafted by everybody, which will continuo the specific
fs of all tho individuals in the whole world.
,rThe only possible Covenant must be drafted by the respon
se heads of the peoples concerned, those who have been en
trusted with national power according to the regular and law
ful means employed in their several countries for the selection
ofmlers.
It is to be hoped that everybody who has a suggestion may
make it publicly; as many suggestions as possible from each
person. This will give the actual makers of the Covenant the
maximum of information. Anybody who makes suggestions
enough will be pretty certain to find some of them in the draft,
which will give him an opportunity to claim that paragraph as
his contribution.
America is getting closer to the day, when some two score
of round robin senators will "point with pride" to the completed
treaty of peace, proclaiming each that he virtually wrote it. This
Vrill be a good and wholesome performance, because it is of
the essence of the democratic form of government that everv
man may aid in doing everything that is done.
EXAMPLE
WILLIAM II., in the light of a recent interview, is re
presented as saying that rather than be tried by an
international tribunal he will commit suicide. The statement is
probably a correct representation of the attitude of tho former
Kaiser. Those who know him best, who have had much op
portunity for seeing him at close range, have frequently de
scribed him as lacking personal courage.
Count Hoensbroech, has written a description of the former
monarch, describing him "As a
the same time, one of the worst
There was little courage in the monarch who ran away
from his country as soon as things began to go against him.
Napoleon it will be remembered constantly sought to return to
France, whenever he was separated from his people bv the mis
fortunes of the times.
A proud man, one of courage, would rather cut off his right
arm than tell in the hour of his fall of his little consequence
in his own country. William, proclaiming that he was no real
monarch; that he did not amount to much; that he was pushed
out of the room by his generals;
- i T : j :ii i v :
ui mm, tuiu wiuioul mm, presents a sorry picture.
Yet he cannot, or does not, avoid saying that after the ex
ecution of Edith Cavell he gave orders that there were to be
no more such executions without his signature. He had some
power.
The ffirrniM- mnnn TfVh's withered arm is nn imlov )n Viic
Smind. He is the weak and degenerate offspring of a line that
was once vigorous, haughty, courageous and competent. A
mere puppet monarch, he has become a whining fugitive,
Iwhose chief concern is to create
I may enable him to escape the
If the determination were
Isonal punishment it might be
sought is rather an example to
ho violate the will of the world and the established customs
bf the world must pay a penalty.
SOUNDER REASON NEEDED
rp OTHE Woman Patriot, in
X indebted for a new argument against woman suffrage,
f.o wit that Eugene V. Debs has
dent Wilson, also a distinguished
still at large, while the late
btes for women is virtually a
se his head at any time. One
Wvocate of Christianity who was
ait this has never been an argument valid against the faith.
ur contemporary will have to
NATURE OF
rHE CHANGING institutions of Russia-do not reflect their
essential difference from previous political institutions
y the violence which accompanies the effort of the Lenine
overnment to keep itself in power. Grievous as are the execu-
ns, the assassinations ana the contusions, they are phenom
ia attendant upon revolutions of every sort. The first duty
T a government is to maintain
Lined, when there is rebellion,
ADHERENCE
aid.
Senator Lodge and the rest
and enthusiastic in- imparting
and to the country, under such
and by megaphone instead of
NEEDED
poseur and play actor, and at
things in rulers,' a coward."
that things were done in spite
i
an international pity which
scaffold.
to be left to a decision of per
wise to spare him. The thing
mankind; a proof that rulers
its current issue, the world is
been given ien years. But Presi
advocate of woman suffrage
Kaiser, an eminent opponent of
prisoner in Holland, and may
remembers a certain eminent
crucified between two thieves.
find sounder reasons.
BOLSHEVISM
order, and order is always main-
by the employment of. force.
HI
"Tho London Daily Telegraph'
prints the following account of life in
a Turkish jail by an English, officer!
who was taken prisoner by the Turks
at Gallipoli after trying to escape
from Constantinople. His release did
not come until two months later, with
the capitulation of Turkey: '
"You have seriously annoyed the
Turkish government," said my gen
darme, as he and a plainclothes de
tective piloted me through the main
streets of Constantinople in my shirt
sleeves and trousers.
"What is going to happen to us,
then.' I asked.
"I do not know, but you will be
punished."
"Where are you taking us?" I de
manded.
"We do not know," came the detec
tive's elusive answer.
After this we remained 'silent until
we reached the police station. That
night found us each in a cell, with
gendarmes stationed outside our
doors, with the strictest orders that
we were m no way to communicate
with each other. Here was our dif
ficulty. The true story of our attempt
to escape, for many reasons, could
not be disclosed, and it was therefore
imperative to fabricate a plausible
story of our actions during several
days. For twenty-four hours I sat
and thought how to communicate
with my companion, only a few feer
away, who I knew was thinking how
to communicate with me. The wall
was too thick -for any sort of tappir'g;
the iron barred window was impos
sible; singing or whistling, or, indeed,
making any sort of noise, was im
mediately cut short, and, strange to
say the gendarmes were u.n bribable,
chiefly because there were always at
least three on duty, and no one trust?
his neighbor in Turkey. I had no
pencil and no paper. To procure these
was a necessity The paper difficulty
was overcome by permission to buy
a box of cigarettes, and a pencil is
Since several governments compete for authority in Russia,
and conspiracies are rampant, the phenomena of the French
Revolution are repeated; but on a larger scale, because the
arena is larger, and because the implements of knowledge and
destruction are more numerous.
The distinctive difference of Bolshevism is not in its form
of government. The Soviets are a species of class government,
a type of oligarchy. The class is different, because more of
the proletariat are embraced, but government by oligarchy is
an ancient thing in the world.
The distinctive difference between Bolshevism, and other
governments, of the past consists in two broad features: the
attempt to entirely eliminate private ownership of property us
ed for taking profits and in the method by which such prop
erty is administered, after it is taken from private hands.
The Ebert government, in Germany, has for its basic plat
form the same designs upon industrial, commercial and bank
ing property that the Lenine government has, but the proposed
method of administration of the expropriated property is dif
ferent. Under the German system an expropriated factory would
be operated like the United States post office. The plant would
be nationalized, but its management would be controlled from
above, as the postmaster general, under the president, is the top
of the postal hierarchy.
The Russian system would put the post office under the
management of its own employes, who would elect their man
agers and captain. The Centralized management of all indus
try would finally be a group of democratically elected manag
ers, meeting together in some central place,
There are almost no precedents for the type of manage
ment proposed by the Bolshevists. Those experiments in the
past which nearest approached tho Bolshevist plan were .fail
ures.
not difficult to improvise. I was, in
fact, manufacturing some ink out of
burnt matches and cigarette ash
when an extraordinary thing happen
ed. At the slit in my door, through
which the grinning face cf one of my
guards frequently gazed, appeared the
laughing eyes of a young girl.
An Armenian Benefactress.
"Voici, monsieur," she whispered
and something tinkled on the floor. It
was a pencil! How many winning
smiles she had spent on the guard3
in order to be allowed this one look
at the new prisoner I do not know,
but she certainly gave him the two
things that at that moment he was in
most need of a kind word and a
pencil! I never had the chance of
exchanging more than half a dozen
words with my benefactress, and then
she told me she was a Christian,, an
Armenian. The Turks had put her
and her two sisters in prison because
her brother had dest-rted. They were
kept as hostages until he should be
recaught. They had already been
there several months. We were -kept
in the police station only a few days,
and then still hatless. bootless and
coatless, my companion, without even
socks we were again marched
through the streets of Constantinople
to the Ministry of War, to be handed
over to the military authorities. We
were brought before a certain well
known military commandant, whose
reputation for systematic ill treat
ment of British prisoners was no
torious. As we were marched sep
arately across the square from his of
fice to the prison one certainly did
not look forward to the next few
months with relish. A Turkish officer
entered our names in the prison reg
ister, and we were marched away. Ic
was a critical moment. We turned
the end of a corridor and went down
stairs. My heart sank within me I
knew we were in for it then, but next
moment I was trembling with rage at
the indignity of it.
But I must explain. In this ingen
iously constructed prison house there
were two stories, "upstairs" and.
"downstairs." "Upstairs" is for offi
cers and rich political prisoners. Con
ditions there are bad enough, but
"downstairs" is for the commonest
criminals. It is underground, and few
cf those who go into some of its cells
t ver see the light of day again. As
the iron gates clanged behind me my
thoughts were none of the brightest.
"Well, my fine lieutenant," said the
Insolent sergeant who accompanied
me, "this is what happens to people
who try to run away from Turkey."
So saying, he unbarred a massive
door and thrust me in past a sentry.
I found myself in a large room, with
about forty indescribably dirty ruffi
ans squatting about the floor. They
all stopped talking to gaze at the new
addition to their society. "A Euro
pean," several of them muttered.
A young Gr.eek got up and address
ed me in French; "Hullo, who aro
7-cu? Why have they put you in
here?" "I'm an English officer," 1
replied, "and was unfortunately
caught trying to return to my own
country." "Oh! that's very bad." he
answered. "I'm only in here for mur
der." At this point our conversation
was interrupted by the remainder of
the room clamoring for it to be trans
lated. ' "Let me introduce you to
some of my friends." continued the
Greek. In a few minutes we were all
the best of friends, except a certain
section, who seemed to keep to them
selves on the other side of the room.
These I learned were the thieves. All
the other prisoners fraternized to
gether, for even these people have a
code of honor. To do a clever forgery,
cheat the government. or do away
with an objectionable neighbor are
matters to be rather proud of, but to
pick another man's pocket! They sat
around me in a circle and discussed
the political sitviation. Why didn't
England hurry up and end- the war?
The most of them liked everything1
about England, except our air raids.
But all this time I was' boiling over
with rage at the indignity bf being
put in such a place. "H-w can I see
the commandant " I asked the Greek.
Ch! that was quite Impossible. Every
one laughed at the Idea. "Well," I
replied, "I refuse to remain here for
the night, I instantly saw I had
made a mistake; they all seemed
deeply hurt. "We will make you Quite
comfortable, they said. "I can lend
you a blanket, said one: "And I a
pillow," said another: "And I've got
a spare plate," said a villanous Ar
menian. "Thank you all very much. Indeed,
I replied. "I should be delighted to
share you r hospitality, but unfortu
nately this is a matter of principle."
So for the remainder of the afternoon
I annoyed the sentries, sent for the
sergeant on duty, demanded to see a
doctor and made myself thoroughly
objectionable much to the delight of
my fellow prisoners.
At last I was told that the com
mandant wished to see me In his of
fice. I found that my companion had
also been brought up from dthe
depths. We were both strongly guar fl
ed and never allowed within ten
yards of each other. I subsequently
learned that. his experiences had been
similar to my own. On belnff asked
for an explanation of this treatment
the commandant refused to reply, so
I began calling him ail the rude
things I could think of In Turkish,
until, my vocabularly falling, I was
forced to continue in English. He
waited paUently for me to finish and
then said, perfectly calmly: "Have
you any money in your possession "
"No," I replied, remembering that 1
had two 26 pound notes sewn into my
trousers.. Then turning to a corpora".
the commandant continued: Will
you show this officer to his room?"
Aaln I "was piloted flown, the tone-J
it is thought she will get over it.
The notice of the co-partnership between E. II. Lyon and C.
P. Cary, appears in our columns today. The gentlemen succeed
to the business lately carried on by W. W. Ilolcomb, at CO Water
street, in whose employ Mr. Cary
St. Paul's Parish E. 1). The following parish officers were
elected on Easter Tuesday: Senior Warden: James Daskam;
Junior Warden, Isaac E. Keeler. Vestrymen: Sheldon Morris,
Frederick Hurd, Alfred Beers, George S. Darling. Eli Dewhurst,
Edward Elwell, John C. Eaton. T. M. Palmer, Henry Cowd, Hen
ry Todd. J. E. Wilson, Samuel Reid. Elias E. Hall, Dr. E. Gre
gory and Nathan Warner. Treasurer, James Daskam. Clerk,
Edward A. Judd. Delegates to convention: James A. Daskam
and A. Thompsan. Tything men: John Bachelor and J. E. Wil
son. The month of March h-ft us anything- but as a lamb, for the
wind last night Liew a. gale.
Tomatoes Mr. Joseph S. Williams, of New Jersey writes:
''It is no uncommon yield to take I.O'K) bushels of tomatoes from
an acre, and that 1.000 bushels, will press 4.000 to 5. GOO gal
lons of juice, which, if distilled after proper ingredients are
added, with due time to complete fermentation, will make
from 500 to 700 gallons of proof spirits, which have, by liquor
dealers not knowing the liquor, been pronounced, peach brandy,
apple brandy, 6:c. I have made it an object to get the opinion
of both physicians and liquor judges: and believe it to be a li
quor which is healthy and medicinal, and can be manufactur
ed at low figures, in largo- quantities, and with ten fold the cer
tainty of any other fruit spirits, and must in time bo the great
source of obtaining alcoholic spirits, as there is no crop which
; w'll yield as many bushels per acre with the same certainty,,
land with as little expense.'
I flagged corridors. My companion :
and I had just time to exchange half
! a dozen words before we were rudely
i rushed in opposite directions this
j time past the head of the fatal stairs
i until I reached my future renting
i place. On my entering the room,
three people got up from their plank
1 beds; one was a young Turkish ofticer
in full uniform, another was a dark
eyed rogue in a black morning coat
and bright green tie, while the third
was a pockmarked individual in a
gray suit.
"The young officer exchanged a few
words with my guard. "Ah, mon
sieur," ho said, turning to me, "we
are to have the pleasure of your
company.' "Unfortunately,' I re
plied. "You must allow us to intro
duce ourselves," he said with a bow.
"I am Prince V , engaged to one
of the Sultan's daughters. This is
H Effendi," he continued, indi
cating the gentleman in the morn
ing coat, "a lawyer and a great friend
of mine ; and this, "turning to the
pockmarked individual, "is A
Pasha, an Egyptian." The "Gippy"
and I looked at each other; he mo
tioned me with an imploring gesture
to keep silent. For the remainder of
that night the Prince and I discussed
the political situation. He was just a
little too noble and attentive. "Of
course," he finally said. "H Ef
fendi and I are not really prisoners:
we are sitting on courts-martial, an ft
we stay here for convenience." "Oh!''
I replied. At last the Prince and the
lawyer left the room. I turned to the
Gippy. "Who are those two Turks?"
I asked. "You must be careful" he
exclaimed, "they're prison spies."
"Oh, yes, I know," I broke in. "I've
been here before, but why are they in
prison ?" "The Prince for being com
promised in a palace scandal and for
killing one of the guards." "And tho
lawyer?" For falling in love with a'i
Austrian woman and trying to dc.-ert
to Austria with somebody else's
money." "And tOU?" "I'm a F.ritksh
subject, and was therefore suspected
of espionage." "How long have yo:i
been here?' I asked. "Elo"
months," replied the "Gippy." "lly
friend and I were put into o.ie of the
underground places. He died in. seven
days from starvation."
For three weeks I was confined t-
this room without even the privilege
of walking up and down the corridor.
The two prison spies showed tne
greatest friendship to me, and skilful
ly tried to lead me on to talk of past
events. They kept up the farce of not
being free men, and as they enjoyed
special privileges for the information
they could get from their fellow pris
oners they were often ai&sent irom
our prison room for many hours at a
time. This room had barred windows
and bare walls; all the woodwork
was infested with vermin; the only
blanket, mattress and pillow supplied
me by the prison authorities were in
the same - condition. There were no
washing facilities, and the usual Tur
kish lack of sanitary arrangements.
Until two parcels of medical comforts
sent off by the British Red Cross sev
eral months before arrived, and
reached the prison via the Dutch
Embassy. I had not had any proper
sleep. These God-sent parcels, con
taining disinfectants and soap, and.
in fact, all the things we were
most in need of, changed imprison
ment from the ghastly to the bear
able. "After the first three weeks
conditions gradually lightened. .1 was
moved from room to room. Demands
to be court-martialled and to know
cur sentence remained unanswered.
Bulgaria gave in. This was said by
the Turkish papers to make no dif
ference, but the wildest rumors filled
Constantinople, and even penetrated
to us in prison. Then came a succes
sion of daylight air raids, the moral
effect of which was tremendous. The
first took place on the morning when
the Turkish papers had officially
published the fact that England had
suggested peace. Turkey had consent
ed to let President Wilson, whom she
regarded as neutral, open negotia
tions. Aa the Turks were reading this
in their morning paper six of our
macbtnePSpeared ovr their beads.
has been for several years.
One bomb fell into a crowded street
and killed sixty people. The next
morning the papers were filled with
righteous indignation. "If the English
don't want us to make peace, we
won't." The air raids continued.
Then suddenly the whole tone
changed. Enver and Talaat fled; vari
ous' persons tried to form cabinets,
and one morning as we looked from
cur prison bare across the -Golden
Hurn wo saw Entente flags floating
above Pera. Even then, with the arm-
is rice three days old, the military
governor would not let us .out. He
was about to enter into lengthy ex
planations when we cut him short.
"If we are not at liberty within two
hours we shall force the guard. If
there is an accident you will be held
personally responsible when the fleet
arrives." In less than half an hour
we were at liberty.
After two months of imprisonment
in a Turkish jail complete freedom
comes as rather a shock, especially
when those two months have .been
preceded by three years of captivity.
Put we found ourselves driven
through the ancient streets of Stam
boul in a cab with our scanty kit. We
crossed the bridge. The change was
magical. Instead of the wood houses
cv.d squalor of the Turkish quarter,
wi;h depressed looking Turks mouch
ing about the streets, the white build
ings of Pera, bedecked with En tents
f -i.es. glittered in the morning suit,
setting off the crowd of half-convulsed
Greeks, Armenians and Levan
tines; and then it happened! Some"
cne gave the word; it was taken up
on all sides "They're English of
ficers!" People rushed from their
houses waving flags, cheering crowds
pressed around our carriage. We.
who had a few hours before been
lying in a dungeon, were now the
momentary heroes of a fickle city.
We got clear of them at last, dismis-
j sed our cab and found refuge in a
j friendly embassy. They gave us ad
j dresses as to where we could find
; suitable lodgings. and that nighe
found us comfortably installed in our
own nouse, administered to by a
charming- dapper little Parisian land
lord. On tlie succeed! ng days we
found ourselves in great demand.
Rich Greeks and Armenians asked us
to their houses; invitations were
poured upon us from all sides; we
were made honorary members of the
best club: we went to dinner par
ties and theatres, danced and made
merry. European Constantinople was
en fete, breathlessly awaiting, longing
for the arrival of the fleet. "When
will the ships arrive?" we were asked
every day, and all day. Dozens of
Tommies, late prisoners of war, 'who
had broken out of their working
camps, paraded the streets of Pera."
Everywhere was packed with Aus
trlans. Germans and Turks. The very
air seemed electrical; there was only
one thought in every mind the
fleet!
At laet, one parly morning, through
the mists, majestically steamed the
warships. It was a day we had wait
ed years to see, a day on which the
sacrifices, the hardships, the pain and
loss ought to seem in some way com
pensated by our victory. But in nie
T it inspired nothing. As I stood on
Galata Tower watching the historic
spectacle, as I saw again after years
the white ensign, I was perhaps more
miserable than I had ever been be
fore. It was while one was a pris
oner that .liberty seemed so sweet;
now that It was obtained only the ap
palling loss of three years of one's
life, hopelessly wasted, seemed almost ;
too overwhelming. As I glanced at
the line of prisoners drawn up along
the quay, I knew that I was by no
means the only one who felt no panff
of joy; no cheer burst from the Hps '
of the couple of hundred BriUsh pri8-
oners as the general stepped ashore?
their thoughts were with those many
fallen companions, done to death by
Turkish deviYry, lying unburled by
some caravan . track. A handful of
prisoners Is all that Is left. Only God
knows the fate of thousands.
Advertise in The Times
Ita
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