St. Louis Post-Dispatch
February 14, 1915

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ff ee ft a ial HILE the warning whistle of : W train announced its speedy P > ose $573 3F . s Lar and — +e + 4 >? rT i + 444 3353 7 pee ; . bs * Bi Bi atisee Pitiadtheee 3 g . ; ‘ 5: : oes seis $3 73224 p33 PEP EE ES Ts J 3 ; a; 3 ; i $ ; t > : Lye r 4 at tae ha +t + . se FEST HT $3045 t + ? + sui +i. 3 igetrs Ee Fags a “= "VOL 67. NO. 178. . ae ee ee —_ —_- - PPL OLD LA LP LD tt i i i ee Ol eT i ——EE———————E——eEeowrere —_——_— — SS a a ana. eee ee NT ee ae EEE ee lt tt ttt i i in Trenches in New Book reve Paul Oskar Hoecker, One of the Fatherland’s Writers of “Best Sel lers,’ Sends Installments for His Story of His Experiences on the Fir-| ing Line Back to Berlin Day by Day Until Publication Is Ready. BERLIN, Jan. 20. NTIL a certain day last Sum- U mer, Paul Oscar Hoecker, one of Germany’s leading ‘‘ best seller’’ writers, divided his time be- tween writing novels and plays and admiring the roses in his little garden close to Berlin. Then, with the sud- denness of a lightning stroke, he real- ized, as did hundreds of thousands of others, what ‘‘a nation in arms’’ means. Paul Oskar Hoecker, novelist, playwright, and lover of flowers, be- came overnight Capt. Hoecker at the head of a company in the first reserve, giving orders to other men, clothed all alike in the famous German field gray, men who the day before had been, one a painter, another a cook, another a sculptor, another a grave- digger. With hundreds of others they piled \into a troop train and headed for Belgium. Exactly once more, the last time for many months, was Hoecker reminded of the life he had left be- hind him,. That was when a young girl approached him as he was washing his face at one of the last German stations where the troop train stopped and blushingly asked: ‘‘They—they tell’ me Hoecker, the famous novelist. true?’’ / Capt Hoecker nodded ‘«Then will you please give me your autograph?’’ His Early Experience, you are Is it departure, -Hoecket wrote down his autograph and received the girl’s smiling words of gratitude. A couple of days later Capt. Hoecker of the reserve was giving the order to a firing party to shoot down a Belgian accused of ‘‘sniping.’’ A few weeks later he and the painter and _ the sculptor and the gravedigger got their baptism of fire near Lille. Shortly after that Hoecker had tie narrowest possible escape from death. Then he burrowed into a trench and lay there for weeks without room to stand up or lie down, while countless shells screamed overhead and racked his nerves to the breaking point. ‘‘God give me strength to dies as becomes an officer,’’ he would murmur one minute, and then, ‘‘Oh, to see my wife and daughters,’’ and then ‘‘I wonder how my rose bushes are get- ting along.’’ All this Hoecker bas set down in a little bock of his war experiences called ‘*At the Head of My Com- pany,’’ which has just appeared in Berlin, one of the most graphic and convincing picces of writing to come out of the war. He wrote its various chapters in the hell of Belgium and Northern France, sending them back to be published as fast es they were completed. His company was one of hundreds that marched through Bel- gium in the wake of that German army. One night the Captain was quar- tered in a filthy stable; on another he sat comfortably with the young vicar of a Belgian village on whom he was quartered and talked not of war and} its atrocitics but of ‘‘ Preraphaelites, Turkish dialects and new kinds _ Poses! ’’ After that came more un- comfortable night lodgings; then, just as a spice of variety, a night in a ‘Magnificent villa, a sleep in a bed uesd in former years by King Leopold of Belgium. One woman, obliged to give the Captarn lodging for the night in her house, pleasantly remarked to bim: ‘‘Anytbing I can do for you? Anything I can get for yout Would you like me to send you a barber?’’ No Belgian Barber. HE Captain said politely that T he happened to possess a safety razor. ‘*The idea of being shaved by a Belgian didn’t appeal to me at all,’’ he grimly remarks. Prom such duties Hocker and his | men moved southward and got their? baptism of fire with a vengeance in the outskirts of Lille, sidling along narrow alleys amid the whistling of bullets from roofs and windows, _ereeping on all fours through the _ diteh lining “sigh road, charging into burpivg villages while unseen enemies poured shot and shell at them. But far more terrible than the bap- tism of fire was Hocker’s next expe- riences of fighting the Allies at close range, which he describes with truly admirable skill. While leading his company, far in advance of the main force of Germans, in an endeavor te feel out the strength of the enemy, they suddenly found themselves ex- posed to a hot fire from several di- rections. The Captain had just ad- monished his men to keep cool, take ‘ cover, aim carefully. Then, suddenly: |“This War Is Driving Europe { W American i lee ial W wld Is ee in This Crisis the Importance of Collectivism in Conserving Human Race —EE | | Opinion That Action of Many | Governments in Resorting to Seizure of Supplies So They May Not Be Cornered or Mo- nopolized Will Hasten the Reign of a New Industrial and Political Era. | By C. W. WOOD. A Staff Writer for the Post-Dispatch and the York World. NEW YORK, Feb. 13. New M ternational Socialist Bureau, born in Riga, in 1870, is the leading exponent of ) Socialism in the United States. He came'to this country in 1886 and worked as a shirt maker and 1srapped! . Lookkeeper until he put himself through the 66 A RE those men over there (New York University Law School. He soon. be- A ours tmsked my trumpeter. came known as a Socialist writer and debater “Over there on the high ; road, behind us.” and as an attorney for many labor unions. He I looked. A feeling of horror came )has represented the American Socialist party over me. Yes, while their artillery (gince its organization in the International So- held us back, their infantry, advanc- ( -ij1is¢ Congress and is a member of the State . ing unseen on our left, has flanked us. And now, from the right, the fire of the French machine guns adds its monotonous rhythm to the hellish concert. No sound behind us. Our artillery battery is evidently without ammu- nition. : Order from the commander of our brigade: “Company must fall] back slowly.’” A man in the squad which , has advanced to the high-road passes the order along to me. It is passed all along the line. —_ A | couple of men start to stand up. I call out to them: “Down! Lie down! Crawl!’’ But already the movement has been seen from over across there; shrapnel atrikes close beside us. With bent back, faces ground into the earth,.all of us lie there. My fi€ld glass is covered with sweat and earth. I put it down. ‘Shells drive clouds of dust into my eyes. 1 close them. I am unable to utter a word. I crawl along for about 500 yards. My revolver grinds into my left side, my field glass presses against my stom- ach. And for a moment this thought rushes through my mind: What would you, being an officer, do if attacked in front by artillery, on the left by infantry, on the right by ar- tillery ? What would you do? would give this order: for prayer!’’ Helmets off for prayer! Yes, there is no hope for us now. All we have to do is die like men. “Don’t run!’? *.%.¢ The Escape. HE road which We must take is T showered With shot. I climb a hillock. Yes, nothing matters now. If only I do not fall into their hands alive. To die. I strike out over a field. For a few seconds, un- consciousness. Then, once more, the tack-tack-tack of the machine guns. God, please, please let me die an honorable soldier’s death. And with- ' out long suffering. Now, God, now at once, please. If only my men don’t start running. “Slowly, men, slowly.”” * * * Answer: I “Helmets off I can go no further. ‘“‘Off with you, youngsters!’’ Greetings to my people. God be with you. You have behaved well. * * * If only I could have one more look at my little garden. I’m a child of the city and I’ve learned to love flowers so, and that little spot of earth. © © 8 Whee-ee-ee-ec-ee! There it goes again, screaming over our heads. I greet death. My lips dig into the soil. Dust thou art, to dust thou shalt return. Onward, onward. * * * None of us know whither we are bound. Night falls. Somewhere or other a cavalry patrol tells us: “Some of our men are camping over in that fort.”’ We go there. Soldiers on bicycles meet us. They tell us that nobody expected one of us to come out alive from that hell-hole. My orderly runs to me, with wet eyes: “Captain, my Captain!’ T shake many hands. I warm my- self at the camp fire. Light rain is falling. Someone brings me a half bottle of champagne. The men get red wine from the baggage train *° * * and rice soup. My lips are still black with earth. I gulp it down with the first swal- low of foaming wine. “Greetings, life! Greetings. earth!” OOOO etal ea ee _ In the Trenches. A FTER a period of comparative peace and luxury in the con- quered city of Lille, Capt. Hoecker marched his com- pany out to the vicinity of the vil- lage of Messines, where some of the most desperate fighting of the war has taken place, and there he and his men got their first taste of life in the trenches. Day after day they lay in subtera- ‘tions confiscated billions of dollars’ and National Committees. ee gear YL. gk Fe tL RR Ap AOI GN a A RR TIT A MI: LO AO ALI. SE ARCS NE. ORB I NE a, alg EM Ml at Ap : at ’em, and in a couple of hours fate would decide. * * * Oh, you loved ones at home, every one of us has stopped thinking about his own life, has had a talk with himself, calmed himself, devoted his life tu the great cause. But you, you make our hearts beat—what of your future? Oh, if I could only accom- pany my slender little daughter just s little bit further into life. * * ° And mx wife, who has struggled and fought by my side for the length of a human lifetime—could I but look 4 > ee ee nas again into her eyes and speak a lov- ing farewell to her. * * * Then, after days and days and days of this, comes the order: You are re- lieved. You haye two days for rest. A South German detachment relieves Hoecker’'s men. He writes: “Tl could not ride. I found I had +o learn over again how to use my limbs. On foot I led my company away. “TIT looked into a mirror. I had to smile. The bit of hair which I still pos- sess has, during these 10 days, turned white.” stock. Such contrasting conditions make it absolutely certain that Villa will win. : Even Pullman cars are being run from El Paso to Aguascalientes, a distance of 900 miles. As to the future political situation Villa declared: “T will never agree to the eiection of Carranza as President, because it would be impossible for him to be named in a free and legal election. not only have a menial attitude fav- (that the world has taken the plunge because of {The people detest him on account of orable to great social measures, but } its refusal to adopt the only plan that could have) his blunders and ambitions. it will have the actual institution in force. When ‘ prevented the catastrophe. | election would be accomplished oa through fraud and consequently we would object to it by arms. All-Party Government. 66 WANT a- government in | which all parties may be represented. even including the Carranzsistas and Sientificos, but under the condition that true revolutionists and sincere democrats shall predominate. This would avoid centralization of power that would bring about plutocracy or wmilitar- ism. As soon as the Carranza party/ is conquered, popular eléctions will be called so as to — from the military rule. “I do not pretend to estabHsh a ‘government independent of the con- ) vention. But as the legitimate rep- (resentative of the convention gov- ernment which is republican, demo- cratic and Federal, I will endeavor to establish commercial and dipld- matic relations with the United States in order that the White House might recognize the Government I represent. The pacification of the republic will be an accomplished fact soon, even if our Government is not operating with Mexico City as our headquarters.” It long ago was reported that Villa “intended to establish a sep- arate republic in the North. He has already established a definite and distinct Government which lacks only a name. At first Villa intended to maintain this Government and let the Carranzistas and Zapatistas fight it out in the South. But now he is fully determined to gather in the whole of Mexico, but intends to take it at his leisure and not weaken any of his Northern points or comunications in order to wage his Southern campaign. Villa Holds Advantage. T is a campaign of resources, ] more than of bullets, with the advantage clearly on Villa's side. Villa also assumes persona! direction of all military campaign, while Carranza has .practically nothing to do with the plans of his Generals and does not map out operations. Villa’s private train is supplied with telegraph and telephone cars, and no matter where he goes, he is in constant touch with his Generals in various states. I saw him an- swer 200 messages one afternoon, all requiring different answers and the responsibility does not worry him in the slightest. He mixes with crowds at stations, jokes with his men, and yet, carries on a strenu- ous campaign. At Irapauto Villa fully indorsed the “hands off” policy of the United States administration. He said when I questioned him: “I certainly indorse the conduct of the United States in its dealings with Mexico in leaving us free to settle our own internal affairs. The seizure of Vera Cruz by the United States, I repeat, was a lamentable blunder by Huerta, but, of course, I approve the evacuation. I asknow!l- edge that President Wilson and Sec- retary Bryan have treated the Mex- ican people fairly all the time.” Villa declared he would stand for jno military leader elected to the presidency and desired a civilian in that office. As he will assuredly be in control of the situation, his desires will be carried out. While Villa did not name whom he favored for President, it is learned that at present he wants Dr. Silva named as President, Silva being a close friend and inclined to carry out Villa’s wishes. There is no question that the sit- uation in Mexico calls for a dictator with an fron hand, one who can and ant will crush out all opposition. Villa, as well as nearly all Mexicans, realize this need now, but Villa de- tests the, word “dictator.” While Mexicans of prominence confess that ‘if Villa can't,establish peace in Mexico, no o ee is confident of establishing A inside of two months, or three most. O well established is his N ern Government that he within a few mints at three cities to ver coins, lnctuding A eC SOOO -, > om. eI EPR CI RE PB ROD ee RTE UT URINE OA RY npeingiN Soy Rt cating AMO na 5 hha a ae RSS Oe wa AAD Wetec Elen San oop 2.-9 ws - PMc, GG Me