The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-10-03
Once Most Conspicuous. Fig
ure in Germany Now
the Most Obscure
HIS MOVEMENTS ARE
ABSOLUTELY SECRET
How the Kaiser Travels in His Special
Train-Has Elaborate System
for Keeping in Touch
With All Fronts
az RICHARD $. scopE

|ser Wilhelm has become Germany's OBJ
|scurest citizen The transformation Is
|great Before the war Wilhelm alone
Estood out among Germany's royalties;
Everybody heard of him all the time;
there was no more doubt about his acts.
words and dinners than there is about I
the orbit of Mars. Nowadays one hears
nothing of Wilhelm for days; few know
where he is and the little that is pub
|lished about him is always a week old.
'Other royalties mainly lady royalties,
|have become prominent. Citizens read
|that the Kaiserin has visited Chariot |
Itenburg Transport hospital and talked to |
Private Kurz-that her majesty spent the
|all are being thrilled by the Kaiserin's
with the Crown Princess. This Is the
Irony of war. In peace time Hohenzol- |
|ern ladies play no great role. Whiie
Ial lare being thrilled by the Kaiserin's
words to Private Kurz. out comes the
news that on the blankth day of blank
Kaiser Wilhelm was at blank; but he |
lis no longer there. The staff fears bombs. |
so no one is told where the Kaiser has
| been until he has left The Kaiser
army DEGREES are dated "Hochquartier,' |
which means Headquarters, and may
3be anywhere. One day "hochquartier'
lis at Scissors in France; week later II
lis at Lemberg in Galicia.
Wilhelm remains, as before the war, |
5Wilhelm der Reise-Wilhelm the Traveller
8He fits mysteriously through Berlin.
Soften nobody knows of it until he has
1left. If people find out BurgermeisterI
8Wermuth begs them not to let on that
|jthey have found out; they must not DEM
|3onstrate in the street. for that impedes
H"Majestaets' movements; and "MaJest-
Haet'' Is busy. Without ceremony Wilhelm
Nil gets into his private train at the
kPotsdamer depot or the Schlesicher depot
land whirls away. What Wilhelm the Fit.
Nful does in Berlin no one knows; news
Epapers say nothing. What he does In
the train and at the front is known only
Ito few officers. Newspapers only print
what Kaiser wilhelm said; and that, now
Radays, is little.
Latest Thing on Earth
Berlin knows that Wilhelm the Flitful
has got in the shape of a new war train
1.-THE latest thing on earth Wilhelm the
Seconds private train usually runs be-
tween Potsdam and the west front. Some
Utimes the Kaiser leaves this train and
comes to Berlin with one locomotive and
one carriage. He leaves behind his stacks
kof war maps, books, papers; rushes to
Poland or Galicia and flies back The
new train Is for use on the tracks be-
tween Berlin and the eastern strategical
Efront. 1t is an exact copy of the old
ttrain, consisting of seven cars, with
1.-The difference that the-new slesping. and
lining car has an arniored roof. proof
*aeafnst air bombs. The car Is steel; 1t
is built by a Wurttemberg metal COM
Xpany which is showing some skill in copy
ing American steel car construction.
Behind Wilhelms sleeping and din
ing car Is his map and library car,
where he does his work. On the walls
is a great collection of maps, in all
700, SO fixed on rollers that pressing
Numbered buttons beside Kaiser Will
IL. ash 1c ~ or1a I'VE INV
|bne The chief maps deal with France
las far as Paris. Belgium, Galicia,
Poland as far as Brest Litovsk fort
'ess, which is the farthest Germany
could go, and the Baltic provinces up
o Riga. These are general staff
maps; they are on big scale; and
show EVERY village and house. Kaiser
Vilhelm's car also has half dozen
small scale maps, each showing
whole theatre of operations. They are
Used to keep a general record OF the
positions OF armies. The Kaiser him
self daily marks them with pins.
Hamburger Nachrichten correspondent
who saw Kaiser Wilhelm says that he
knows the position of every village
rear the front and that without hest
Eating or asking questions, he sticks
he pins into the right places.
At the end of the car is Kaiser We'll
helms war library. 1t is full OF books
About the war in German, English
md French. The war books. not count
ng pamphlets. have numbered SEVERAL
hundred. AS each comes in Kaiser Will
helm looks through 1t. II it seems
worth reading he marks corner In
ed pencil and puts 1t aside; il not
worth reading, it Is sent away. Will
helm IL does not read newspapers. The
war news in the newspapers is cut out
by the military cabinet and pasted on
cardboard, and the civil and general
o,,-~ &c fraafad nv Chief n Civil Cab
net Valentino In the same way. The
host important news, which the Kali
err must read, Is marked in red ink;
ess important news which he ought to
cad is marked in blue; and other news
which he may read II he has time Is
OF marked at ALL
Follows All Operations
Wilhelm follows every detail of the
perations He does not interfere. AS
commander in chief he holds himself
responsible and he says he will take
he blame for failure. The theory of
Command IL that 1t Is his business to
hoose a good chief of staff; but that
q ought to leave the chief of staff
berty and follow his advice. II the
hief of staff blunders. the Kaiser
axes the responsibility for choosing .
lunderer. Chief of Staff Faik enhayn
IN the western front IL the staff off,
Ter who directly advises the Kaiser.
b the eastern campaign Hindenburg IL
il own boss; on his own responsible
ky he commands; he may make what
demands he likes on the ministry OF
kar, and he has no superior. Kaiser
Rilhelm may override him. but that
only when the Kaiser himself
links 1t necessary to interfere. Hin
enburg does not submit his plans to-
he Kaiser. Hindenburg, being mainly
IN executive man and not q strategist,
axes his advice from his chief OF staff.
eneral Ludensdorf. The other German
rmies in Poland and Galicia are un-
er Kaiser wilhelm. Mackensen ana
itzingen both report to the Kaiser,
md undertake no new operations with
Iut getting his consent. Kaiser Will
elm watches with most closeness the
Far in France and Flanders. He has
he old notion Of German strategy that
ussian can be easily finished WITH
nd that the deciding tussle viii come
khen Germany. having finished with
ussias again tries conclusion in tho
Test.
wilhelm watches close all naval
AFT affairs. Half the time he has
18th him Admiral Tirpitx: and always
ith him ID the naval cabinet with
dmiral Muller at the head. All plans
f new action are submitted to Kali
r wilhelm. Staff. officers say that the
aiser first had the notion OF sending
abmarfnes to the Mediterranean In
Fder to hinder naval operations
gainst the Dardanelles
On Kaiser Wilhelm's train IL tele-
sone which links up It every station.
Do 6r1t stag reports aro 0Anomittod By