The Cordova daily times., 1915-07-07
AUSTRIAN ] ALL FOR GREAT
 GENERAL

his position as commander of one of the most powerful of the Austro-Hun garian armies to an incommunicado cell In an unnamed prison is one of the most closely guarded secrets in Vienna. Austrian newspapers are not allowed to even mention his name, and inquirers even in the Hungarian House of Deputies have been advised to let the matter drop.
 From information which has just reached Venice. 1t appears that the general was summarily arrested as he was about to leave TOT Switzerland. and has not since been allowed to communicate even with his family or lawyers. His object in going to Switzerland was the publication of a volume of memoirs, In which he hoped to establish his innocence of misman- aging the Austrian campaign against Serbia by putting the blame upon the shoulders of the Austrian commander in-chief. the Archduke Frederic.
 The following explanation of Gen. eral Auffenberg's rise and fall comes from personal friends of the general. It is in general agreement with such facts of the case as have been previ- ously established:
 General Auifenberg, as a former minister of war and one of the great soldiers of the empire. was placed In command of the armies which under took the invasion of Serbia at the be- ginning of the war. This invasion ended dlsastrously; the Austrians were defeated with tremendous losses and retired back across the frontier in disorder. There was a hasty investi- gation in Vienna, and the investlgat- ors reported that General Auffenberg was mainly responsible. owing to his gross mistakes of strategy in planning and carrying out his offense. They recommended that he be suspended from his command.
 But it seemed unwise to the mill. tary powers to thus draw public at tentlon to the extent of the disaster in Serbia, so 1t was decided that Auffenberg's retirement should be at tributed to i'll health brought on by the strenuous exertlons of the cam paign. and that the title of Baron should be conferred on him to support the impression that after all nothing really serious had happened to the Austrian forces in Serbia. The new baron was ordered home, and placed on the retired list aomng Officers at the disposition of the Emperor for future military service
 The general came home reluctant and mystifled. and began some quiet investigations of the situation. AS soon as he found out that he was blamed for the failure of the Serbian campaign he demanded that his side of the story should be heard. He got no encouragement In official circles but 1t became generally known among military men that he planned to re-establish his own reputation by Eshowing that the blame for the failure must be attributed to the Archduke Frederic.
 Tn one case, for example. the gen eral declared to a group of military men, I will not be made the scape goat for an Archduke who ought never to have been entrusted with tht supreme command of the Imperia forces, but who ought rather to have been locked up in his palace 1T Vienna to prevent his meddling in tn, conduct Of the war
 This remark, together with others of similar nature. reached the eari of the Archduke, and the iatter's in fluence was exercised to bring abou the downfall of the general. The eli max came when Auffenberg asserted that. having failed to secure hearing in official circles. he would prove hi. own innocence and the Archduke'l blameworthiness by writing a book or the war and having 1t published 1T Switzerland.
 ITO prevent his flight into Switzer land and the publication of the threat ened book, Emperor Francis Josepl himself stepped in and ordered hin arrested and placed fin solitary con iinement until the end of the war. H, was committed to prison by Imperia l order without the semblance of a tria or investigation, and was not allowe
 to communicate with the outsid world. Questions addressed to tn government in the Hungarian Hous . of Deputies were answerad with th