The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1915-01-12
in THE FATHERLAND.
INTERESTING BITS OF NEWS
FROM THE GREAT GERMAN
EMPIRE.
WHATS DOING IN OLD HOME
Summary of the Most Important Hap
penings In the Land of the Kaiser
Timely Items for the German
Readers.


wars-against Denmark in 1864,
against Austria in 1866, and against
France in 1870, but he was then too
young to attain high rank, and when
the present war broke out he was too
old to command an army. Though he
was approaching his seventy-ninth
year, he begged permission to ac-
company the troops into France,
pleading humorously that he had lost
a rib there in 1870, which he wanted
to find. Haeseler got the kaiser's con-
sent, and for weeks he was following
the German armies, astonishing the
soldiers with his utter contempt of
danger. 1t has repeatedly occurred
that the count has ridden in the firing
line of the infantry. The men were
advancing only by rushes and leaning
low to the ground, but Haeseler would
ride calmly forward with his atten-
dant, the target Of French rifles, and
at times he was even fired upon by
machine guns and cannon without
being hit. In this way superstitious
tradition has found foothold among
the soldiers as to the old marshal
being supernaturally bullet-proof.
The astronomical observatories Of
Berlin, Hamburg, Munchen and Pots
dam have issued a statement regard
ing the fiasco of the four German ex-
petitions that went to the south of
Russia to observe the total eclipse of
the sun on August 81. Although the
expeditions were undertaken with the
assistance of the Petrograd Academy
of Sciences, the astronomers and their
technical helpers were arrested and
kept for time as prisoners in Odessa.
The older scientists were finally al
lowed to return to Germany, but the
four younger men were kept at
Odessa till November II, when they
were sent as prisoners of war to As
trachan. Their valuable astronomical
instruments had still worse fate
They had to be left, packed in boxes,
at Fedosia, in the Crimea, and they
were later confscated by the Rus
sian government and given to the Uni
versity of Odessa.
A Norwegian journalist who is on
visit in Germany says: There is but
one mind in Germany, and it is fierce
ly determined to carry on the war till
Germany can dictate the terms of
peace. This absolute solidarity of
German sentiment is the one thing
which first forces itself on the mind
OF the observers. There is difference
OF opinion and free discussion con
corning some measures of domestic
policy, but all Germans of all parties
stand together in solid phalanx
against the enemies OF the fatherland,
And they leave no doubt as to the
final outcome of the struggle. The
first article in the German confession
OF faith declares that Germany is now
engaged in a righteous war of defense.
which has been forced upon her, and
that she is inyincible To any sugges-
ton that the enemy may in the end
prove too strong every German an
swers, 1T is to laugh" And he means
it.
The German press is singularly
moderate in handling war news. The
big papers, such as the Tageblatt and
the Lokal Anzeiger, announce the big
gest kind Of news in the smallest
of type, without glazing headlines and
without comment. They have sober
leaders pointing out how England by
its secret negotiations with Belgium
brought about the war, and they de-
fend the position of Germany with all
vigor and ability, but always in words
of moderation and dignity. For the
rest the papers contain long lists of
the fallen heroes of the war, an
nouncementS of amusements for the
benefit of worthy charities and the
like, and the advertisements of mer-
chants and amusement managers who
promise to give a certain percentage
of their receipts to the fund for wild
ows and orphans.
The members of the Deutsche
Taimyrland expedition of 1914 have
been captured by the Russians and in
termed at Kirensk, with hundreds of
other prisoners of war. The expedi-
ton was headed by Eden Zeeler. a
German-American, formerly of Port
land Ore. He left Germany last
spring for Siberia, equipped with a
moving picture machine The objec-
tive was the mysterious peninsula of
Taimyr, jutting out from the northern
coast of Siberia.
An official note calls attention to
the fact that petroleum has been
boarded for speculation. The impe-
rial government warns all that it will
require dealers to declare under oath
what quantities are held and will ex-
propriate it wherever necessary in
order to counterfeit speculation.
AS evidence that the people of Ber-
lin are not expecting the enemy Just
now may be mentioned the fact that
building operations are going on, and
that some of the principal streets are
being repaired
The London Morning Post Petrograd
correspondent says: Germany is en-
ergetically pushing the candidacy of
Prince Eitel Friedrich for the throne