Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-06-26
FROM POWER TO PRISON CELL.
Austrian General, Count Auffen berg,
Qccunies Unnamed Prison
Kansas City. June IS.

TCorrespondent Of Associated Press
Venice. June THE story OF the fall
Of General Baron Auffenherg from his
position as commander of one Of the
most powerful Of the Austro- Hun
earian armies TO an incommunicaoo
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 sumn1ariiy arrested as he
was about to leave for Switzerland. and
has not since been allowed TO com
municate even with his family or law
yers. His object in going to Switzer-
land was the publication Of volume
of memoirs in which he hoped to es-
tablsh his innocence Of nismanaging
the Austrian campaign against Serbia
nv putting the blame upon the
shoulders of the Austrian commander
in-chief. the Archduke! Frederic.
The following explanation of General
Auffenberg's rise and fall comes from
pGTSD-Idi lIl-lTls W Inc EUiiNieAA' - -
In general agreement with such facts
of the case as have been previously
esa blished.
General Auffenberg, as 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. TINS invasion end
~
defeated Xith tremendous losses and
retired back across the frontier in dis
order. There was {. hasty investiga-
ton in Vienna, and the investigators
reported that General Auffenberg was
mainly responsi Die, owing to his gross
mistakes OF strategy in planning and
carrying out his ofense They recon- :
nended that he be suspended from MS
command
But it seemed unwise to the mill
tary powers TO thus draw public atten-
ton TO the extent of the disaster III
Serbia. so il was decided that AuHeh :
berg's retirement should be ATTRIBUTED
to i'll health brought on by the siren
uous exertions Of the campaign, ana
that the title of Baron should be CON
fer-ed on him TO support the lmpres-
sion that after all nothing really ser
ious had happened TO the austrian
forces in Serbia. The new Baron was
ordered home. and placed on the re-
tired list among Officers at the dlspo-
sit!on Of the emperor for future mil
tary service
"The general came home reluctant
and mystifed. and began some qulet
investigations of the situation. AS
soon as he found out that ne 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.
hut it became generally known among
military men that he planned to re-
esta blish his own reputation by show
ing that the blame for the failure must
he 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
10 have been entrusted with the SUI
preme command Of the imperial forces
but who ought rather to have been
locked up in his palace in Vienna to
prevent his meddling in the conduct OF
the war
"Th;s remark. together with others OF