Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-12
THE AMERICAN
WHO CAPTURED
THE KAISER
A Movie Tale of the Philadel-
phian Who Couldn't Resist
Temptation

The next fellow who tries this will prob
! ably be boiled in oil. But here Ia the story
! told in the Photoplay Magazine OF an
| American motion-plcture man who snap
| ped the Kaiser on one OF his own battle
| fields. Literally grabbed his picture with
| out his consent as though he were a di-
vorcee coming off the boat at Hoboken.
| 1t was almost superfuous to say he was
| an American. A German would have died
! first; also he probably would have died
| afterward
The nervy young person who pulled this
| high-handed affair was w. II. Durbor-
ough, photographer of the North Ameri-
can German war pictures.
There were about Is correspondents in
our party. We were i'm charge OF two
German stan officers who fused over
us like a couple of old hens with a
brood of ducklings.
Warsaw had just fallen into the hands
of the Germans and we got out there in
time to see the final assault and the
capitulation of the fortress of Nowo
Georgievsk. For several days we saw
the big Austrian howitzers pounding the
thing to pieces. Then one morning an
agitated orderly woke us to say that the
fort had fallen and we were to start at
once for the scene. 1t was long way
from Warsaw and we got out there about
4 o'clock in the afternoon.
never believed they intended us TO see
It.: but we accidentally bumped into the
most majestic of military ceremonies
Kaiser review The troops which had
taken part in the battle were assembling
on the battlefield when we got there. 1t
was splendid picture. The fortress was
on fire against the sky. Down one road
filed n long procession of Russian prisoners
marching to the rear Down another road
trundled the big guns that had driven the
Car out of Poland. They had finished
one job and were on the way to the next
battle In the middle of "A great hollow
square of troops stood the War Lord
leaning on a little cane addressing his
soldiers Behind him were his field mar
shas, Won Hindenburg, Won Baseler Won
t'Glkenhyn and his sons, Prince Eitel
Fritz and Prince Joachim.
OF course. this was perfectly miserable
stuff for moving pictures
DurborouGh begged our officer to let
him slip in between the files and shoot
picture The worthy captain looked as
though he was going to faint at the sug-
Eestion. Jaw, just for n minute" pleaded
Durborough. pathetically, but the captain
had turned from him to correspondent
who had lit cigar. One does not smoke
at Kaiser review, he said in thunder
GUS stage whisper. Which shows what
kind of n thing a Kaiser review is.
Finally the ceremony came to a close.
"Adieu Comrades" cried the Kaiser.
"Adeu Majesty" they shouted back. The
ranks fell back; the square opened. The
Kaiser strode back TO his auto and climbed
in, Spying DIR. Sven Hedin, the famous
swedish explorer in the crowd, the
Emperor beckoned him to the car. This
was more than Durborough could stand.
lie suddenly broke away and we saw him
running full tilt across the cleared space
that the awe of the soldiers had left
around His Majesty. Our captain was too
much overcome to follow The captain
just stood waiting for an offended heaven
to strike dead the mpious wretch.
To the frozen horror of the whole Ger
man army, Durborough set up his ma
chine about thirty feet away from the
Kaser's car and began grinding away
for dear life.
The Kaiser looked up and took In the,
whole situation with quick, comprehend
ing eyes. He laughed and lit cigarette,
talking little while longer, we be-
lieve, to give the plucky Yankee boy a
chance.
Finally the Emperor and Doctor Hedin
shook hands; the chauffeur of the car
threw in the hop and the imperial auto
mobile started with n leap.
AS 1t went by him, Durborough took on
his hat and said with honest sociability.
"Much obliged" The Kaiser straight
ened up and one gauntleted hand rose to
the visor of his helmet in salute to the
American boy who had the nerve to snap
an Emperor without asking permission.