The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-11-02
KOENIG ON PARADE

hOL1Nlu OlN ARttDL
 And then-for some reason-there came
 a change in the spirit of this comman-
 der He began to talk. He appeared
 and dined in public. He visited New York
 and Washington and there suffered cer-
 tain more or less formal entertainment.
 One night, he was the honor guest at
 the National Press club, and-actually
 talked. Of course, he did not say any
 thing. But he gave a visible demonstra-
 ton that an apparently "cold'' and phleg- natic German could when he desired or the occasion seemed to demand, "unbend'
 himself and chat and smile in conven-
 tional manner.
 During his visit to Washington, Koe- nig proved himself not only a patriot
 but a diplomat. One afternoon he ap- peared on the plaza to the front of the capitol. The Marine band was en- tertaining with summer concert. When the director saw and recognized the German. he signaled his musicians, and soon there came floating the stir ring notes of "The Watch on the
 Rhine" Instantly Koenig became as rigid as the proverbial ramrod. And, having assumed automatically, it seemed. that attitude. he raised his cap---and. unmoving. even to the
 muscles of his eyelids. he thus re- mained until the last note died away.
 And then the band played the star Spangled Banner" Koenig was Ion the
 job" Again he removed his cap. again he stood at attention. again he re- mained standing until. amid the plaud- it's of the gathered people, the stir
 ring national anthem was heard no more.
 A SUPPRESSED STORY
 And yet. no one knows anything about the man. It is common knowl
 a1O hat con aNchanPaG vnn1S to the value of $1.000.000. lodged in
 numerable warships awaiting ''just be- yond" to destroy. and landed safely at Bremen: it is common knowledge that from Bremen he sailed again. for the second time eluded enemy ves- sells bent on the destruction of the gallant submersible. and again touched an American port It is known that
 he is at present at New London and that as soon an opportunity pre-
 sents itself. he will again run the gamut of warcrafts prepared against his return.
 But of the man himself nothing is known The east. because of that fact. is deeply and perhaps naturally inter- ested For it so happens that there is one citizen of the United States who believes he can tell story. And this one citizen. Koenig. last summer On three occasions. declined to see. The one clllLtH CdliS HliiScil LAOe- nig--Fred koenig. He claims that the captain of the submersible is his broth : CT. Is it strange or is 1t not strange, that the captain steadfastly refused to permit this man even to rest eyes on his face? s,s. IS HE A BROTHER Fred Koenig Is the proprietor of a prosperous hotel in Lyons. N. Y. Some days after the arrival last summer of the Deutschland this man told a re- porter that the captain. he thought probable was his brother He visited Baltimore for the purpose of seeing the captain and talking with him, but the captain politely excused himself Several days later he again made the trip. Again he scored no success He 1 made third trip. Captain Koenig on l this occasion appeared irritable. He exclaimed that he had no brother and would not. under any circumstances. permit this man to enter his cham ber
 i And then Fred Koenig became irritable. 'I don't know" he said. whether my guess is correct or not. do know. how ever. that I left Germany at the age of l 1s. and that at that tims had brother. His name was Paul. He was attached to the German navy. The face of Captain | Koenig, as it appears in the newspapers. | hears striking resemblance to the face of my brother as l recall 1t. l may De
 mistaken. But there seems to be no reas- on why the captain should decline to see me-
 U-53 IS FRIVOLOUS There is just one other interesting thought in connection with Koenig. It Is already said that he declined to permit any man save an official of the govern- ! ment to put foot on his vessel-this de-
 spite the fact that the Deutschland, es-
 ,entially & ship of trade, is in every re-
 ,pect unarmed and on account Of the
 nature of its construction, cannot be i prepared for resistance.
 1 On the contrary. the captain of U-53,
 submarine essentially craft of war. ] armed to the feeth.' bearing torpedoes
 and other instruments for the infliction