The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-10-16

J camps, Ntc, observed that the land
/ sturm men, or older soldiers. were
much more merciful thai the younger
/ ones.
i Alexander Cochran. a New York
yachtsman, volunteered to become a
courier between the London embassy
and ours. On his first trip, although
he had two passports. his regular pass
port and a special courier's passport,
he was arrested and compelled to
spend the night on the floor of the
guard room at the frontier town OF
Bentheim. This ended his aspirations
/ to be courier, He Is now com
mander In the British navy, having
Joined IT with his large steam yacht,
the Warrior. some time before the
| United States entered the war. In
the piping times of peace he had been
the guest of the emperor at Kiel
i
/ A British prisoner, who escaped
from Ruhleben. was caught in curl
Gus manner. Prisoners in Ruhleben
received bread, as I have explained in
the chapter on prisoners OF war, from
( outside. This bread In white, SONS e.
thing unknown in Germany since the
7 war. The escaped prisoner took with
him some sandwiches made of the
bread he had received m Ruhleben and
most uncautiousiy ate one OF these
sandwiches in railway station. He
was Immediately surrounded by a
crowd OF Germans anxious to know
where he had obtained the white
bread and In this way was detected
and returned to prison.
GEYyI TrVrv AMI yrTIy
COUNT RANTZAU
! On our way out in September, 1915,
wa were given large dinner in Conen-
hagen by our skiliful minister there
the Honorable Maurice r. Egan, who
has devoted many years of his life to
the tssk of adding the three beautiful
), Danish islands to the dominion OF
the United States. He Is an able diplo-
mat. very popular in Copenhagen
where he is dean OF the diplomatic
corps. At this dinner we met Countess
Hegermann-L Andencrone, whose in
terest!ng books. THE Sunny side OF
Diplomatic Life" and The Courts OF
) Memory" have had large circulation
In America. In Copenhagen, too
both on the way out and In. we
lunchcd with Count Rantzau- Brock
dorf, then the German minister there
now promoted TO take Zimmerman
place as minister of foreign affairs
Count Rantxau is skillful and willy and
not at all military in his instincts:
should say he far more inclined to
arrive at n reasonable compromise
than the average German diplomat
; He is charmtngiy inter national, with
: none Of the rough points and aggres-
size manners which characterize sc
many Prussian officials
In Judging the German people. We
must remember that. while they have
made great progress in the last forty
years In commerce and chemistry, the
very little liberty they possess is a
plant OF very recent growth. About
J the year 1850. Frederick the Great
having sent money to restore the
burned city OF Greiffenberg. in Siiesia
the magistrates OF that town called
upon him to thank hin. They kneeIed
and their spokesman said s--------~--
4 We render unto your ma testy
; in the name OF the irha hltants of
GrstffenberE our humble thanks
for the most gracious gift which
J your majesty designed TO beStow
In aid and TO assist us in rebuild
ing our homes.
i The gratitude Of such dust as
we. ls. as we are aware. of no
moment or value to you. We
shall. however. impiore God TO
grant your majesty His divine
favors in return for your royal
bounty.
Too many Germans today feel that
they ar 4 ere dust before the almost
reount - Qualities of the German .orn-
pire .aad these royalties are too
prone to feel that the kingdoms
4 aukeaoraIa ana praacspaiisses 81 Ger.
many and their inha bitants are their
private property. The prin IS IF Mas
, eau and Anspach and Hesse at this
time of orr revolution. sold their un.
fortunate subjects TO the British gov
eminent 70 be exported to nght tho
Americans. Our American soil covers
the bones Of many poor German
: peasant who gave up his lie IN a wal
from which he gained nothi ,g and
of which he knew less than nothing
When Frederick the Great. the r,od
I al and exem plar of all German royal,
ties. died In 1885, he disposed OF the
Kingdom of Prussia in his will as II
II had been one of his HOSES II
bequeath unto my dear nephew
Frederick William, as unto my I'M
mediate successor. the Kingdom ~
; Prussia, the provinces, towns, palaces
forts. ,fortresses. all ammunition Id
Tor right OF conquest. The crown jewels
gold and silver service OF pla.s ir
Berlin, country houses. collect IL oi
coins, picture galleries, gardens and
} SO forth" Contrast this will with he
utterances of Washiu gton and Hamil.
ton made at the same time.s
4 In the grand duchy OF Medk'enbera
serfdom was not abolished until 1919
The spies and the infiuencees Of
American correspondents made their
headquarters at a large Berlin hotel.
A sketch OF their activities is given
by de Beaufort In his book, Behind
the German Veil"
Ameng the American correspondents
in Berlin during the war great credit
| should be given to Carl w. Acker.
man and Seymour r. Conger. cor.
respondents of the United and Associ-
ated Presses. respectively. who at all
times and in spite of their surround
tngs and In the face OF real difficulties
| preserved their Americanism unim-
paired and refused to succumb to the
ailuring temptations held out to them
I do not mean to imply that the other
correspondents were not loyal, but the
pro- Germanism of many OF them un
fortunately gave the imperial foreign