The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1917-07-28
The Kaiser's Secret
Trip to the Hague.

MI MAY hluS III Low i Wdo
walking ON the terrace of the
Castle of Halberg, at that
time in the possession of the
late Freiherr Won Stumm, whom the
emperor often visited.
I think, however, that our host be-
came secretly irritated at the frequent
visits of his imperial guest, for certain
~ what with the establishment of the
special telegraph to Berlin and a spe-
cial post Office, and the finding of ac-
commodation for the crowd of person.
al attendants, each visit must have
cost poor old Won Stumm a consider
able amount.
/ had already been busy upstairs in
the room allotted to me, and had come
out to take a walk in the warm and
welcome sunshine, when suddenly l
saw the emperor in a suit of brown
civilian clothes striding towards me.
He seemed to be in a humorous mood
and joked with me as l walked beside
him.
Suddenly he halted, as though re-
collecting something and asked:
"Heltzendorff, have you with you
some of our paper for important docu.
ments?"
Certainly" was my reply.
"Ah! then please place some of 1t
with envelopes upon my table, and also
wire to Berlin to send here ten cou-
riers."
"Ten couriers?" I echoed In surprise.
"Yes, ten. I may want ever twelve
or more"
Just before eight o'clock that night
] was informed that the couriers we're
waiting below, and on descending
found six of the imperial messengers
and four from the ministry of foreign
affairs, ready to travel anywhere, ven
to the uttermost ends of the earth.
A Stupendous Hoax.
On informing his majesty, the lat
ter handed to me about thirty of the
great blue envelopes containing "docu-
ments of the highest importance" adj
dressed in his own hand to various Of
ficers of state, princes, princesses, and
other prominent people in all parts of
the empire.
"These are to be taken at once, Helt-
zendorff," the emperor said. 1.-THE mes
sengers are to bring us replies"
"In every caseT" 1 asked.
eyes. In every case" he answered.
spondence below, and much puzzled at
the nature of this latest activity In
private letter-writing, I handed them
to the couriers, who sorted them out
and distributed them among them
selves.
Half an hour later the documents
were being conveyed to various parts
Of the empire.
When / returned to the study I
found the kaiser laughing quietly to
himself, and wondered what could be
the reason. He signed some docu-
ments I read to him, but ever and anon
q broad smile would cross his usually
stern features.
Until a week afterwards. I did not
learn the cause of the imperial merri-
ment, but when / did / burst into loud
laughter myself.
Those envelopes containing "docu-
ments of highest Importance" each con
tanned only a comic postcard, which
the emperor had purchased during a
visit to Saarbruck.
The kaiser had played a huge joke
upon those whom he despised, for the
delivery of these formidable imperial
dispatches created a great stir in the
households of their recipients. Old
princes were awakened in the middle
of the night to be handed a dispatch
from the emperor; old princesses
Jumped out of bed to receive an i'm
perial communication; officers tore
open the envelopes eagerly expecting