The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-05-29
ONE WAR TRAGEDY
STORY OF THE GERMAN FATHER
WHO LOST FIVE SONS
IN BATTLE.

Herbert Bayard Swope in the New
York World The sharpest reaction
| brought away from my two trips to
Germany as a war reporter was not
what | saw during Hindenburg's
sweep into Russia after the Masurian
lakes battle; not the rapid thrust of
the first German offensive against
Verdun: not the terribly stubborn
advance of the allies at the Somme,
nor any of the other actual battle
scenes | witnessed, soaring the mem
DRY, as they did. The things that
sticks with me is an incident, typical
of many that have occurred in Brit
ain, France and Germany. where
hardly a house is left unmarked by
mourning. This is it:
At the outbreak of the war a re
tired Col. won Boenig. of the German
army. had three sons as officers in
the field and two younger ones at
home with him and his old wife.
In the first advance through Bel
GUM two sons were killed and a
third died on the Russian front.
When the Field of Honor" had
claimed the three. the colonel's house
which had supplied sons to the colors
since before Frederick the Great, was
without a scion under arms. The
fourth son. though only 10. insisted
that he must go "out there for the
honor of his line, and he went-to
meet his death two weeks later as an
"officer-aspirant."
OF five there was now left only
one. the last born. aged IT. He de-
manded the right that had not been
withheld from his brothers and the
old people could not deny him.
He was ordered to the operations
around Verdun. For three weeks
the colonel and his wife stood the
strain until even their Spartan spirit
cracked. The old man. obtaining
special permission visited the kaiser,
then at great general headquarters
i'm the east. He told his story to the
emperor and begged that the last OF
his sons be saved by shifting him
from the front to some bureau work
within the lines. The kaiser. much
moved, at once directed that the boy
be so detailed. and with the order
given personally into his hands, the
old man set out ioyfully on his trip
to the division to which his son was
attached. first seeking to thank the
kaiser.
NO" said Wilhelm. lit is | and
the country who must thank you for
your devotion and the fearful sacri-
flee you have made. You have done
nobly."
The colonel sped to the headquar-
49, % H. r~rs~ 14nErFan 1nI fhnrD
with a hand trembling with eager
ness to snatch his boy from death.
presented the imperial order to the
general commanding. That officer
blinked at the paper a moment and
then said slowly: Your son has re-
eeived other orders"
What can you mean" the old
man asked, perplexed. THE kaiser's
orders take precedence over all
others"
All but one" the commander re-
piled. "and that one no man may ig-
nore-the report has just reached me
that your son was killed just one
hour ago"
II was Gen. Won Winnigen COM
handing a corps in the army of
Crown Prince Rupprecht, of Bavaria,
who was the commander. | had the
story from him as we stood on an OBJ
%servation platform watching the Brit
ish shell Thiepval last September.
There were tears in his eyes as he
added that the old mother had be-
come insane and the colonel was but
little better-seven victims in one of
the wars little tragedies.