Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-12-19
ITO HE'LL WITH THE KAISER AND
HIS FIVE CENTS A DAY"
Says Ackley Citizen Who Once Serv-
ed in Grenadicrs Picked to
Guard German Royal
Family. Tells Why
lie is Loyal to
America.


Ackley, Dec. 10.-To have been
member of Kaiser Wilhelm's regi-
ment for three and one-half years,
and to have been associated with the
civilization destroyer in the special
capacity as guard over him and the
crown prince and princess, is a dis
tinction that belongs to August Willie,
a Germa1-American resident of Ack-
ley for nearly twenty-seven years.
Mr.. Willie has two sons in Uncle
Sans service, one in the aviation
corps and another IL the Second Min
nesota field artillery. The Ackley pa
triot is earnest and frequent in telling
the reasons why he was willing to
foreswear all allegiance to the cou1-
try of his birth and cast his fortunes
with the United States.
On the oath day of December,
1883, in Stettin, Pomerania, Mr..
Willie stood guard for the kaiser. He
also performed the same service at
other times but that date is fixed
in his mind and he says the records
are still eXta1t to verify the truth of
his remarks. Willie was a member of
the First Pomerania grenadiers for
| the term of one enlistment, and serv-
ed from the time he was 81 years of
age until he was past "a
Ten days after he was mustered
out of the kaiser's regiment in 1891
he left for America--to free America
to earn a name and place in land
that promised him rich reward for
honest toll. His wages as a soldier
amounted to SIS year, cents a
day, and he came to Iowa alone and
empty handed. He went to work i'm
mediately on arrival at Ackley, and
his first $3.50 was earned as the
reward of days work for Joe Hunt.
Willie says that when Hunt handed
him that $3.50 he took it with aston
ishment, and he looked at it as much
as fifty times on his way to his board
ing place. That sum was the reward
of a months labor in Germany, and
to receive so much for days work
utterly COMPOUNDED him. 1t gave him
such high opinion of this country
that he took out his first papers be-
fore he had been here two weeks.
while / was soldier l never had
supper for three years. In this
country / never missed supper II
was well enough to eat it. To hell
with the kaiser and his five cents
day When my boys ask me If they
should join the army, / say Don't
ask me; do as you want to- / hope
my boy drops the bomb that kills the
kaiser, and / believe he will. l go to
the trenches today if they take me,
but they don't want me-"
AS an evidence that Willie lost no
time in perfectiug his citizenship in
this country, he cast his first vote in
the presidential election of 1S96-for
Mckinley.
Willie met and married woman OF
Russian birth and he has reared
family, having a daughter in school
and two sons serving their govern
ment as before mentioned. For sew
enteen years he has had charge OF
grain elevator at Ackley, and he has
wide acquaintance in Hardin,
Franklin and Grundy counties. He
now is in the poultry business. He
has prospered in fair degree; he owns
two homes and is free from fear or
coming to want. Three years ago he
lost his health, eminent diagnosti-
clans asserting he had cancer OF the
stomach, but he has recovered from
the malady and appears in good
health. He is one of the "crack"
shots of Ackley. He is popular aid
has the courage of HIS convictions
and does not hesitate when occasion
demands to tell his fellow citizens
who misjudge the issues between lib
erty and autocracy where they ought
to head In"