News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1917-08-01

On entering I found him seated att
his table, his uniform tunic unbut-
toned, his hair slightly ruffled, by which
[ knew that he had been writing hard.
"Von Heltzendorff," he said, as II
stood beside his table, "you were wit
ness of the insults placed upon me this!
afternoon. Does anyone except our
selves know what occurred In your
cabinY
81 have not told soul, your ma.
jesty," was my reply.
"But the officer who has raised his
hand against the sovereign to whom
he swore allegiance may have done"
he said. "There is but one way I'M
which he may atone for his offense
against majesty. Hand this to him."
And he gave me letter addressed
in his own hand-addressed with all
Won Lantzsch's titles and distinctions.
1t was sealed with the emperor's we'll
known black wax.
Ten minutes later I handed the CAP
tain the emperor's letter.
He tore 1t open, read its contents.
and then gave queer, nervous laugh,
it seemed to me.
"Thanks, Heltzendorff. 1t was my
turn tonight to be on duty with his
majesty, but did not feel equal to it.
Goodnight"
Early next morning one of the i'm
perial stewards entered and, awaken
ing me, asked me to go to Captain Won
Lantzsch's cabin.
On entering found him lying dead
on his berth with blood oozing from a
pistol wound in the temple.
Upon the little shelf of the folding
washstand was a note addressed to
me.
On opening it found these words
scrubbed in pencil:
"Dear Heltzendorff: I have taken
my life at the order Of his majesty.
Am I not a loyal subject after all?--
Rudolph"
By noon the body Of the kaiser's
victim had been landed at Bodo, where
1t now reposes in the little cemetery
beneath those high snow-clad crags
which rise against the gray, turbulent
sea.
Many fantastic reports have been
whispered concerning the incident, but,
being one of the actors in the drama,
1 am able here for the first time to
reveal the actual truth.
Copyright 1917, Wheeler Syndicate, Inc.)
~"~>>~~>"~">~-~~-~~>~-~ ~>~-~~~~-~~~~~>~-~~~.
or four men can carry as they run.
Its aim Is most accurate; 1t can, when
necessary, fire from 500 to 600 car
tridges per minute, sowing death on
every side with incredible speed. But
against trench 1t Is powerless, and
therefore 1t Is pre-eminently the arm
of defense. When properly handled,
1t is so redoubtable that one alone has
been known to stop an entire regi,
ment. 1t is indisputably the most ter.
rible instrument of war.
Yet a well-dlrected battery Of "75"
cannon, sweeping space of ground, is
more certain to leave nothing alive.
These. then, are the primordiaI
means of defense, to which naturally
are to be added the numerous rifles
of the defenders of the trenches, those
trenches In which are invisible loop
holes where the enemy awaits our ap-
pearance.
Heavy Shells for Offense.
What are the adversary's means of
annihilating these hidden, powerful de-
lenses? Only heavy artillery; the large
shell, the huge torpedo, the heavy pro,
jectile of steel, inclosing a violent ex.
plosive, is capable of demolishing a
netting, of demoralizing those occu:
pants Of the trench whom 1t does not
kill and keeping the adversary's nerves
on edge by the menace Of its sudden
arrival several kilometers behind the
lines. Thus the means of offensive are
the heavy cannon, the large trench
the large caliber howitzers,
the formidable marine gun mounted on
rails, all that is longest, most difficult
and costly to manufacture, to trans.
port, to set in motion. A machine gun
can be installed anywhere In two min
ltes or less. A month is required TO
install the 1920" trench mortar. To
put a naval gun on rails In running
order necessitates months of work and
he installation of a railway. Even
runs that are easy to handle, such as
he 1885," are moved with difficulty:
It times it takes two or three days to
)lace them In a battery.
And this is not all. The heavy ar
illery is naturally less accurate than
he field artillery. When one consid-
rs that heavy guns soon wear out, as
he big gun can fire only a more or less
United number of shots. as its caliber
and as IL must constantly
e replaced, one understands why it IS
o much easier to take the defensive
han the offensive. and why the situa-
ion on the western front, at all points
yell defended. was stationary for 50
ing a time before the means of att
ack were sufficient to permit of an
fensive.