New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-08-10

CATION. Therefore ] was confident tina
the seventy-year-Old dancing mistress
whose past vas n complete mystery
was an important secret agent of tn
emperOr's.
And what more likely? The kaiser
ms ruler of that complex empire, wOul,
naturally seek to know the truth con
corning those who sought his favor be
fore tn were permitted to click thei
heels o, wag their fans and bow tn,
knee in his imperial presence. And h
had. no doubt, with that innate Gun
ming, appointed his creature to the pO
sitiOn of court dancing mistress.
Emperor's First viewsof an Airplane
On October II, 1908, l had returned
with the emperor and his suite from
Hamburg, where his majesty had beer
present at the launching Of n of Her
Ballin's monster American liners.
was seated at the side table in his
private ROOF in the Berlin Schloss
taking down certain confidential in
structiOns which he wished to be sent
Mt once by one of the imperial couriers
to the c~Ommandunt of Posen.
Suddenly Won Knhlberg, my col
league, entered with II message and
handed 1t to his majesty. The kaiser
at once grew excited and, turning to
me said:
1.-The crown prince sends word from
POtsdam that the American. Orville
Wright, Is flying on the Bornstedter
field. We must 60 at once. Order the
cars. And, Won Krahlberg, inform her
majesty at once. She will accompany
US, no doubt"
Quickly l placed before his majesty
n of his MISUNDERSTANDING that
it would be wanted for presentation to
the daring American-and he took up
his pen and scrawled his signature
across ii.
Within a quarter Of an hour three
of the powerful ears were on their way
to POtsdam, the emperor with Herr
Anton Reitschel-a high German Off
cial at COnstantinOple-and Professor
vambery in the first car; the kaiserln
with her daughter, Victoria Luise. and
the latter's Ober-gOuvernante govern
ess). with one of the court ladies, in
the next while in the third I rode with
Major o SchOll, one of the eQuer-
ries,,
On arrival at the Bornstedter field 1t
was already growing dusk, and a great
disappointment awaited us. The crown
prince rode up to inform us gravely
that the flying was over for the day.
this the kaiser grew angry, for he
had been out once before upon a Wild
goose chase, only to find that Orville
Wright had gone home, declaring the
wind too strong.
At his fathers anger, however, evil
he" burst out laughing, declaring that
he was only Joking, and that all was
IN readiness. Indeed. as he spoke, the
aviator came up and l presented him
70 his majesty.
Then, while he stood alone in the
Of the great, sandy plain. Mr.. Or
vile Wright clambered into his ma
.hine and, rising, made many, circuits
nigh above us.
The emperor stood with Herr Reit-
'chel and the shaggy old professor,
'training his eyes with keenest inter-
1t was the first time his majesty
lad seen an airplane in flight. Much
lad been promised Of Won Zeppelin's
INVENTION, yet the German public had,
Until those demonstrations by the
american aviator, taken but little heed
II the heavier-than-air machine. At
hat time, indeed. the emperor had not
AIKEN up Won Zeppelin. and it was only
fter seeing Orville Wright's demon
tratiOns that he entered with any en-
husiasm into a%erOnautical problems.
High above us against the clear eve
ing sky. wherein the stars had already
egun to twinkle, the daring American
ose. dipped and banked. his machine
like a huge gadfiy. much TO the
and establishment of the en-
"MarvelOusw he exclaimed. as
food beside him, with the empress on
is right. "How is 1t done"
The sight Of a man flying In the air,
laneuvering his machine at will, rising
and then planning down with
he engine cut off. was me of the most
spectacles the loyal POtsdam-
IS had ever seen. Even the emperor,
18th all his dreams of world power,
)uld for a moment have fore
zen what a great factor airplanes
Ould be in war.
At last Wright came down In a
banked slightly, steadied him
If. and then came lightly to earth
thin a few yards Of where we stood,
wing been the first to exhibit to the I
nperor how completely the air had ,
zen conquered. IL,
Afterwards. though ii had now {
own dark. the emperor. by the pow
full headlamps of the three cars.
OrOughly examined the Americans I
the aviator explaining every a
tail.
From that moment for months after t
irds the kaiser was constantly talk v
z of aviation. He commanded pho \
of various types of airplanes, d
with all literature on the SUBJ L
It. to be placed before him. Indeed, s
sent over TO Britain. in secret, two Il
to attend the airplane meetings s
Id at Doncaster and Blackpool, ii
lere a large number of photographs I,
taken, and duly found their way v
his table. s.
The Dancing Mistress Visit. ii
I have recalled the emperor's first ir
hit of an airplane in flight, If COM n