The sun., 1918-07-29
7. FRIENDS KICK
KAISER BILL IN FACE
Oyster Bay Vigilantes Find
Portrait Once Given to the
Colonel and Destroy 1t.

Unbelievable as It may sound, there
was time in the dim past when Col
Theodore Roosevelt was on speaking
terms with Wilhelm Hohenzollern. That.
however. was before the despoliation of
Belgium and several other things in
tervened to convince the Colonel and the
rest of the civilized world that Kaiser
Bill was not the peace loving person he
protested to be.
From some of the Colonel's recent
utterances 1t is logical to assume that
he would not speak to Kaiser Bill now
II he met him on the street. but while
the acquaintance lasted the Kaiser au-
tographed a life sized portrait of him
self and sent II TO the Colonel as a small
token of his esteem and respect. 1t Is
not difficult to follow the psychological
processes of the potentate: IL Is likely
he foresaw the time when he would need
a friend.
Whatever the Kaiser's Interior motive
may have been the Colonel had no other
recourse than to accept the gift in a
spirit of friendliness, and after keeping
the portrait around his house for as
brief time as possible turned 1t over
to the Osyster Bay Public Library.
where It was unveiled with due cere-
mony.
When the Lusitania was sunk. how
ever. the trustees of the library decided
that they couldn't continue to run a
rogues' gallery in the heart of a patri-
otto community. so they took the picture
down from the wall and sold il to Mrs.
{. II. Politz, a resident ef Oyster Bay.
whose husband is a naturalized citizen
| of the United States.
For a time the existence OF the picture
was forgotten. but the entrance of the
ITrtf NnNA fTt~
the memory of the townsfolk. An I'M
official investigation made by a group
of Oyster Bay viglantes few days ago
| disclosed the fact that the portrait still
reposed In the Politz home. An indig-
nation meeting was held late Saturday
| night and lasted until o'clock Sunday
morning. when about twenty grim vigi
| lantes set a course from the secret
| meeting place and marched to the POLITE
| residence on Main street. One OF the
group wore naval uniform.
The violent ringing of the doorbell
brought Mrs. POLITE down stairs in night
array. She opened the door a crack and
| then tried TO close IL when she got a
glimpse of the indignation committee
outside.
You've got the kalser's picture in
there" said the spokesman of the group
| through the narrowing aperture. land
We want it"
You're all wrong: gave it away
| some time ago" they thought Mrs. Polite
| said as she slammed and bolted the
door
Thereupon the vigilantes fell to with
a will and had succeeded in batterins
down the door and poking in several OF
| the ground floor windows when Mr.. and
Mrs. POLITE appeared on the balcony
over the porch carrying between them
| the Kaiser's portrait.
Mr.. Politz, his hair tousled and his
pajamas awry, was trying to induce his
wife TO give the picture up, but the lat
ter. according TO some of the unidenti-
| fed persons in the crowd. was protesting
| vigorously.
Finally Polite wrested the picture
from his wife and threw it to the hun
| CRY crowd. The young sailor promptly
put his foot through the Kaiser's face
and the canvas was torn into shreds by
| the rest OF the crowd. Mrs Politz's
screams awakened the neiShborhood and
| hurry call was sent for the constabl
but the vgilantes had vanished by the
time he arrived.
| Several secret service elen visited
! Oyster Bay yesterday. one rumored OBJ
| ject OF their visit being to find out ex.
actly what Mrs. POLITE said when her
| husband threw the picture over the bal
cony rail-.
| Mr. POLITE paid visit to the constable
yesterday and demanded the arrest OF
the men who had participated In the
| picture party, hut he was told that the
| justice OF the peace was out OF town.