The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1918-11-28
CHAPTER v.
The Kaiser Defends German War
MethodaL

VUOut everything WHICH mlSnt dHeCt
his health. and even after the wal
started, when his attention was natu-
rally occupied by many pressing prob
ems, he did not neglect his teeth. but
ame to me as regularly as he had al.
ways done.
OF this I was very glad, because It
gave me an opportunity to draw the
kaiser out on many Of the interesting
questions which the wal suggested
and which I found him always ready
20 discuss. Perhaps the fact that l
was an American led the kaiser to
greater lengtiis in his justification of
German war methods and measures
han he might otherwise have thought
necessary.
The first time I saw the kaiser after
the war started was about August 10,
1914. Between eleven apd twelve
o'clock the night before, l had been
notified by telephone that the kaiser
Berlin palace the following morning
at nine o'clock. He was about to make
'h's first visit to the front and wanted
k-s teeth examined before he went.
The work l had to do for him was
nothing OF a serious character and did
not occupy more than twenty minutes.
One of his Wallets stood by to give me
any assistance l might need, but left
the room when / was through.
slave you been reading in tine pa
pers, Davis" the kaiser asked when we
were alone, "how our soldiers have
been treated by the Belgians?"
I said l had not had a chance to
read the papers that morning."
swell, you must certainly read them.
They've been gouging out the eyes of
our wounded and mutilating my mer
horribly! They call 1t modern, civil
lized warfare. That's savagery!
hope your president is taking notice
Of these atrocities"
OF course I was In no position to
contradict the kaiser's assertions, as
I was not In possession Of any of the
facts, but I learned nfterward that
four American newspaper correspond
ents had secured Germany from one
end Of the country to the other In ar
effort to run down these reports. They
left no rumor uninvestigated, no mat
ter how far they had to travel to yer
ify 1t. When they had finally exhaust
ed every clue and followed every lead
they had not found a single case to
justify the charge the kaiser had made
against the Belgians and which, OF
course, the inspired German press con
tinued to report from day to day. ,
The object Of these lies was to jus
tify the outrages which the Germans
were committing in their plan to ter
rorize the inhabitants Of the countries
they were o~verrunning. According t.
reports the activities of franc-tireur
In the occupied territories were me
by the Germans with the most bar
barrie punishments, cruclfxion ant
similar atrocities being very common
Undoubtedly the kaiser was aware o.
what his soldiers were doing. and t.
defend their conduct he lent a read!
a to the ~unfounded charges mad'
against the Belgians.
II have already framed a message
which ! intend sending to your presi
dent regarding the use Of dumdun
bullets by the Belglans and French
the kaiser went on. "We have ampl,
proof to establish this charge not onl.
In the character of the wounds suffere,
by my soldiers but In the shape Of un
used cartridges which we found In til,
captured forts"
Strangely enough, the kaiser sen
of his protest to President Wilson
about the same day that Presiden
Poincare forwarded n similar protes
based upon the use Of dumdum bullet
by the Germans.
Regarding the violation Of Belgium
neutrality. the kaiser was able to OF
Ter no reasonable argument. The fac
that he was willing to pay Belgium 70
permission to allow his armies to 6
through that country was APPARENT,
sufficient justification In his eyes 70
taking by force what Belgium refuse
to sell. .
"How foolish of Belgium to have re
sisted us!" he declared, in this cor
ncction. Had they consented to lie
US walk through We would have pal
for everything-everything Not
hair of their heads would have bee
touched and Belgium today would b
In the same happy financial conditlo
that Luxembourg Is"
At q subsequent interview we r,
ferred to Belgium again, and the ka
ser alleged thnt Japan had violate
the neutrality of China when she ser
troops through Chinese territory I
seize Kiao-Chau.'
ut is all right for the allies to d
these things" he commented sarcal
tlcaIly, but when Germany does thel
England rises up In righteous indii
nation. The hypocntes! Why. W
found papers In Brussels whic
showed co~nclusively that England an
Belgium had a secret agreement b
which In the event Of war with Ge
a.. ----- GA--I--l - a