The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-09-11

= had imbibed somewhat too freely, and while under the influence ordered the captain to steer a certain course which would have placed the vessel in serious danger. To have disobeyed would have meant mourning the Kaiser's displeasure, as his command was law. Rather than risk the destruction of the vessel and Its oct upants, however. the captain disre- garded the Kaisers instructions and then went ashore, procured bicycle and rode down a hill which carried him over the edge of a precipice to his death The shock o. this tragedy, the story goes, turned the Kaiser against liquor of all kinds, snd he has never since indulsed.
 SENSE OF HuMOR
 The Kaiser's sense of humor frequently exhibits itself He told me of a confer- eiice between representatives of all the DOW CTS regarding the selection of a king for Albania after the Balkan war. Some of those present thought the incumbent ought to be Catholic, others insisted that a Greek Catholic was essential, still others maintained that Mohammedan would bs most logical.
 It seemed quite impossible to come to any agreement as to just what religion the King of Albania should profess, and the Kaiser had ended the discussion. he said, with the suggestion:
 We'll gentlemen, if Protestant won't dc. and a Roman Catholic won't do. and a Buddhist is out of the question, why not select q Jew and call him Jacob the Firste He'n have his throat cut, any way, in three months.'
 The powers did not select Jew. but the Prince of Wied, the Kaiser's nominee. was put on the throne. and within month or two afterward had to flee for his life.
 ADMIRED ROOSEVELT COURAGE In referring to Roosevelt's patriotic of- fer to lead an army in France, the Kaiser aeclaied that he admired him for his courage and zeal.
 q hear,'' he said. "that he is now on his way tO Italy. It is too had we did not postpone our offensive there. Perhaps we might have cap- tared him. Wouldn't Teddy look funny in a Eas maskf- Shortly after the U-boat Deutschland
 made it's successful trip to America, the Kaiser called on me, and he was in very jocular frame of mind. I happened to mention to him that 1 planned to go to America the following summer in connection with the porce- lain tooth I had patented. Well. it won't be necessary now, Da- wis" he commented, We can send the Deutschland over and bring back boat load of teeth.
 .'Fix my tecnth we'll. Davis,- he declared on another occasion, "so that I can bite. There are lots of people I would like to bitev and he snapped his jaws together In way that would have boded i'll for the victims he had in mind, al- though his remark was evidently moro face tfous than vicious. To the late Putnam Griswold the opera singer, whom he had just seen in the part of the King in Aida" he said: You play the part of 8 King so well, Griswold, l am sure you would be my most dangerous competitor!"-a compli- ment whose full significance can be ap- preciated only by those who know how keenly the Kaiser enjoyed playing the King himself and how necessarily he played it.
 1 ATTITUDE TOWARD AMERICA l The courtesy and affability which the l Kaiser almost invariably displayed in | his relations with me did not prevent I him on one occasion from showing his 1 indignation when I touched him upon | what was evidently very sore point l the part that America was going to play l in the war, although he always claimed l to be unperturbed about the American situation.
 1 He had pointed out that America at
 that time had only SO.0OO men in France and he believed that the U-boats would effectively prevent any great addition to our forces abroad, if. indeed, they ever | left our shores
 I sAs q matter of fact. hewever," l he added, "your countrymen would
 be very willing, no doubt, to fight
 for their country to protect 1t from 1 invasion, but don't believe you'll
 ever get many of them to leave home to fight abroad. America will really
 be n very small factor in the war,
 be a very small factor in the war, ! Davis!r
 ssYour majesty is underestimate