Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-07-14
10 make profitable capital out of the 1
deliberate concealment. - 4
HINDENRURG'S DEATH COULD
HARDLY DE CONCES

Tor months. European gossip. the
premature undertaken for many a
mighty parsonage who still lives, has
been whispering mysterious things
about the German chief Of staff He
has been variously reported lI,'insano
and dead. To those who know with
what pomp such man would be pub
licly buried and what u wonderful
theme for imperial telegraphic. effu:
slons, such an event would be-to those
alone who have long since known that
the Germans look to Ludendorff as th..
real doer on the battle field. though
still preserving their gratitude and
admiration for the held marshal who
more .han once saved the empire-to
those observers it is unbelievable that
HindenburGs death could really DO
concerted
There is pronounced belief IN GER
tain quarters that he is not dead, but
that he is partially dcmented and con-
fined in some asylum, having thought
himself literally out of his wits-a per-
fectly natural assumption when one
considers the staggering odds against
which this man has had to battle
coupled with the burning fury that
must have possessed him. when his
in Les Ncuvelles has it that the quar-
rel that ended Hindenburg's career
took place on May 10 mt the Belgian
health resort. This correspondent Is
in possession of certain information
showing that the decisive clash dates
farther back, and this will be told
presently.
For the moment. the all-overwhelm-
ing question is how the German gov
ernment will square itself with the
people if the sto:y that has roach ed
The Hague Is true. Unquestonahly,
the main excuse Will be that the rca-
son for the concealrneEt was that the
news would give comfort to tie en-
envy" and might have depressed the
army. Nor is there any doubt that
an enormous squirt to the allied morale
on the one hand. and a great deprcs-
sion among the German armed forces
on the other, would have been the in
evitable consequences: but, it is argued
by observers here, these consequences
would be doubly impressive were it
now learned that the enemy has beer
afraid to toll his people tie truth.
Late In May. Field Marshal Won Hin
denburg was reported i'll with typho lid
fever at Strassburg. The field marshal
bune at Geneva to be suffering from
an acute nervous disease. The news
PAPER declared 1t had learned from a
reliable source that his mental ca
pacity was much affected, and that he
was confined in "a private sanatorium.
1t added that the field marshal had
taken no responsible part in the Of
fcnsive on the western front.
At the outbreak of the war Field
Marshal Won lTiEdcnburg was a gem
ernl in retirement. He was credited
with evolving and carrying out the
campaign against the Russians in East
Prussia. which resulted in the serious
Russian defeat at Tannenhurg for
which he was promoted to field mar
shall. He continued to command the
German forces on the Russian front
until August 30, 1916. when he was
appointed chief of the general staff in
succession to General Won Falkcnhayn.
When he became chief OF the Ger
man general staff, General Ludendorff.
who had acted as his chief of staff on
the Russian front came with him as
his riEht-hand man, with the title OF
chief quartermasterg general.
Field Marshal Paul Bencckendorn
und Won Hindcnburg was seventy years
old last September IS. The newspaper
Les Nouvelles. which reports the death
OF the German leader. is 4 newspap per
in the French language, published at
The Hague.