Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1918-09-20

out for practice and paid no particular
attention to them. Then they dropped
the bombs and they landed in the
woods, and we knew we had been at
tackled. What a dreadful thing for
them to do"
What foolish thing for allied air.
planes to do-to spend whole morn
ing studying the layout Of the town
and then to drop those deadly bombs
on q clump of woods where they could
not possibly hurt anyone, and how
careless of the Germans not to modest
them while they were engaged in their
deyilish work!
But the point wanted to bring out
was this: these gas bombs were never
used on Londonl
Gust rs everything was in readiness
rcc the raid" the officer told me re,
gr~tfully, 1--WE received orders direct
from the kaiser to hold off saw his
Signature to the order. Of course,
there was nothing for US to do but
comply, but if we had had the kaiser
there, 7 believe we would have strung
him I'D by the neck! We still have
those bombs, however, and you may
DC sure they will yet be used"
Tor some unknown reason the kaiser
stopped the use Of those lethal gas
bombs for the time being. Why didn't
he move to save the women and chill
dfen on the Lusitania2
When I went back to Berlin in the
fall of 1915, after visit to the United
States, the kaiser was very anxious to
ascertain from me just how America
felt towards the war.
! told him that before the sinking OF
the Lusitania American opinion had
been divided. There had been many
WHO were strongly pro-ally, there had
been others who were openly pro-
, German and there had been still 9TH
ai3 who maintained an absolutely neu-
ta"l attitude. After the Lusitanla
tragedy, however, there had been
diytir1ct change In public feeling, told
HIN, practically the whole country
having become decidedly anti-German.
perhaps if the U-boat commander
| hal known so many women and chill
& IN were on board" was the kaiser's
o;..:y comment, "he might not have sent
nth The torpedo which sent the vessel
To The bottom, but what he was think
ing of most, of course, was the 5000
tens of ammunition on board which
were destined to slaughter my peo-
pal"
Of course the kaiser knew that II
| the U-boat commanders orders were
to sink the Lusitania, disobedience
uaon his part would have left but one
course open for him: suicide. If, on
tie other hand, the kaiser meant to
intimate that the U-boat commander
sank the Lusitania on his own initia-
tive or without special Instructions
from his superiors, the fact still re-
mains that the kaiser could undoubt-
edly have prevented the tragedy and
didn't.
But if there can be any doubt ns to
tie kaisers direct responsibility for
the sinking of the Lusitania, certain II
is that he fully approved, openly tie
tended and even exulted in the murder
o. women and children by Zeppelin
raids on London, Manchester, Liver
POOL and other non-military cities and
towns.
England expects to starve my
women and children to deatn," he de-
ciared to me early in the war-long
before we in Germany had begun to
feel the slightest effect Of the dimin-
ishing food supply, "but. our Zeppelins
will give their women and children
TASTE of war, too. Confound them
They sit on their island and try to
starve US; we will give them a taste OF
what war is!
This was the man whose various
acts of consideration towards me,
whose talents aud personal charms,
had made such a favorable impression
upon me! How trivial and inconse-
ouential they all seemed now! Clear
", they were all q part Of the role he
bad been playing for years. While ne
was outwardly displaying all the ear
;;.,r!Ss Of a gentle character, he was
iaysrdly plotting to dominate the
uorid, For twenty-five years he main
taincd the peace Of Europe, he ire
:..:.utly boosted. Re maintained peacI
las! long enough to complete his unal
separations for tie 'ickedest war
t:,f;t was ever wagG.:
And yet strangely epocg;:, e7c<. Gf}'f@EF
tie war had revealed The ii;,;>1i' 10 !ne
II bis true cGlOrs and had shown Elm
/. 10 capable Of deeds which I should
have thought were foreign to l.s hii-
r:.ru, his presence always had most
E..aarkable effect Hpon me.
nave a vivid mental iinrEessEol OF
rim ncy as write. He Is standing IL
Tie center of my room, drawn up to his
run height, his shoulders thrown back
us left hand upon the hilt ct ms
syord and his right emphasizing his
e9tnar,tS. protesting in the Mc5t earn
est manner that Il WAS Ent he who was
responsible fof the war aae az IT'S
horrors, but THAI it had come npea
the world despite all he mad done TO
prevent it. His ready, well-chosen
! words entrance me, l feel that this
| ran must be telling me the truth ana
am ready to believe thai before me
stands the most unjustly judged nah
In the world.
And then he shakes my hand in fare
well and Is drivea away, and as gaze
IT the spot where he stocd, there comes