Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-14
THE KAISER AS | KNEW
HIM FOR FOURTEEN YEARS


ENLIST
profitable real estate investments
which had been suggested to him
from time to time by the Emperor In
appreciation of their friendship.
While DR.. Sylvester was less of
factor in the politics of Germany
than DR.. Evans had been in those of
France, he was very highly regarded
professionally by the Kaiser and the
royal family. He told me that some
years before he had been summoned
to the palace to attend the Kaiser's
mother Tor some minor trouble. and
that he had sent her carriage back
empty with the message that if her
| Majesty wanted his services she
would have to come to his Office the
same as other patients. Needless TO
say. she did nothing of the kind. but
Bismarck subsequently called on the
+ dentist professionally and explained
that he did so because he had ,ad-
mired the independent spirit the doc
tor had displayed on that occasion,
although, he added. it had very
nearly resulted in his being sent out
of Germany.
! DR.. Sylvester's residence and of
| fees were en- the Tiergarten, and it
was there that I commenced the
! practice of dentistry in Germany. 1t
! was understood that I was to attend
! the Kaiser right from the start, and
although Sylvester explained to me
exactly what I was to do when his
{ Majesty arrived, l must confess
| looked forward to the ordeal with
considerable anxiety.
1t was almost five months after I
! had been established as Sylvester S
| associate that we received word from
= the Kaiser's Kammerdiener. or body
, servant. over the telephone. that his
| Majesty would be at our place the
! following morning at a. m.
This meant that we were to can
eel all other appointments for the
| greater part of the following morn
ing, as it was the invariable practice
! to clear the way. so to speak, for the
! Kaiser that he might not encounter
! other. patients when he called.
| I don't believe slept very sound
ly that night. I know that l was
very nervous the next morning when
| at about 1880 three or four secret
service police arrived at our place
and stationed themselves outside the
! premises to see that everything was
! safe for the Kaiser's arrival. A few
minutes later squad of uniformed
| police arrived and guarded the ap-
| proach 20 the house. Shortly before
. s o'clock I went to window to
watch the Kaiser coming down the
| Tiergarten and I saw the familiar
white cockade on his footman's hat.
! III the carriage, drawn by two white
horses with red plumes, was the Kai-
ser himself. Another carriage fol-
11rrr q Iref a%as, ~.
adjutants
When he came into our office Syl-
vester received him. A few moments
later word was sent out to me, and I
went in to meet the Kaiser.
He was in full uniform and wore
a sword. His kingly bearing was
very conspicuous, although, as he ex-.
tended his hand and grasped mine
so hard that he nearly crushed the
bones, he was making an effort, L
knew, to appear as democratic as
possible.
Well young man." he greeted me,
rather effusively you have come to
Berlin, I understand, to make Your
! home. hope you will have happy
life among us. You look a little pale.
| Well have to feed you and fatten
you upon good German food"
1t wasn't lack of food that made
me pale, but didn't tell him so. The
| fact was that this was the first time
had ever been presented to king.
and the prospect of having to work
on this monarch rather unnerved
me-
DR.. Sylvester asked him If he
would go to my operating room,
which he readily consented to do.
When he was seated in my chair;
examined his teeth and found them
to be in rather a neglected condition.
| AS I have mentioned, this was the
| first time in more than five months
that he had visited Sylvester. 1t was
! during that period that he had un-
dergone the operation on his throat
| which started the rumor that he was
suffering from cancer, his father
having died from cancer of the
! throat. AS e. matter of fact, as l
subsequently learned from Count
! Taube, the Swedish Ambassador to
Germany. whose physician per-
| formed the operation on the Kaiser,
no anaesthetic had been employed
| on that occasion and the operation
could hardly have been of the char
acter surmised.
I had to work on him steadily for
an hour and half, and once or
twice he referred to a wrist watch
| but he showed no particular irnpa-
| uence. AS matter of fact, through
out all his subsequent relations with
me he never seemed to mind how
| long he remained in my office after
my work was over. although. ,tfter
a more or less lengthy discussion on
some subject of interest, he would
sometimes say: We'll. Davis, you
| kept the Minister of Marine waiting
| for me just half an hour" or. Now,
Davis, I've got to keep my appoint
ment with the Reichskanz1er. I'm
forty minutes late already"
| On this occasion I firmly believe I
| went through 3 far more severe or