Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1918-11-22


1--WE Just come from the western
'front.'" ne told me. 'sMy men are III
to their knees in water and mud
We've been having lots OF fun pump
ing the water out Of our trenches int:
the french trenches"
"Well, 1 suppose the French pump
It right back again, don't they?"
"Iou're quite right, quite right
That's exactly what they do. Really
it's a great lark"
Remarks of this kind rather sickenet
me of this self-satisfed young man
l realized, Of course, that his part il
the war was played at sach a safe
distance from the front lines that he
was probably not familiar with all The
horrors of trench warfare, and yet il
could not be possible that he was I'm
aware Of the terrific loss of life anC
the untold agony and suffering which
millions of his people had to endure
while the "nonsensicai" war contin.
ued.
After diplomatic relations wert
broken Off between America and Ger
many, the crown prince ard his fam
lily ceased coming to me-. They were
afraid, no doubt, Of public criticism
although tie kaiser was not.
OF the kai5cr's other children
Prince William Eitel Frederick acG
Prince Oscar WIRE tie only ones
never met.
Prince AGelt1rt, the kaiser's thirG
son, was a very handsome and charm
ing man. He always came to me at
tired in a nava! ofi:cer's uniform.
saw him but & few times, as he was
seldom in Berlin, ard he never talked
OF matters of general Importance.
never saw hin after America entered
the War.
Prince August Wilhelm, the fourth
son, was perhaps the most democratic
of them all. He sometimes came to
see nle in an ordinary taXicab and he
was the only one OF the kalser's sons
whom l ever saw in civilian dress. lie
was the first member OF the royal fam
lily to come to me after The murder
OF the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. and
he was in mourning when he called
He looked very sad and detected ana
gave me the first intirnatior that the
tragedy of Sarajevo would almost in
eyitably lead to a general war.
I In January, 1913, in speaking Of tl77
part that America would take in to-
war, he mentioned that his officers had
told him that 10000 Americans were
on the western front. "We don't be.
lieve 1t, however" he added. GLOW
could they get there without our know
ing it? Our U-boats would certainly
have found it out. No, Davis, it's not
true
i Prince Joachim, the kaiser's young
est son, and one Of the last of the
royal family to visit me, reminded ne
very much of his eldest brother, the
crown prince. lie was tall and slender
and would have been good-looking but
for retreating chin which was very
pronounced. He had as little respect
for public opinion lis the crown prince,
and while the U-boat Deutschland was
on it's way to America principally to
bring back q cargo Of rubber, the sup
ply of which was exhausted in Ger
many, this sixth son of the kaiser was
driving around the country in a big
car and using up enormous rubber
tires, while rubber was worth its
weight in gold and many cars for the
army were supplied with plain iron
wheels.
This prince was the only member OF
the royal family to get near enough
to the firing line to get shot. The in
jury, which he received while at the
western front, was only slight flesh
wound Of the thigh, but it was enough
to start him limping through history.
1t was such a superficial wound that
it couldn't have caused him one-half
as much pain as it gave the whole
royal family pleasure.
The fact that one Of the kaiser's
own sons had actually been wounded
and shed his royal blood in active ser
vice was something that the inspired
press will never stop growing over,
but by just what accident the prince
happened to come within range of the
bullet has never been disclosed. New.
ertheless he received the Iron Cross OF
the first class, or, as some one who
realized the significance Of the Incl
dent, remarked, "a first-class iron cross
for q second-class wound"
AS he limped into my office, the
young prince-he is now only twenty
eight remarked: "See what one OF
your damned American bullets did to
mel"
GLOW do you know it was an Amer
lean bullet?" l asked.
'The Russians have nothing else!"
l told him on one occasion that the.
people were complaining Of the food
shortage.
"They have food enough" he an
swered. 'HThe best thing they Go is
to complain! Don't they complain in
America? The fact is they have too
much to eat, anyway. They don't know
what they want"
CHAPTER xiii.