The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-11-28

bb1sbph ''Gs $1,000
my power, but they will now learn
what that power is"
In the same breath almost he made
the Inconsistent remark: England
will never be able to raise an efficient
army 1t took Germany n hundred
years TO accomplish what she has
done!"
Some time after this, one Of the big
gest merchants in Berlin told M that
he had heard on the stock exchange
that the kaiser had made the remark
that the king and car had Matched
the plot against him, and as | had
repeated the kaiSer's statement to no
one, ! realized that he must have told
the same thing to others. IL this YER
sion Of the starting OF the war was put
into circulation with the idea Of abb
solving the kaiser, it certainly didn't
carry conviction even among the Ger.
mans themselves. The merchant who
spoke to me about 1t, at any rate, made
fun OF the idea, and / never heard the
point seriously raised by anyone else
VI lullutuct.
Before | left the kaiser that morn.
lag he spoke Of the Anglo-French loan
which had been flOated In America
and condemned us severely for c0un-
t%enancing it. When l told him that
Germany had also floated a loan in
America. he replied: "But ours vas
only $10.O00,000, while theirs Is $780,
OOO,000!" to which l naturally rejoined
that the size Of the loan could GER
tainly not affect the question Of our
neutrality In floating 1t.
He criticized our bankers who han
died the loan, and when l asked him If
he had ever seer the number Of Ger
man names that appeared on the list
Of bankers who were interested in it.
he said he hadn't read the list, but he
was quite sure there was one bank In
New York which wouldn't touch 1t.
"That bank wouldn't touch anything
that would be detrimental to Ger
many !" he added.
Several months later / was called
to Pless again and was shown to the
same o I had visited on the former
occasion. When the kaiser entered he
stood erect, with his hands to his side
clicked his heels together and saluted
me as a soldier salutes a superior Off
Ger. smiling as he did so, and l knew
he was In good humor.
Nevertheless he had but little to say
His criticism Of Mr.. Wilson on this oc'
casion l have recorded elsewhere in
these pages.
In June Of 1917. after the great army
headquarters had been removed to
HOmburg v. d. Hohe, and Krenznach
1.-TWO neighboring villages) l was called
there to see the kaiserin, and three
weeks later l went there again to see
the kaiser. / noticed at the station the
kaiser's private train composed Of five
dark green cars upon each Of which
was plainly marked the imperial coat
of arms. The cars had special folding
steps.
Two rooms were assigned to me on
one Of the upper floors Of the palace
and my meals consisted Of the same
kind Of food as I had always had be-
fore the war, although the hunger cpl.
demic was raging throughout the coun-
try. 1t was almost worth the trip for
the sake of the meals alone.
After I had treated the kaiser In the
morning went to my rooms. as I knew
1t would be three o'clock before he
wnuId ho roody for ~a ouoir To o-ox
allowed anything to interfere with his
after-dinner nap.
After the kaiser had had his sleep, ]
was summoned to his dressing room
He entered the room attired In a red
flannel undershirt. 1t was the first
time i had ever seen him in such a
state of plebian negligee, and l receiv
ed more or less of a shock. 1 had been
so accustomed to seeing him in uni
form. both in pictures and in person
that 1t had never occurred to me that
underneath that symbol of pomp the
kaiser probably dressed the same as
we lesser mortais. l noticed incident
ally that when he put on his military
coat he put 1t on right over his under,
shirt.
Homburg was much nearer the fr
Ing line than Pless, although. Of course
at a very safe distance. 1 noticed
however. that here anti-aircraft guns
had been planted, but apart from thai
there was hardly any more activity
than there had been at Pless.
While walking down the corridor
was stopped by an officer and asked
who l was, but, as a rule. / came and
went without molestation and seldom
had to show my pass, which one of the
kaiser's adjutants had given me ant
which permitted me to enter and leave
army headquarters for the whole yea
1917.
When i was driven through thu
streets of Homourg. Doth coming from
and going to the railroad station. In tn,
kaiser's motorcar. and the second man
or bugler. on the front seat, blew tn,
horn, people came running out d
stores and from afar to get a view o,
tho important parsonage who occupied
the kaiser's own carl Mary Of then
saluted me or raised their hats and