Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-29
CHAPTER NJ
Prince Won PIcSs

One of my most distinguished pa
tients in Germany was Fuerst
= -(Prince) Won Pless. Although he
occupied no position of state. he was
so close to the Kaiser and enjoyed
his confidence to such supreme
degree that I always regarded what
he told me as more or less an echo
of the kaisers own sentiments. In
deed IT so frequently happened.
when the visit of one of them fol-
lowed shortly after the other had
been to see me. that they gave ex-
preston TO the same views in al
most the same terms, that / had
concrete evidence of their intimate
Besides being a confidante of the
Kaiser, the Prince was one of the
most influential men in Germany.
Next to Fuerst Won Heckel-Donners-
marck, he was probably Germany's
largest land owner, his possessions
including large coal mines and big
estates upon which were two of the
finest castles in Germany.
For these reasons, l feel that il
may be valuable to record some of
the things Won Pless told me from
time to time, but which might
otherwise be out of place in these
pages.
The Princes wife was the daugh-
ter of Mrs. Corvallis West. She
was one of the most beautiful wom-
en- in England and quite the most
beautiful who had ever come to
Germany.
1t was the Princess who first came
TO me as a patient-early in 1909.
Shortly afterwards l received a long
distance telephone message from
the Prince to the effect that he in
tended calling on me at my office
the following afternoon, which was
a saturday.
L had previously arranged to go
out of town for the weekend to
participate in a golf match at Leip-
zig, and l asked the Prince whether
he could not arrange to see me the
following Monday instead. He said
that that would be quite satisfac-
tory
Later in the day, however. dur
ing my absence, he called up again
and left word that he would be at
my office Saturday afternoon as he
had originally intended. and as it
was impossible for me TO get in
touch with him again. l had to give
up the plans l had made and re-
main in town to receive him.
Naturally, when he arrived l was
not prepared to be particularly cor
dial to him. l had pictured him a
typical German aristocrat whose
selfishness never allows for the, con-
Venience of others, and l didn't care
very much whether | made a favor
able impression upon him or not,
although the Princess had shown
herself to be such a charming indi-
Nldual l did not wish to offend her
after she had advised the Prince to
visit me.
When the Prince arrived, my i'll
humor and preconceived ideas as to
the type of man he was disappeared
simultaneously. l found him to be
a tall blonde. broad-shouldered man
of about As, more English than
German in appearance, his slightly
dropping moustache contrasting
conspicuously with the upturned ap-
pendages favored by most of the
German aristocrats and others who
aped tile Kaiser
This Prince was every inch a
sportsman-another point in which
he differed widely from the general
run of the German nobility. He was
permanently lame as a result of
having been thrown from a horse
while hunting.
In his actions and conversation.
ne was one of the most democratic
Germans l have ever known. In
the years which followed. during
which he visited me regularly for
professional attention, I always felt
perfectly free to air my views and
to answer the sentiments expressed
by the Prince without the slightest
restraint, and he never resented my
attitude.
While i had many interesting
conversations with Prince Won Pless
before the war, there was little of
sufficient significance in them to
warrant their being included in
these pages.
When war broke out. however,
he continued to come to me. and his
remarks from that time on made a
particular impression upon me, as
l knew he was in almost daily con-
tact with the high command.
The first time saw him after the
war started was on August 5, 1914.
had just got into Berlin from
Frankfort. which city l had reached
on motor trip when hostilities
commenced. The Prince was at
tired in the full uniform of a high
German officer. I had never seen
him thus attired before He came
IN smiling and full of confidence.
Indeed. l may say right here that
while l never knew a single one of
his representations or prophecies
which he was very fond of making.
ever to come true, his supreme con-
fldence never left him.
We'll, the great war is on" he
declared. as he entered my office.
Il leave at once for the great army
headquarters in the. field. You will
learn tonight that England is going
to declare war on US"
Great Heavens,p exclaimed.
rs that possible?''
Yes, DIR. Davis, the English am
bassador will ask for his pass to-day
and il will probably be given him
to-day or tomorrow. It's quite all
right. We're only too glad to know
where England stands. We HAD
10 know. If our fleet had gone out
before England declared herself. it
might have been cut off from its
home base and then it would have
been lost. 1t is very fortunate for
us that England showed her hand
so early in the game"
But Prince" l said, you'll be
blockaded,"
We're not worried about that.
1t is not so easy. There are many
channels and many islands and our
boats will always succeed in get
ting through. Anyway. the war will
be over before England has a
chance to accomplish anything in
that direction, and we have vast
supplies of everything which will
outlast the war"