Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1918-09-20
CHAPTER II.
The Kaiser at Potsdan.

settle I'D my affairs, and that my child,
who was anemic, ought to be taken
out of Germany with as little delay rs
possible because food conditions were
fast going from bad to worse, a.
piled to the kommandantur for leave /,
have my wife and child go to MHI-
treux, on Lake Geneva, Switzerland
where l hoped to join them at n.
earliest possible moment and accom-
pany them home. did not relish q:
idea of their going across the oce;.i.
without me.
That was in May, 1917. Wee
PASSED while our application was goii
from one official to another, lying, =
haps for days at time under pile =
other applications OF Il similar CHS:
acter or awaiting the investigation
our personal histories, and It vas Il
until the erl - June that we recciT'
any word REGARDING it, Then
learned that L Lad I'm denied.
This ,ra< ny first iAtiu ton t;Iat V
nt!.:ht i;aye difficulty il getting on -
C";many.
\ ;i.y O two later the i..;isDT c@llcE'
% OIL ne professionally ard toi iijlh -
oar plight, hoping that lie would intef
ceGe for us. It was the only favor o. {.
PERSONA! character ! had ever asked q
Kim.
My Child is a;ling, your majesty" /
said, land | feel that she needs
change OF climate. I applied to the
kommandantur for leave for my wife
and child to 20 TO MontreuX, but have
lust heard that it has been refused !"
"Davis, I viii see what l can do in
the matter" he replied roaSSuringy,
and as he was leaving my Office lie
turned to me and said in the presence
o. his two adjutants: Regarding that
matter you spoke OF, leave it to me
and I vii, See what I can dO!"
The kaiser's influence would readily
Ecive our problem, I thought, and L
was very much relieved. Two days
later, however, l received q letter
from Count Won Moltke, one of the kali
sar's aUjutants, stating that the kai-
scr had spoken to him regarding the
Switzerland project, but, under the
circumstances, it was out of the ques-
ion. If, however, my childs condition
I:ere such as to make change Of ell
mate really necessary, he added, the
kaiser suggested that trip to the
Austrian Tyrol might perhaps be ar
ranged, as the climate there was just
d. good as that Of Switzerland, but be-
fore permission would be granted for
that trip it would be necessary to Cd
tain q certificate from the district doc
for stating that it was necessary.
As the food situation in Austria was
Just as bad as it was in Germany, II
Tot worse, that idea didn't appeal to
NE at ALL and I went Immediately to
the kommaniantur and explained the
situation 10 them.
When they saw Count Won Moltke's
letter the officer III charge threw up
his haE>!S.
"That's final" he declared. "That
cc.nl5 from L higher authority than
ours. T. is useless to pursue the mat
TT nnr further. We received a COM
t.,r!n.tian from his majesty regard
III year Csc, but the matter was left
entirely TO cur discretion. It was not
Il t,,11aud, only Il request from his
M, ::1s.y. A command, of course, would
h;"a been different"
.tncn ! applied for a pass for my
wife. child and myself to go to Amer
Ica. They pointed out st the kommaE-
"tur that as my wife's application
e. leave Berlin preceded mine, it was
possible she would be allowed to leave
i~:.n"e me. l told the officer that that
.uid suit me admirably, as | wanted
II, nnss for Mrs. Davis and the child
f.anted at the earliest possible mo-
lat regardless of what action might
b., taken on my own application.
again there followed long period
O. anxious waiting while the German
r, / tape slowly unwound, but eventu-
Ally, in September, we received word
that Mrs. Davis and the child might
leave Berlin for Copenhagen between
October 10 and Il. They left on the
t,nth.
\ day or two later commenced the
German offensive against Riga, on the
baltic. Within three Or four days the
Germans captured successfully the
Ocsc!, Runo, Obro and Moon islands
|. lie Gulf Of Riga and then carried
lnei: invasion tC tie mainland. Their
apnarent objective was Petrograd and
on Oc.chc. 10 the Russians announced
mat tho seat of the government would
b. removed from Petrograd to Mos
COW.
These successes on the Baltic failed
t. overcome the depression in Germany
caused by the serious internal Sltua-
tinn in Austria 1t ,Ais period. NUM-
fam factories were being wrecked by
lr.ngcr-cra2eG and war-weary strikers
aud the poGulace WAS being shot down
IN great numbers in the food rlol5
which developed in various parts OF
Austria. Net since the war began hSd
the outlook been so diScouraglng 1or
tie Germans.
Taen, on October a, just as things
were looking their blacklist, the great
...Y,,an-tnstro offensive against the
ytaiians was started. II three days the
J.3,;aEs were swept out o. Austria ana
III. Tcutons pressed forward TO ttie
r.,ssss west OF the Isoazo river leadli,g
+, the Venetian plains. BY the enc z
ccta.,ar fine italian armies were IN lbs