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

catastrophe on the world, DAVIS,
should be strung up by the neck, and
that man is not I, as the world seems
to think! The car of Russia and The
king OF England, when they were at
the wedding Of my daughter-gueste
at my own house, mind you, an0 my
blood relatives-hatched this plot
against me. They were envious of
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; it took Germany one hundred
years to accomplish what she has
done!"
Some time after this, one Of the big
gest merchants in Berlin told me that
he had heard on the stock exchange
that the kaiser mad made the remark
that the king and ear had Matched
the plot against him, and as had
repeated the kaiser's statement to no
one, l realized that he must have told
the same thing to others. If this YER
sion Of the starting of the war was put
into circulation with the idea OF alb
solving the kaiser, it Certainly didn't
carry conviction even among the Ger
mans themselves. The. merchant who
spoke to me about it, at any rate, made
fun of the idea, and ! never heard the
point seriously raised by anyone else
OF influence.
Before I left the kaiser that morn
ing he spoke Of the Anglo-French loan
which had been fioated in America
and condemned us severely for coun-
tenancing it. Wlsen l told him that
Germany had also 1oated loan in
America, he replied: "But ours was
oGly S10000,000, while theirs is $780,
G00,000!" to which naturally rejoined
that the size OF the loan could GER
tainly not affect the question of our
neutrality in floating it.
Ee criticized our bankers who han
died the lean, and when asked him if
he had ever seen the number Of Ger
man names that appeared on the list
If hanlIs..ss' irf-0 were interested in It,
he said he amt read the list, but he
vas quite sure there was one bank in
New York which wouldn't touch it.
THAT bank wouldn't touch anything
hat would be detrimental to Ger
juany!" he added.
Several months later l was called
10 Pless again and was shown to the
same room had visited on the former
occasion. When the kaiser entered he
stood erect, with his hands to his side,
clicked his heels together and sGlutcd
ne as a soldier salutes superior Off
aer, smiling as he did 50, and ] knew
;e was in good humor.
Nevertheless he had brit little 10 say.
lis criticism of Mr.. Wilson OF this oc-
aston I have recorded elsewhere in
;hcse pages.
n June of 1917, after the great army
headquarters had been removed 10
uomburg v. d. Hohe, and krenZnGcii
two neighboring viliagcs) was called
shere 10 see the kaiserin, and three
weeks later I went there again to sec
he kaiser. noticed at the station tbs
Eaiser's private train composed or tT1
dark green cars upon each Of which
was plainly marked the Imperial coat
IF arms. The cars had special folding
steps.
Two rooms were assigned to me OF
enc of the upper floors Of the palace
ard my meals consisted Of the same
kind of food as I had always had be-
fore the war; although the hunger cpl
deInic was raging throughout the coui.-
try. It was almost worth the trip fcf
the sake Of the meals alone.
After had treated the kaiser IN the
morning I went to my rooms, as knew
it would be three O'Clock before he
would be ready for he again. He never
allowed anything to interfere with his
aftar-dinner nap.
After the kaiser had had his sleep,
was summoned to his dressing room.
EIe entered the room attired in red
dannel undershirt. 1t was the first
time I had ever seen him II such 9
state Of pIehian negligee, and recciy
ed more or less of q shock. had been
so accustomed to seeing him in uni
form, both in pictures and in person.
that ii had never occurred to me that
underneath that symbol of pomp the
kaiser probably dressed the same as
we lesser mUrtals. | Eoticed incident
ally that when he put on his military
roat lie put it On right over lis under
shirt.
H0n3burg was much nearer the fir
ing line than Pless, although, Of course,
at a very safe distance. noticed,
however, that here anti-aircraft guns
had been planted, but apart from that
there was hardly any more activity
than there had been at Pless.
While walking down the corridor l
was stopped by an officer ard asked
who | was, but, as rule, l came and
went without molestation and seldom
had to show my pass, which one Of the
kaiser's adjutants had given ne and
which permitted me to enter and leave
army headquarters for the whole year
1917.
When I was driven through the
streets of HomDurg, both coming from
and going to the railroad station, in the
kaiser's motorcar, and the second-man,
or bugler, on the front seat, blew the
horn, people came running out Oh
ctoras and from afar to ref a view OF