The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1918-11-01

The whole situation appeared to the
crown prince very much In the light
of joke.
awe just come from the western
| 'front.'" he told me. my men are up
to their knees In water and mud.
We've been having lots Of fun pump
ing the water out of our trenches into
the French trenches"
swell, / suppose the French pump
II right back again, don't they7"
you're quite right, quite right.
That's exactly what they do. Really,
it's great lark"
Remarks of this kind rather sickened
me Of this self-satisfied young man.
/ realized, of course, that his part in
the war was played at such safe
distance from the front lines that he
was probably not familiar with all the
horrors of trench warfare, and yet 1t
could not be possible that he was I'M
aware of the terrific loss of life and
the untold agony and suffering which
millions of his people had to endure
while the "nonsenslcar war contin-
ued.
After diplomatic relations were
broken Off between America and Ger
many, the crown prince and his fam
lily ceased coming to me. They were
afraid, no doubt, of public criticism,
although the kaiser was not.
or the kaiser's other children,
Prince William Eitel Frederick and
Prince Oscar were the only ones
never met.
Prince Adelbert, the kaiser's third
son, was a very handsome and charm
Ing man. He always came to me at
tired In a naval officers uniform. /
saw him but few times, as ne was
| seldom In Berlin, and he never talked
on matters of general Importance. /
never saw him after America entered
the war
Prince August Wilhelm, the fourth
son. was perhaps the most democratic
OF them all. He sometimes came to
see me in an ordinary taxicab and he
was the only one of the kaiser's sons
whom ever saw In civilian dress. He
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 and
| gave me the first intimation that the
tragedy of Sarajeyo would almost In
eyitably lead to a general war.
In January, 1918. In speaking of the
part that America would take in the
war, he mentioned that his officers had
told him that 10000 Americans were
on the western front. 1--WE don't be-
lieve 1t, however" he added. "How
could they get there without our know
ing 1t? Our U-boats would certainly
have found 1t out. No, Davis, it's not
true"
Prince Joachim, the kaiser's young
est son, and one of the last of the
royal family to visit me, reminded me
1 very much of his eldest brother, the
crown prince. He was tall and slender
and would have been good-looking but
| for retreatlng chin which was very
pronounced. He had as little respect
for public opinion as the crown prince,
and while the U-boat Deutschland was
on its way to America principally to
bring back q cargo of rubber, the sup
/
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 a slight flesh
wound of the thigh, but 1t was enough
to start him limping through history
1t was such a superficial wound that
II couldn't have caused him one-hali
as much pain as 1t 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 tbs
bullet has never been disclosed. New
ertheless he received the Iron Cross o.
the first class, or, as some one wht
realized the significance Of the Incl
dent. remarked, "a first-class iron eros
for second-class wound"
As he limped into my office, thu
young prlnce--he is now only twenty
eight--remarked "See what one o
your damned American bullets did I,
mel"
slow do you know II was an Amer
lean bulletf" / asked.
''The Russians have nothing else"
/ told him. on one occasion that tn
people were complaining of the foo'
shortage.
sThey have food enough" he an
swered. ''The best thing they do /
to complaint Don't they complain Il
! American she fact Is they have to-