The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1918-11-28
The Kaiser as | Knew Him
for Fourteen Years
~
By ARTHUR N. DAVIS, D. D. s..


Belgians were simply E%ngland's tools !"
Some Of the arguments the kaiser
raised In his discussions with me re-
garding the war were SO weak and
%untenable that one might well doubt
his sincerity In urging them. but II
shall give them for what they are .
worth.
"They refer to us as the Huns !" the
kaiser observed bitterly. "If your
people could see what the Russians
have done In the Bukowina and east
ern Prussia they would know then
who are the real Hunsl They de-
stroyed everything they could lay
their hands on. In one Of my shoot
ing lodges which the Cossacks entered
they even knocked out the teeth Of the
boars' heads which hung on the walls
With knives they cut out the covers of
my chairs. They had special fire
bombs which they threw on peaceful
villages. These bombs had been con-
structed In peace times and were de-
signed solely for pillage and destruc-
ton.
"Instead Of treating their soldiers
as prisoners of war we should have
strung them up by the neck-every
one Of themi"
Several prominent Poles, who were
patients of mine and whose fine es-
tates in Poland were looted Inc de-
molished, told me positively that the
destruction and depredations were
committed entirely by German troops.
The Russians had occupied the houses
when they were in possession of that
section Of the country, but 1t was not
until they were driven out by the Ger
mans that the acts Of vandalism were
committed and they had convincing
} evidence that In every case the Ger
man soldiers and not the Russians
were responsible.
The outrages committed by the Ger
mans In their treatment Of prisoners
of war will probably never be known
| in their entirety. We do know that
, they executed Captain Fryatt, the
commander Of a British merchant YES
sci, who was captured after he had
3 rammed a German U-boat. / don't
e kneScR what extent the kaiser was
dirrcs...2 esponsible for that dastardly
: crime, but from what he said regard
g ing the capture Of another British cap
tain, the commander of the Baralong.
it was quite evident that he vas in
: entire sympathy with acts Of that
: character.
: A German U-boat had sunk n Brit
] ish vessel upon which were some of
the relatives of the crew of the Bara-
long. The crew Of this U-boat was
I subsequently captured by the Bara-
: long, and according to reports In Ger
many they were harshly treated. Then
it was reported that the Baralong had
$ been captured and that her captain
: and the crew would be summarily
$ dealt with.
II hear we have captured the cap
tain of the Baralong," the kaiser de-
I clared to me at that time. IF we can
prove that he's the man we'll fix him y
d The manner In which the kaiser
spoke left no doubt In my mind that
I the direst punishment would be meted
0 out to the unfortunate British captain.
Booty is undoubtedly a legitimate
e incident Of war, but 1t is legitimate
only as an incident. Otherwise booty
e becomes loot. In any event. when In.
vading troops seize private property II
n Is customary to pay for 1t. That the
/" Germans were good takers but poor
e payers is revealed by two incidents
y which the kaiser narrated to me, and
d the keen enjoyment he derived from
them can be fully understood only by
q those who know how much the kaiser
appreciates getting something fol
It nothing.
"Roumania wanted our gold for food
It products" he told me. "They demand
IT ed pure gold and they set enormous
IS prices on their wares; but we needed
what they had to sell and we were
s ready to pay even the outrageous
prices they demanded. And then they
It foolishly declared war against US ant
,r we got 1t all for nothing! When
spoke to Hindenburg about the con
y templated campaign against Rouma
,r mia he said, This will be a very inter
d esting campaign 1t was. We got al
we wanted and didn't have to pay /,
E. penny for It."
n II KAISER DeaIneu all over az ~
1t contemplated the results Of Rouna
d MAS entry in the war.
a When the German troops entere'
N Tarnapol, Russia. at a later time the.
,e captured vast quantities Of American
IN made hospital supplies.
"We were just figuring. what thi
e. seizure amounted to, and my arm,
j. doctors were strutting around al 1
d they owned the world" declared tn
ut kaiser, "when one Of my officers wa
to approached by a group Of long-haired
greasy Jews, who claimed that thes
10 supplies belonged to them. 'They ar
s. our private property; we bought Their
m and we should be compensated II 20
g. seize them they commended. Did 20
re pay fort hem?' my officer asked. M