Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-12
Copyright. 1918, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate)
CHAPTER III
The Kaiser at Potsdam

The INalSer at 1OlSuitIh
Getting cut of Germany proved 10
be a far more difficult propos!uoh
than l had imagined.
Because l was an American,
thought I would be able to so when
ever l was ready, as long as did not
overstay rhe nine months perlod pro
vided for in the treaty to when |
have already referred, although l
knew, of course, that l would nrst
have to obtain certain credentials
from the pcllce and military authori-
ties. l did not anticipate any trou-
BILE in that direction, however, par
ticularly as II was generally known
that 1 had long enjoyed the friend
shin of the Kaiser and other in1u-
entail Germans.
In this. however, l was very nuch
mistaken.
l had been in touch with Dr.
Charles p. Haselden, OF Hamburg.
an American dentist, regarding his
taking over my practice, twelNe-year
lease and other responsibilities. TO
complete the negotiations IL was de-
sirable for us TO get together in per-
son, but several applications which
DR.. Haselden made for leave TO visit
me in Berlin were fatty refused.
The restrictions placed on travel
from one city to another, especially
where alien enemies were involved,
were very severe, and If one OF the
| cities happened to be a seaport it was
| increasingly difficult. Indeed, before
an alien resident af-a seaport was al
! lowed to leave the country he vas
! required to spend at least two
months in some interior town desig-
mated by the officials. The idea, of
! course. was TO prevent his carrying
away too much information as to
| conditions prevailing in the port OIL
| departure.
/ I took this matter up with the
| kommandantur of Berlin-the mill
| tary department controlling alien
| enemies-but they said they wouldn't t
I allow Haselden to come to Berlin be-
! cause there were too many Amer
| lean dentists there already. The fact
that Americans and other aliens were
I profiting by the absence of Germans
at the from. was naturally thorn
! in the side of the Germans. As
/ matter of fact, however, out of some
! twenty-five American dentists prac-
ticing in Berlin before the war
/ there were now less than a dozen
I left, the others having either re-
! turned TO America or established
/ themselves elsewhere in Europe.
| Realizing. therefore, that it would
l probably be several months before l
| could finally settle up my affairs, and
| that my child, who was anemic,
| ought to be taken out of Germany
with as little delay as possible be-
| cause food conditions were fast go
! ing from bad to worse, l applied to
the Kommandantur for leave to have
my wife and child go to Montreux,
on Lake Geneva, Switzerland, where
! ] hoped to join them at the earliest
possible moment and accompany
/ them home. I did not relish the
idea of their going across the ocean
without me.
That was in May, 1917. Weeks
passed while our application was go
ing from one official to another, ly-
ing, perhaps. for days at time un-
der a pile of other applications of a
similar character or awaiting the in
vestigation of our personal histories,
and it was not until the end of June
that we received any word regarding
IL Then we learned that it had been
denied.
This was my first intimation that
we might have difficulty in getting
out of Germany.
A day or two later the Kaiser
called on me professionally andI told
him of our plight, hoping that he
woud intercede for us. 1t was the
only favor of a personal character
had ever asked of him.
MY child is ailing, your Majesty"
I said. and I feel that she needs a
change Of climate. l applied to the
Kommandantur for leave for my wife
and child to go to Montreux, but I
have just heard that it has been re-
fused!'
Davis, I will see what can do in
the matter" he replied reassurinsiy,
and as he was leaving my Office he