Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1918-09-20
lean Dentist to the Kaiser from 904 to 1918

J height had an interview with the kali
ser which will ever remain one of the
] most vivid in my memory.
1t was about three-thirty one Sunday
morning when I was aroused by a maid
who, in an awe-stricken tone of voice,
announced that the Neue Palais, the
kaiser's palace at Potsdam, was on the
phone. l went to the telephone and
was informed that the kaiser was suf-
fering from bad toothache and would
send his auto for me within an hour or
so.
got up at once and packed my in
struments, and at six-thirty the car,
big gray Mercedes limousine, arrived.
Besides the chauffeur there was an
outrider carrying the bugle whose dis
tinctive notes only the kaiser may use.
While the Shell room and other state
! rooms were accessible to visitors be-
fore the war, no one was ever permit
the kaiser upstairs.
On this occasion, however, was
guided right through the Shell room,
through door opening on the left and
up a wide staircase to the kaiser's
garderobe, or dressing room.
There 1 found breakfast ready for
me. 1t consisted of real coffee, real
white bread, butter, marmalade, sugar,
cream and cold meats 1t was the first
food of the kind had eaten in some
time and practically no one in Ger
many outside the royal family and the
junkers was any better off than in
that respect.
While / was breakfasting, the kaiser
was dressing. His valet entered sew
eral times. noticed, to take out arti-
cles of clothing from the massive
wardrobes which lined the room. had
just completed my meal when 1 re-
ceived word that my patient was ready
to receive me.
As I entered the kaiser's bedroom
he was standing in the center of the
room, fully attired in an army gray
uniform, but without his sword. He
looked more haggard than l had ever
seen him, except once in 1915 Lack
of sleep and physical pain were two
things with which he had had very
little experience, and they certainly
showed their effects very plaialy.
He didn't seem to be in the best Of
humor but greeted me cordially enough
and shook hands,
I'm all my life, Davis. he said, 81
have never suffered so much pain"
1 expressed my sorrow and started
to improvise a dental chair out of an
upholstered armchair on which l
placed some pillows and, as the kaiser |
sat down, he laughingly remarked:
Look here, Davis, you've got to do /
something for me. l can't fight the |
whole world, you know, and have a
toothache ~
When l was through and his pain
was relieved, his spirits seemed to re-
vive appreciably. and he explained why
it was he was so anxious to have his
tooth trouble removed as quickly as
possible.
Il must go down to Italy, Davis"
he said, ito see what my noble troops
have accomplished. My gracious,
what we have done to them down
therel Our offensive at Riga was just
feint. We had advertised our in
tended offensive In Italy so thoroughly
that the Italians thought we couldn't
possibly intend TO carry 1t through.
For three months it was common talk
in Germany, you remember, that the
great offensive would start in October.
and so the Italians believed it was all
q bluff and when we advanced on Riga
they were sure of it. They thought we
were so occupied there that we could
pay no attention to them, and so we
caught them nappingw
The kaiser's face fairly beamed as
he dwelt on the strategy of his gen.
erals and the successful outcome Of
their Italian campaign.
"For months Italy had been engaged
n planting her big guns on the noun
and gathering mountains of
and supplies and food and
hospital supplies in the valleys below, ,
n preparation for their twelfth Isonzo ,
offensive y
1--WE let them go ahead and waited !
for the right moment. They :
bought that their contemplated often
i've must inevitably bring our weaker 7
eighbor to her knees and force her TO :
lake a separate peace !" BY "our '
Teaker neighbor" the kaiser, of course, +
eferred to Austria, and how accurate y
as his information regarding Italy's +
expectations and how easily they f
light have been realized were subse- g
uently revealed by the publication Of
lat famous letter from Kaiser Karl