The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1918-11-28
The Kaiser as | Knew 7 lin
for Fourteen Years
By ARTHUR N. DAVIS. D. D. S.


DOarS 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 them"
Several prominent Poles, who were
patients of mine and whose fine eS-
tates in Poland were looted and 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 it 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
rammed a German U-bOat I don't
know to what extent the kaiser was
directly responsible for that dastardly
crime, but from what he said regard
ing the capture of another British cap
tain, the commander of the Baralong,
] it was quite evident that he was in
entire sympathy with acts of that
character.
A German U-boat had sunk a Brit
ish vessel upon which were some of
the relatives of the crew of the Bara-
long. The crew of this U-boat was
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 Grew would be summarily
dealt with.
Il hear we have captured the cap
tain Of the Baralong," the kaiser de-
prove that he's the man We'll fix him !"
The manner in which the kaiser
spoke left no doubt in my mind that
the direst punishment would be meted
out to the unfortunate British captain
Booty is undoubtedly a legitimate
incident of war, but it is legitimate
only as an incident. Otherwise booty
becomes loot. In any event, when In
vadfng troops seize private property It
is customary to pay for it. That the
Germans were good takers but poor
payers is revealed by two incidents
which the kaiser narrated to me, and
the keen enjoyment he derived from
them can be fully understood only by
those who know how much the kaiser
appreciates getting something for
nothing.
"ROumania wanted our gold for food
products" he told me- ''They demand
ed pure gold and they set enormous
prices on their wares; but we needed
what they had to sell and we were
ready to pay even the outrageous
prices they demanded. And then they
foolishly. declared war against US and
we got it all for nOthingi When l
spoke to Hindenburg about the con-
templated campaign against Rouma-
MIA he said, This will be very inter
esting campaign 1t was. We got all
we wanted and didn't have to pay
penny for it."
The kaiser beamed all over as he
contemplated the results of Rouma-
MAS entry in the war.
When the German troops entered
Tarnapol, Russia, at later time they
captured vast quantities of American
made hospital supplies.
"We were just figuring what this
seizure amounted to, and my army
doctors were strutting around as If
they owned the world" declared the
kaiser, when one of my officers was
approached by group Of long-haired,
greasy Jews, who claimed that these
supplies belonged to them. They are
our private property; we bought them
and we should be compensated if you
seize Them they contended. Did you
pay for them? my officer asked. No,
we didn't pay for them, but we gave
our notes. they replied. Then said
my officers, when you take up those
notes Wen pay for these stores; in
the meanwhile Wen just take them
We secured bandages, serums-every-
thing, in fact, that we needed so very
badly, and we got them all for moth
mgr
Z did not know at that time that the
German army lacked medical supplies,
but later / saw paper bandageS in use.
I have previously referred to the
kaiser's defense Of the use of Zeppe-
Inns against Paris, London and other
nonmilitary cities. He claimed that If
was proper to make war on civilians.
because England was endeavoring to
starve Germany. On one occasion ]
pointed out to him that IN 1870 the
Germans had besieged Paris and had
starved its population.
1.-THE cases are entirely different
he answered hastily. Then we were
besieging city and the civilian pop-
ulation had plenty of opportunity to
evacuate it before the siege began
England is besieging a whole nation
and trying to starye my women and
children. who have nothing to do with
war"
eouidn't holm fhinkin0 Of A.