The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-06-06
HOLDS NAME OBJECTIONABLE
Says Word Personifies ALI the Outrag-
eous and Barbarous Acts Committed
in World War and Stigma Must Fol
low 1t When Peace Comes.

Richard Francis. was formally in
charge of the office of the Chamber
of Commerce. You may have known
the intensely patriotic gentleman by
some other name some time ago but
today he went into the office of the Re-
gister of deeds up at the county build
ing and snapped name which was
tinged with Prussianism for name
which is American.
Richard Francis, one time bore as his
name the name of the leader of the
"Huns.' 1t was a family name. One
that had been born by honor over in a
country beyond the seas and one
which had never been disgraced by the
members of that family. But it had
it's draw backs. 1t was the name which
Germany had given to its leader and
as such it was repellant to the man
who had born it in Kenosha.
1t was on this account that Erich
ard f. Kaiser" ceased to be today and
in place of him came a new man,
Richard Francis.
Happily Wisconsin offers way for
men to got away from the odium of a
name. Tt may be that there is not
much in a name but the Secretary of
the Chamber of Commerce thought diff
ferent. Since the opening Of theewar
he has been leader of intensely pa
triotic thought and action in Kenosha
and he just couldn' stand it any
longer
81 can t continue to bear that name
when ! hate all that it implies. / love
friends dear to me but I love my
adopted American better' declared
Mr.. Francis this morning CT want
to get away from everything that
might be suggestive of Germany and
her allies
There was not great deal of cere-
mony connected with the changing of
the name of the Secretary. His afida-
viz had been carefully made out and
just as soon as it had been made a
matter of record the Register of Deeds
greeted him under his new and better
navse and it brought smile that ran
a over the face of the genial secre-
tarv. The change of the name effects
the wife of Mr.. Francis who now be-
comes Mrs. Maud Francis and their
enc daughter is Miss Rosina Francis.
The declaration which Mr.. Francis fill
ea with the Register of Deeds is
worth while. In it he says:
Beng DESTROYS of changing my
rame [ do solemnly declare as fol
lows:-
That my name is Richard Francis
Kaiser; that my wife's name is Maud
Kaiser: and | have one child named
Bosina Margaret Kaiser.
That my place of residence is No. 581
South Sheridan Road, in the City of
Kencsha, County Of Kenosha and State
of Wisconsin; that my age is thirty
nine year, being born on the 31st day
Of March, 1879; that I was born in
Flbogen, Austria; that I came to the
nited States in September, 1902; that
/ resided in Peoria, Illinois, FIVE years:
EauClaire, Wisconsin, nine years; in
Kenosha, Wisconsin. one year and
two months.
That owing to the war forced upon
ctr country through Prussianism and
the desire of the military ruling pow
c.s of Germany to impose that auto
cracy upon the entire civilized world,
and owing to the obiectional name of
Kaiser which word perosnifes all the
outrageous and barbarous acts com
mitted in this world war and owing to
the stigma of this name that exists
and viii exist after this war has been
wen by our country and our allies and
owing to the impropriety of such a
name for any American citizen.
] desire to drop the objectional por-
ticn of my name and be known and
have my named changed to Richard
Francis -