Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-02-19
Eugene echt Quits
Baden, Night
of Sons
Birth
IN REVOLUTION OF IS48


his hasty escape from Baden, Ger
many on the night his eldest son Julius
was born, he thought he had fininshe6
his fight against Prussian autocracy
for the revolution in which he anC
most Of his fellow townsman has en-
gagged was lost. He escaped with 9
whole skin, something more thar
many of his comrades.
Could he but have lived another
score OF years he would have seen the
Fecht family two generations remov
ed engaged in the same fight only on
a larger scale The little revolution in
which most of the inhabitants of Ba.
den participated against Prussianism
in 184S-9 was bat a spark of the big
flame that belched forth three score
and six years later.
TWO GENERATIONS IN FIGHT
Two of the three generations of the
Fecht family have been and are as
lively doing their part toward oppos.
ing this autocracy. Ottumwa is inter
ested in the fight and historic ro-
nance, for 1t savors of the romantic
to degree. Starting almost seventy
years ago with Eugene Fecht, father
of julius and Emil Fecht Of Ottumwa
in the state of Baden, Germany, the
third generation in the person of AL
fred Fecht, son of Emil and nephew
Of julius, Is now engaged even as
was his grandfather in fighting Ger
man autocracy. The grandfather
fought and the cause was lost, he es-
Gaping to America, but the grandson
is today with General John Pershing's
forces in France and does not expect
his cause to be lost.
( PICTURE SEEN IN MOVIES
Alfred Fecht IS musician in the
18th U. S. infantry band and was one
of the first contingent A. E. F. that left
with Pershing to, enter the war in
France A war film shown at local
theater some months ago showed the
young Ottumwan among the American
troops at Frech seaport playing the
piccolo. So natural did he appear,
that the father had an enlargement
made from the film which he prizes
very highly. Alfred spent the first few
months of 1917 at home on furlough.
returning to his regiment at Douglass
Ariz., before the United States actu-
ally became factor in the war. On
his way to the port Of embarkation.
he passed through Eldon and was
visited enroute by his parents last
summer.
FOUGHT PRUSSIA IN 1s49-e.
Now for the romantic story of how
the family firsteentered the lists to
buck Prussianism:
The story as related by julius and
Emil Fecht reveals some German his
tory which will be touched upon only
insofar as pertinent to the story.
The people of Baden, Germany, had
tired of the oppressive rule of the
fatherland as then administered and
decided a republic would best serve
their needs and give them the liber-
ties they felt they were entitled to.
They organized as best they could
under the conditions then obtaining
and under the colors of black, red and
gold, were about to become one of the
family of nations independent of the
German government
SON OF LUTHERAN PREACHER.
One of those active in the cause Of
liberty and foe to oppression that
obtained then, as now, under Prus-
sian government, was Eugene Fecht.
His son, julius, in referring to the
part his father played in the revolu.
ton, said:
Father was son of Lutheran
who in common with most
Of that clergy then, was man Of
large family and slender means, The
son Eugene when through his school
ing, married and became civilian Of
fetal with the title of tribune, rep
resentative of the people in court.
Under our form of government we
have no similar official
BADEN REVOLUTION FAILS.
"Our family resided in Stein on the
Kocher and father was one OF the
many men OF Baden who Joined the
revolutionary army. The entire army
Of Baden numbering some $4,000 men
with all their equipment and fort
resses went over as a man to the revo-
luton. Prussia under William I BE-
sieged the revolutionists, who includ-
ed, besides the army, many from the
fields and shops armed with pitch
forks, scythes and any implement of
warfare they could command, whether
firearm or not The revolving troops
were in the fortress at Rastadt where