Emmons County record., 1918-10-10
The Kaiser as | Knew Him
for Fourteen Years
@~1 ~
By ARTHUR N. DAVIS. D. D. s.
tcopyrxht ,ss y the Mcclure Newspaper syndicate,

pOtnc0re forwarded similar protest |
based upon the use Of dumdum bullets |
by the Germans.
Regarding the violation Of Belgium's
neutrality. the kaiser was able to Of
fer no reasonable argument. The fact
thnt he was willing to pay Belgium for
permission to allow his armies to go
through that country was apparently
sufficient justification in his eyes for
tnlsing by force what Belgium refused
to sell.
"How foolish of Belgium to have re-
sisted us!" he declared. in this con-
nection. "Had they consented to let
us walk through we would have paid
for everything-everything! Not q
hair of their heads would have been
touched and Belgium today would be
in the same happy financial condition
TINT Luxembourg is."
At subsequent interview we re-
ferred to Belgium again, and the kali
ser alleged that Japan had violated
the neutrality Of China when she sent
troops through Chinese territory to
seize Kiao-Chau.
ut Is all right for the allies to do
these things" he commented sarcas-
ticnlly, "but when Germany does them
England rises up In righteous lndig-
nation. The hypocrites! Why. we
found papers in Brussels which
showed conclusifely that England and
Belgium had secret agreement by
which in the event Of war with Ger
many England was to be permitted to
occupy Belgium! We've got those pa.
pers in Berlin. We could have no
more positive proof against them. The
Belgians were simply England's tools !"
Some Of the arguments the kaiser
raised in his discussions with me re-
garding the war were so weak and
untenable that one might we'll doubt
his sincerity In urging them, but
shall give them for what they are
worth.
"They refer to us rs the Huns!" the
kaiser observed bitterly. "If your
people could see what the Russians
have done in the Bukowina and east
ern Prussia they would know then
who are the real Huns! They de-
stroyed everything they could lny
their hands on. In one of my shoot
ing lodges which the Cossacks entered
they even knocked out the teeth of the
bonrs' 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 ana 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.
moiished, 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 knowt
IN their entirety We do know thai
they executed Captain Fryatt, thu
commander OF a British merchant YES
: sci, who was captured after he hat
rs,med German U-b0at / don
know to what extent the kaiser wa.
t.Iectiy responsible for that dastardl,
crime, hut from what he said regard
Ing the capture OF another British cap
tnin, the commander of the Daral0ns
it was quite evident that he was il
!, entire sympathy with acts Of tha
character.
A German U-boat had sunk Brit
!. ish vessel upon which were some o
! the relatives Of the crew of the Bara
: long. The crew OF this U-boat va
subsequently captured by the Bara
; long, and according to reports in Ger
> many they were harshly treated. The
It was reported that the Baralong ha
. been captured and that her captai
. and the crew would be summaril
!, dealt with.
y II hear we have captured the car
;, tain of the Baralong," the kaiser dt
y clared to me Mt that time. IF we CO
>. prove that he's the man we'll fix him
:. The manner in which the kaise
' spoke left no doubt In my mind tha
: the direst punishment would be mete
" out to the unfortunate British captain
Booty is undoubtedly legitimat
e incident Of war, but 1t is legitimat
i only as an incident. Otherwise boot
= !, becomes loot. In any event, when 1,
! vadinG troops seize private property
y is customary to pay for 1t. That II
> Germans were good takers but poo
y payers is revealed by two inciden,
i which the kaiser narrated to me, nm