The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1919-01-24

Q The whole situation appeared to IL
} crown prince very much In the ligl
|, OF a joke.
| 'I've just come from the wester
'front.'" he told me. my men are u
: TO their knees In water and mu,
j We've been having lots Of fun pumI
ing the water out Of our trenches int
, the French trenches"
"Well, suppose the French pun
It right back again, don't theyr
i you're quite right. quito righi
That's exactly what they do. Really
It's = great lark"
| Remarks OF this kind rather sickenct
me Of this self-satisfied young man
realized, Of course, that his part IL
the war was played at such q SAT-
distance from the front lines that HI
was probably not familiar with all thu
horrors Of trench warfare. and yet Il
could not be possible that he was un
aware Of the terrific loss Of life and
the untold agony and suffering which
millions of his people had to endure
while the "nonsensicar' war contin-
ned.
After diplomatic relations were
broken OF between America and Ger
many, the crown prince and his fam
lily ceased coming to me. They were
afraid. no doubt, Of public criticism,
although the kaiser was not.
OF the kaiser's other children,
Prince William Eitel Frederick and
Prince Oscar were the only ones I
never met.
Prince Adelbert, the kaiser's third
son, was very handsome and charm
ing man. He always came to me at
tired in a naval officers uniform. 1
saw him but few times, as he was
seldom In Berlin. and he never talked
on matters of general Importance. /
never saw him after America entered
the war.
Prince August Wilhelm, the fourth
son, was perhaps the most democratic
Of them all. He sometimes came to
see me In an ordinary taxicab and he
was the only one Of the kaiser's sons
whom I ever saw In civilian dress. He
was the first member of the royal fam
lily to come to me after the murder
of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and
he was In mourning when he called.
He looked very sad and detected and
gave me the first intimatlon that the
tragedy of SaraJevo would almost in
evitably lead to general war.
In January, 1918. In speaking of the |
part that America would take In the |
war, he mentioned that his officers had |
told him that 10000 Americans were
IN the western front. I'VE don't be-
ieve 1t. however" he added. ''How
,ouId they get there without our know
ng it7 Our U-boats would certainly
AVE found 1t out. No, Davis, it's not
rue"
Prince Joachim, the kalsers young
st son. and one Of the last of the
oval family to visit me, reminded me
cry much Of his eldest brother, the
rown prince. He was tall and slender
nd would have been good-looking but
or retreating chin which was very
ronounced. He had as little respect
Dr. public opinion as the crown prince,
nd while the U-boat Deutschland was
n Its way to America principally to
ring back cargo Of rubber, the sup
ly of which was exhausted In Ger .
ANY, this sixth son Of the kaiser was
irving around the country In a big :
ir and using up enormous rubber
res, while rubber was worth Its :
eight In gold and many cars for the +.
my were supplied with plain iron :
heels.
This prince was the only member Of
e royal family to get near enough :
the firing line to get shot. The in
ry, which he received while at the
estern front, was only slight flesh
,und Of the thigh, but 1t was enough u
start him limping through history. Z
was such a superficial wound that 7
couldn't have caused him one-half u
much pain as 1t gave the whole "
yal family pleasure. u
The fact that one Of the kaiser's K
n sons had actually been wounded o'
d shed his royal blood in active SER W
e was something that the inspired OF
sss will never stop growing over, 81
t by just what accident the prince
opened to come within range Of the OF
let has never been disclosed. New al
heless he received the Iron Cross of kl
first class, or, as some one who 70
lized the significance of the incl oe
It, remarked, "a first-class iron cross tr
a second-class wound" Ia
Is he limped into my Office, the
ing prince-he is now only twenty m
"See what one OF IT
II damned American bullets did to w
I" al
How do you know 1t was an Amer, al
] bulletW asked.
The Russians have nothing else J"