Evening star., 1919-03-20
DAPPER YOUNG HUN.
IS OFFICIAL SLAYER
Commands Slaughter of
Thousands, But Sits in
Hotel and Smiles.
BERLIN KULTUR CENTER

BY JUNIUS r. WOOD
Cablegram to The Evening Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright, 1919.
BERLIN. Germany, March IA (de-
layed).-On a sofa in corner of the
big lounging room of the lobby in
the Hotel Adlon sits a young Ger
man lieutenant with-~pink cheeks. a
tiny yellow lnustache and curling lip.
Occasionally a fellow officer drops in.
sits on the sofa and chats. At regu-
lar intervals a heavy booted soldier
with soup bowl steel helmet on his
head and rifle on his shoulder clat-
ters across the marble floor and re-
ports. Most of the time the young
officer sits alone curling his mus
tache superciliously, watching the gay
crowd of diners and drinkers and
smiling to himself.
On an adjoining sofa a girl dressed
i'll the uniform of German nurse
opened a package which the lieuten-
ant had just handed her and started
munchinS CHOCOLATE. While she
munched ~ith her disengaged hand
she patted after motherly fashion
an errant lock of the lieutenant's hair
into place.
This lobby of the Adlon Hotel is the
barometer of life in Berlin, just as
Berlin is the center where the worlds
course for years to come is being
steered, and this young officer is the
most interesting figure in that chang
ing barometer. While the attention
of the world is centered on the peace
conference in Paris. Berlin is equally
important to the future of the world.
Baking Peace Pie in Berlin.
The peace pie which the conference
is dividing is being baked in Berlin,
and unless Berlin stabiliZes Germany
the allies may find that they will not
have any of the after deliberations.
Four years of war has seriously rub
bed the worlds veneer of civilization.
Germany has been scratched deeper
and savagery shows in many spots.
The Immediately tailored young Off
GER who sits in the luxurious lobby
Is the official ,executioner.
He says deprecatingly. yet with
touch of pride. that he does not like
his job. However, the records show
that 1.500 men, women and boys have
been marched across the Moabit prison
courtyard and moved down by his
machine guns in the course of this
week. Wednesdays legaliZed execu
tions numbered 220. A dapper young
soldier. serving as an Interpreter and
utility man for Ben Hecht. who has
fcer, says that an insufficient num-
ber of prisoners were to be killed
to make the execution worth while
today and consequently the officer has
day off
The old style of iadividual firing
squads is too slow for the present
blood-hungry age, and machine gun
is used for the wholesale killing. The
young man says that the next killing
party at Moabit is scheduled for 2
oln tn ND
body interested in the revolving spec
tacle is invited to attend.
Center of World Kultur.
Such is Berlin. the center of the
world kultur today. Unter den Lin
den. the city5s broad boulevard. from
the Brandenburg gate to within half
mile of the former kaiser's palace
is crowded with shoppers and prom
enaders. A person who has never
seen the handsome. well dressed
women of Germany before sees many
of them on this gay street.
Travelling back and forth in the
center of the street is an army truck
loaded with armed soldiers. with
machine gun mounted on the hood
over the drivers seat, with a long
belt of cartridges hanging down the
along the street. At the Branden
burg gate under the bronze chariot
of Liberty. which the Germans looted
from Paris in 1871, are more guns.
with squads of soldiers. Nearly every
building in the street is pockmarked
from bullets.
Undoubtedly these young soldiers
are pleasantly anticipating adding to
the bullet scars and getting a few of
the gay promenaders in the operation
A few days ago when squad of pris-
oners marched through Inter den
Linden toward the Moabit prison a
number of loungers at the Adlon
Hotel bar left their drinks and went
to the sidewalk to watch the unfortu-
mates. A shower of shots in their
direction from the guard was their
reception.
Trvino <o Aid GouornnoAnf