Gilpin observer., 1919-02-27
LAST DAYS OF
KAISER AT SPA
Guard Tells Of the Escape Of Ger.
man Ex-RuIer.
QUITS 4 TRAM FOR BERLIN


u Stops In Open Country and the
Amazed Body.ouard See War Lord
Flee In Observation-Disclosures and
-eeheidemaNm Treat William ~ q
0rown-Up chlId-Mad Scramble to
Leave Spa When End Comes.
Some day the tragi-comedy Of the
ex-kaiser's flight will assuredly be
known in all its details and will prove
one Of the most humanity interesting,
II not one Of the most edifying. cpl
sodes in history, writes Julian Grande
In New York Times. In all proba-
bility. however. many of those who
would find this narrative most absorb
ing will no longer be here to read 1t
when 1t appears. Any eyewitness ac-
count, therefore, Of Williams last
hours as kaiser cannot but arouse at
tention, especially If it bear every
mark of veracity. :
This particular eyewitness was Ger
man acting color sergeant, who, with
his company, was on guard outside the
Belgian castle at Spa where William
Hohenzollern had his quarters when
the ultimatum, concerning his abdica-
tion was delivered by Erzberger, Schei-
demann, and the rest.
One day this eyewitness noticed the
kaiser walking with some one else in
the grounds of his residence, and over
heard his majesty's companion saying
to him:
"Seems 1S4S all over again, just the
same political conjuncture! But that's
not saying it'll end so tragically." /
To which the kaiser replied fire.
quently, "Ja, ia"
This conversation took place on the
morning after the famous six motor
cars with Erzberger, Scheidemann and
company had returned from the French
front at IL p. M, bearing the armis-
tice conditions. which apparently were
not taken so very tragically, for these
gentry were heard laughing and crack
ing jokes about them with the kaiser.
Treat Kaiser as Child.
The interview Of the kaiser with
Scheidemann, Erzberger and company
will perhaps one day be made known.
but one thing is certain. Even at that
hour William Hohenzollern seemed to
fail to realiza the situation. and Err
berger and Scheidemann did not unde-
ceive him. In other words, they treat
ed him as a growr-up child.
On the day after the armistice terms
were made known to the kaiser,
Thursday, the atmosphere in Spa must
have been exceedingly electric, for
our eyewitness tells us that his regi-
ment was fully armed and always on
picket duty. and that 1t was only be-
cause they were weh provided with
hand grenades that any sort Of order
was preserved.
Friday night was the last night that
the kaiser slept, or rather spent, at the
white castle or country house in which
he had installed himself in Spa. In
the town the excitement was at fever
heat. The battalion to which our eye
witness belonged was parading the
streets. fully armed, with fixed bay.
onets and hand grenade bags full.
The next morning, Saturday. his
company was ordered to be at the rail-
way station, where they were told
that a train was ready to take them
to Berlin. At the station they found
that the ex-kaiser was already in one
of the carriages, attended by a small
suite. The train left as usual, but
after two hours run 1t suddenly stop
ped, right in the open country. and
the ex-kaiser and his suite got out
and entered some motorcars which
we're awaiting them. And away they
wentl To quote the color-sergeant's
own words: 1.-THE troops accompany
Ing him hung their amazed coun-
tenances. out Of the carriage windows,
and spent the time on the return jour
uey discussing what had happened.
Every Man for Himself.
They went back to Spa, and 1t was
then a case Of every man for himself.
and the devil take the hindmost. Off,
GERS hastened to get hold Of the first
available motorcar and secure as much
benzine or petrol as possible, filling
the cars with anything on which they
could lay hands. Whether 1t belonged
to them or Eot was quite a secondary
consideration. And then of they went,
too. The grand general staff began
packing up. and that very morning
Hindenburg thought It prudent to is
sue an order to form soldiers councils.
Apparently the company to which
this eyewitness belonged must still
have been considered the most faith.
ful Of all. for he himself left with the
same train that had Hindenburg on
board and what was left Of the gen.
eral staff. Hindenburg apparently
kept his head. or rather tried to keep,
It. to the very end. II he had not Is
sued orders for. the formation Of sol.I
diers' councils. however. he would,
probably not have kept his head very
long-in the literal sense Of the phrase.