Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-16

BY this time the Kaiser had edged
to the door of the cabin and, as
he was about to step out, he said,
with all the brutal disdain he is cap
able of: shut your snout!"
| Before William could make an
other move, Hahncke's tall figure
was bending over him:
Did YOU speak officially, or shall
l regard your insults aus the out
bursts of drunken and disorderly
mind?' hc Missed into the En-
peror's ear, totally neglcctful OF
giving William his accustomed title
, of Majesty.
! How dare you, canaille?" de-
| manded the Emperor, with blanched
lace and gnashing his teeth.
struck Emperor on the Jaw
! But he had not quite finished the
canning word. when Won Hahncke's
j good right hand, dropping the sword.
snot out and landed squarely on the
Emperor's jaw. telling him TO the
ground. AS he lay there, blood
fgushing from his mouth, the young
oHlcer realized what he had done
ana rang the bell.
Ills Majesty is not WE'LL" he said
TO the orderly. Send for his valet
ana dispatch man to the command
ant, informing him that l have a re-
port to make"
Pandemonium reigned on the Iltis
Tor The next fifteen minutes. All
sorts OF conflicting reports were
whispered on deck, in mess-room,
below, everywhere. but the most au-
dacious only dared hint that His
! Majesty might have been overcome
by an epileptic fit.
While the Kaiser's PROSTATE form
was carried to the chart-room, his
N1,.l
whlte-faced Hahncke told his story
TO the horrified commander.
When he had finished. his su-
perlor officer merely said: Your
sword, sir. YOU are my prisoner -
go to your room until further no.
tlce. And under his breath he
added: AS a Prussian officer and
descendant of long line of soldiers,
you know, of course, what is eX-
pected of YOU"
AssaiIant Commits Suicide
Poor Hahncke did know. AS
soon as he got hold of his revolver
he pressed the muzzle against his
temple, at the same time jumping
OIL deck. His body was never re-
covered.
Kaiser Fed ON Lies
Ihe Kaiser was with difficulty
brought to by his physicians. who.
having instructions from the COM
ilahdant, expressed satisfaction to
nm that the accident had passed
OF without leaving Considera bic dis
figuring marks.
The beam that struck Your
Majesty as the ship gave that sud
den lurch might have broken Your
MaJesty's chin or cheek bone. Your
MaleSty's subjects ought to thank
God on their bended knees for the
good luck that attended Your Maj
esty amid ill-fortune."
L don't blame the Kaiser for ac-
ceptlnS the story and causing it to
be telegraphed all over the world.
As to poor Hahncke. quite an elab-
orate yarn was concocted to explain
his death.
lie had been in love with a young
woman beneath his rank" and had
asked the Emperor for permission to
marry her, but, of course, His
Majesty had sternly refused
From that moment on" said the
official papers. young Hahncke be-
came melancholy and his suicide
was the result of much brooding
over his hopeless love affair.""
There were other versions. too, but
none came anywhere near the truth
Nor was it explained why the Iltis
longer than originally intended.
The real reason was: His Majesty
did not dare go ashore until the last
traces of the punishment he re
ceived had disappeared.
So much for the physical stigmata.
As To the moral. William tried to
forget them i'm drink. He probably
drank more champagne during these
three weeks than during any like
period of his life except on that
cold November day G91S) when he
travelled from Berlin to Cassel to
take council with his wife and chill
dren about inviting Scheidemann and
Haase to enter the Government with
Prince Max. and when the Reds"
refused 10 sec him, or take pity on
him. unless he first dismissed Luden-
dorff. Then he got stone blind
drunk.
Ito BE Continucd)