The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1919-04-03


crown prince very mach In the light
Of a Joke.
"I've just come from the western
'front.'" he told me. my men are up
to their knees In water and mud.
We've been having lots Of fun pump
Ing the water out Of our trenches into
the French trenches"
swell, suppose the French pump
It right back again, don't theyr
"You're quite right, quite right.
That's exactly what they do. Really,
IT'S a great lark"
Remarks Of this kind rather slckened
me Of this self-satisfed young man.
] realized. Of course. that his part In
the war was played at such a safe
distance from the front lines that he
was probably not familiar with all the
horrors Of trench warfare. and yet II
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 ''nonsensical" war contin-
ued.
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 Eltel 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. L
saw him but a few times, as he was
seldom in Berlin, and he never talked
on matters Of general Importance. I
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 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 intimation 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
on the western front. I'VE don't be-
lieve It. however," he added. "How
could they get there without our know
ing 1T Our U-boats would certainly
have found IL out. No, Davis, it's not
true"
Prince Joachim, the kaiser's young
est son. and one Of the last Of the
royal family to visit me, reminded me
very much Of his eldest brother, the
crown prince. He was tail and slender
and would have been good-looking but
for a retreating chin which was very
pronounced. He had as little respect
for public opinion as the crown prince,
and while the U-boat Deutschland was
on Its way to America principally to
bring back cargo Of rubber, the sup
ply Of which was exhausted In Ger
many, this sixth SOD of the kaiser was
driving around the country In a big
car and using up enormous rubber
tires. while rubber was worth Its
weight In gold and many cars for the
army were supplied with plain iron
wheels.
This prince was the only member Of
the royal family to get near. enough
to the firing line to get shot. The In
jury, which he received while at the
western front. was only q slight flesh
wound Of the thigh. but It was enough
to start him limping through history.
1t was such a superficial wound that
1t couldn't have caused him one-half
rs much pain rs 1t gave the whole
royal family pleasure.
The fact that one of the kaiser's
own sons had actually been wounded
and shed his royal blood In active SER
vice was something that the inspired
press will never stop growing over,
but by just what accident the prince
happened to come within range OF the
bullet has never been disclosed. New
ertheless he received the Iron Cross of
the first class, or. as some one who
realized the significance of the Incl
dent. remarked, "A first-class Iron cross
for second-class wound"
As he limped into my Office, the
young prince--he Is now only twenty
eight--remnrked: @See what one Of
your damned American bullets did to
mel"
"How do you know 1t was an Amer
lean bulletT" asked.
"The Russians have nothing else r.
told him on one occusion that the
people were complaining Of the food
shortage.
'.They have food enough" he an
swered. "The best thing they do is
to complain Don't they complain In