The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1919-04-02
by HAROLD BEGBIE

Copyright, 1919, by The New York
Times Company
Copyright in Great Britain by The
London Daily Chronicle.
Special Cable to The New York Times.
AMERONGEN, April 2.--What am
now about to write Of the former Ger
man Kaiser's opinions ] should have
been able to write in the form Of a
conversation but for the ex-Emperor's
determination to remain a private
person and to do nothing which might
give him moments appearance of
wishing to interfere with the present
government in Germany.
/ am writing at one of the open
windows Of my sitting room in the
Dranjstein hotel. Spring has come
suddenly, the sun shines with warmth
and radiance, the air enters through
the open windows with softness and
sweetness, the lime trees below me
are full Of noisy sparrows. At stones
throw from this window village po-
liceman is yawning as he lounges up
and down in front Of the entrance to
Amerongen castle. No one comes
there now, There Is no reason why
he should not be planting potatoes in
his garden. The policeman, who is
evidently a good gardner, kicks up a
dust with his boot and curses either
his luck or William of Germany.
| am conscious ABOVE everything
else of Amerongen's Indifference to
the notorious man whose presence
here mas conferred upon it widespread
fame. The little village is like the
sparrows in it's lime trees. 1t is too
happy to bother it's head about fallen
kings and outlawed emperors. 1t
has it's domestic business to attend to
and clearly it Is better to be free and
cheerful, however poor, than a kaiser
who row never puts his nose out of
doors, and must surely have some
thing on ais conscience which man
who believes in God would rather die
without.
Amerongen castle is castle only in
name. IT reality it is an unimpressive
rather sombre, red brick house stand
ing in so thick a companionship OF
trees that it looks expressly made for
a ghost story by Edgar Allen Poe.
The piece of land or which it stands
is so small that there is no room for
n garden 1t is a house in wood,
surrounded by shrubbery. The out
BUILDINGS are quite close to the castle,
lust as the castle is quite close to the
village houses. Most of the space
belonging to the castle Is occupied by
water. There is a moat around its
walls. and at few PAGES through the
trees there is another moat which sep
arates il on the north from the village,
and on the south from water meadows
stretching to the Rhine, bright, curv-
ing reach Of river, which, where have
recently passed many transports con-
tanning British troops on the way
home from Germany, the former kai-
ser can see when he looks out OF his
windows.
When the Kaiser Arrived.
On Sunday, November 10, 1918,
count noaard Bentinck in his castle
at Am.-ongen was confronted by a
domestic crisis. Half Of his servants
were down with influenza, the other
half were recovering from the same
malady, and a shooting party was ex-
pected a. the castle in few days.
What was he to do? He had been to
church. eaten his Sunday luncheon,
and was in reflective mood. He
thought things out and decided to
put OF the party.
AS he reached the decision the tele-
phone rang. as was at cioch,
He went to the ephone and found
himself addressed by the governor OF
the province, who lives at Utrecht.
The governor informed him that the
kaiser had fled from Germany. had
crossed into Dutch territory, had been
held up by a sergeant and private
soldier. and that the Dutch govern
ment, suddenly confronted with this
critical affair, would be exceedingly
obliged II Count GODDARD received the
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