The New York herald., 1922-05-19
One Version Has 1t Glass
Fragments Fell Oh Amer
leans Who Didn't Sing.
APOLOGY MADE TO WOMAN
Exciting Scenes on Seydlitz as
TeutOn Drinking Party Ex-
udes It's Patriotism.

h'llltiuS VI DeulScHidHu lDcT AlleS
caused an alteration on Tuesday eve
ming In the smoking room of the
North German Lloyd steamship Seyd-
litz, which arrived in New York yes
terday from Bremen. One Of the
principals was Fritz Won Falkenhayn,
only son of the late Gen. Erich Won
Falkenhayn, chief of the German
General Staff in the early part of the
war.
The young man was an aviator and,
as cEief aid to Gen. Tomsen, was in
charge of the technical department of
the German aircraft service. He is 81
years old and has come to the United
States to study business conditions
for two months
He was deeply chagrined when he
heard last night the version of the
smoking room story that had been
given by one of the other passengers.
This was that he mad led the singing
that he had protested against the
silence of three Americans, one OF
them a woman, and that he had shown
his displeasure by throwing his glass
against TIE wall, whence it's fragments
fell on the shoulders of Mrs Bertha
Thiele of Philadelphia He admitted
frankly that there had been "a foolish
affair" but tkat his own part in it
might be truthfully stated he told a
reporter for THE New York HERALD
the following:
I'm the first place all those In the
smoking room were Germans except
few who were German Americans
Some were drinking. A group who were
drinking at table in corner of the
room started singing Deutschland Uber
Allies / held up my hand and said
'Psssst" They asked me what 1 meant
and l said that this was not the
time and place for German patriotic
songs. ] did not wish to see any bad
feeling arise. But instead of stopping,
those people stood up and sang loude-
than before, and they called upon
every one in the room to stand up and
sing with them.
Refused to Sing Mt First.
'I refused to sing and another man
wha had been in the German army re-
mained in his chair with his legs curled
up The singers however kept demand
ing noisily. that everybody show his
patriotism and join them. AS looked
around l saw that all except a very
few had arisen and that the sentiment
of a large majority was against me-.
/ thought. If the majority feel this
way, why should / continue to object ?
And BESIDES I thought. Americans
sing their hymns freely on an Ameri-
can ship. and after all why should not
Germans be permitted to sing their
hymns on a German ship? This is our
hymn and there is no harm
"As this second thought came to me
] lifted my glass, stood up and sang
with the others, Deutschland Uber
Allies. But the man in the chair would
not stand up. Now he was not an
American; he had been a German
soldier. and did not see why he should
not sing the German hymn. Remember
that we were all excited requested
this man to stand up and sing. Again
he refused. SO ! threw my glass-it
was a small one. which you In America
call a whisky glass-at his feet, like
this"
Won Falkenhayn made a sweeping mo.
ton with his right hand
"It is not true that ! threw the glass
against the wall or at any person. | in
tended to have it strike the floor at the
feet of the man who was seated, and II
did. Then as "A further protest against
his behavior l turned and walked out of
the smoking room. The man did not
follow, me, The next day he saw me
and said that he had not been insulted
but he thought the insult of the thrown
glass was directed at Mrs. Thiele, who
had been sitting behind him and who
had not Joined in the singing either. So
went at once to Mrs. Thiele and apollo
gized to her. That is the whole story.
IL is very silly to print anything about
st. but as you have asked me for the
facts you have them"