Evening star., 1945-04-16
Kaiser WiIheIm's Widow Found
By Gen. Terry Aliens Forces
Poor Germany Says
Hermine, Living With
Sister at RossIu
By WILLIAM H. STONEMAN.


War Correspondent of The Star and Chi
cago Daily News,
ROSSLA, Germany. April IA De-
layed -Hermine, widow of Kaiser
Wilhelm of Germany, looked calmly
out on the lawn of Schloss Stol-
berg here in the fading twilight this
afternoon and summed up her feel
ings by saying Poor Germany"
Besieged by American correspon-
dents after she was found and de-
tanned by Maj. Gen. Terry Aliens
104th Division, she responded with
a series of audiences in which she
repeated her story of aristocratic
English. She appeared in plain,
but we'll fashioned black wool dress,
adorned by a handsome rope of
pearls. Her hair was coiffured In
the best Partisan fashion. and her
pleasant face belied her many years.
Il must not talk politics" she
said, toying with a copy OF the
Stars and Stripes that she had been
reading Explaining that she was
very much interested in current af-
fairs, she asked how we'll our army
was doing and where we were and
whether Halle would be declared
an open city.
Nazis Condemned.
"And how do you nice people
OF Germany feel about the foul
things the Nazis have been doing?"
we asked. You understand, OF
course, that it is going to 60 hard
with Germany because of the things
you have done in this war, which
in many cases you didn't do in the
last war"
I'VE understand that" she said
We heard rumors, Of course, but
we did not realize that such ter
rible things really were being done.
4 agree that we knew that some
dreadful things were happening, but
there really was nothing we could
do"
She repeated the thesis, so often
heard nowadays. that the German
people did not want the war.
The people, as whole, never
want to go to war" she said, "and
neither did We this time. But the
war was made, anyway, and every
one had to go; there was no other
choice"
Speaks of Kaiser.
She spoke sadly, but with true
German stoicism Of her last sur
viving son, by her first marriage,
who was killed at Mogilev in August
l943, leaving two children whom he
adored so MUCH"
Hermine spoke feelingly Of the
late Kaiser, saying that "he always
attempted to do the right thing" and
Ibis feelings were always correct.
The 10 years she spent with him at
Doom after their marriage in 1922
were good, interesting years." she
said. Without self consciousness
and apparently assured of the
Americans ability to understand,
she displayed two Of her favorite
photographs of the Kaiser.
She was deeply distressed by the
loss of her home at Saabor, Kreis
Gruenburg, in Lower Silesia, which
she abandoned on January %, few
hours before the Russians arrived.
Her palace in Berlin, left her by her
first husband, Prince Carolath, was
bombed and burned to the ground
on November %, 1943, while she was
there.
Escaping by car from Silesia,
Hermine underwent other dread
full bombings."
Hermine is now living with her
sister, wife of Prince Stolberg-
Rossla, here at Rossla. With her
is her daughter, who is married to
the Kaiser's grandson. Prince Franz
Josef, and whose children are con-
sequently both Hermine's grand
children and step-great-grandchil-
dren. She noted this with great
vivacity.
Gen. Allen quickly passed through