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About The Red Cloud chief. (Red Cloud, Webster Co., Neb.) 1873-1923 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 1918)
RED CLOUD, NEBRASKA, CHIEF ppwcBsrrafflss xszxamzxxKJtKrnizzrz mnKn,. "7''",Vfla0!BB3Cn313I TOPROTECTWiOOW Egyptian Wrote First Will of Which There Is Record. : i P' ' P- The Kaiser as I Knew Him for Fourteen Years By ARTHUR N. DAVIS, D. D. S.-American Dentist to the Kaiser from 1 904 to 1 9 1 8 B" IT t I: I. 1 V'. hi i . t-J m Vu .r i i i i Ifl vy t. 1 1 i PREFACE For 14 years tho kaiser was my patient. All I know of Mm nnd nil tlmt he told me came to mo white tho relation of jmtlpnt nnd dentist existed between us. For Unit reason I felt at first that, no mutter how vital to the allied cnusc might ho the Infor mation I could give uh to tho kai ser's viewpoint, munitions and plans, the requirements of pro fessional ethics must seal my lips nnd compel me to withhold It from the world nt large. When, however, I considered tho grave crisis that confronts tho world and in which my own country is playing so Important a part, and realized that what I knew of the kaiser might provo of some vnltio to civilization, I concluded that my patriotic duty was paramount and roso su perior to any of the ordinary do mands of professional ethics. In this conclusion I was strengthened by tho urgent solici tation of tho lenders of my pro fession who were most emphatic In their contention that my ethical qualms were entirely un warranted In view of all tho cir cumstances. ARTHUR N. DAVIS, D. D. S. CHAPTER I. "America Must Be Punished!" When war broke out between the United States and Germany, on April 8, 1017, I was In Berlin. I had lived nd practiced my profession as a dent tot thcro for 14 years, nnd tho knlser had been ono of my patients during all that time. 1 don't know exactly how many visits tho kaiser paid mo profession ally, but I know I am safe In saying they were not less than 100, and tho probabilities are they were closer to 160. Almost Invariably, after my work was done, the kaiser remnlned any where from ten minutes to an hour and a half to discuss the topics of the hour with me. When we declared war against Ger many, therefore, while I was still an American citizen as patriotic an American, I believe, as might bo found anywhere I had lived in Germnny so long, bad developed so many profes sional friendships In Germany's most favored circles and was so generally regarded as a particular favorite of tho kaiser himself, that I found it hnrd to realize that nevertheless I had be come an alien enemy. The same day the breaking off of diplomatic relations was announced, the German newspapers had published the provisions of an old treaty be tween Germany and the United States which gave Americans In Germany and Germans In America nlno months after a declaration of war between tho two nations within which to settle their affairs and leave the country. "This treaty," the newspapers point ed out, "was made In tho time of Fred erick the Great It has never been repealed. Germany will respect it." As there were so many moro Germans In America than there wero Americans la Germany, this prompt announce ment at Germany's Intentions regard ing this treaty was quite understand able and It seemed most Improbable that Germany would adopt any harsh measures toward Americans und thereby Invite reprisals. Had the situation been reversed, of course, tho Germans would undoubt edly hnvo thought It expedient to In tern Americans no matter what hap pened to their own countrymen In America, and, In that event, this an cient treaty would have shared tho fate of that which guaranteed Bel gium's neutrality. Ono "scrap of pa per" moro or less would never hnvo been allowed to Interfere with Ger many's "destiny." Influential Germans who called to see me professionally during that pe riod almost Invariably expressed the hope that I was not planning to leavo Berlin. "No matter what happens, doctor," thoy declared -"even If the worst comes to the worst and war Is de clared between America and Germany you may feel quite sure the kaiser will never let anyone harm you." I had not let the matter rest there, however. I had called at tho Ameri cas embassy, where It was pointed out to me that, while diplomatic re lations had been Bevered, It was not at all certain that war would result and there was, therefore, no reason for me to leave Berlin precipitately. Had tho kaiser been In Berlin at tho time, I might, of course, hnvo had an opportunity to put tho question to him squarely as to what my fato might be If war wero declared, but ho was away. Tho court chamberlain had been appointed but a short tlmo beforo and I did not know him personally, but his predecessor, Count August von Eulenburg, one of tho wisest und mos respected men in Germany, was one of my oldest patients nnd I decided to discuss tho situation with him. Un fortunately, however, I found him too 111 to receive me. He was eighty yenrs old and, although unusually well pre served, was In no condition on this occasion to receive visitors. Another inlluentlal patient of mlno whom I sought out ut this tlmo was ex-Ambassador von Sturm. Although ho was now retired from ofllclnl life, ho had formerly been n powerful fig ure In Germnu state circles nnd stltl kept moro or less In touch with tho new court chamberlain and others In high office. His nephew was under secretury of foreign affairs. I found tho cx-nmhassador at his private apartment In the Adlon hotel. "What will happen to Americans," I asked, "If my country declares war against Germnny?" "That, doctor, will depend entirely upon how America treats our sub jects," ho replied, somewhat moro coldly than I hud expected of him. "If America Interns Germans, of course, wo shall undoubtedly treat Americans the same way, nnd you could hardly expect nny special consideration, al though, If you will Write a letter to the court chamberlain, who is a personal friend of mine, I shall see that ho gets it." "But, excellency," I replied, "there Is a treuty between Germany nnd Amer ica, I understand, which gives the sub jects or citizens of ono country who happen to be sojourning in the other when war Is declared nine months within which to close up their affairs and leave. Would not that protect mo?" "Of course, doctor," ho answered, "Germany will respect tho treaty If America does, nnd then thcro will bo no trouble. It seems to mo you must uwalt developments and, In tho mean tlmo you have no cuuso for worry." "Suppose some of your subjects In America should act up and start blowing up bridges or munition fac tories and should be lynched, which they probably would be," I suggested, "what would Germany's courso be?" "What Germany would do then, doctor," ho replied, slowly nnd thoughtfully, as though such a contin gency liud never occurred to him be fore "really, doctor, I don't know what wo would do 1" This somewhat unsatisfactory Inter view with Von Sturm might havo wor ried mo more, perhaps, hud it not been for a visit I received only a day or two later from Prlnco von Pless, one of tho kaiser's closest friends and ad visors, who called on mo profession ally. For n year and a half the kaiser had had his great army hcudquurters nt tho prince's palaco at Pless, In southeastern Germany, and I knew that he enjoyed his monarch's confi dence. When I asked him regarding the possible internment of Americans, ho assured mo thut, cotuo what might, I und my family had not tho slightest reason for alarm. "No matter what may befall other Americans, doctor," ho ussertcd, in u confldcntlul manner, "tho kaiser has gone on record to the effect thut you und your fnmlly are not to be mo lested." Another Incident which mado me feel that I could proceed with my prep arations for leaving Berlin without un duo husto was tho receipt early In tho year of a most extraordinary post card from tho kaiser which, It occurred to me, was quite significant ns to his In tentions regarding my welfare. On ono sldo was his picture and on tho other, written and signed in English In his own handwriting, was tlib message: "Dear Doctor Davis : "Wlshlug you u very good year for 1017. WILLIAM I. R." This was tho first messago of its kind that I had ever received from tho kaiser. Even tn peace times, tho pic ture postals wnlch ho had sent to mo from tlmo to time nnd which wero autographed by him, wero always signed In German. When, on February 1, tho Germans resumed their ruth less Bubmarlno warfure a move which was Immediately followed by the breaking oft of diplomatic relations I felt that tho kaiser must havo fore seen this conscquenco and had sent mo tho postal as an Intimation that ho wautcd mo to remain In Berlin nevertheless. When tho Germans sank the LusI tanla, living and practicing la Ger many lost many of their attractions for nic. I made up my mind then that I would rather return homo nnd com mence my professional cureer all over aguln, If necessary, than remain In a country which could sanction such a hideous form of warfare tho wanton destruction of women nnd children. To that end, I went to Now York iu the summer of 1015 to investigate tho re quirements for tho practice of my pro fcsslon In that state I had on Illinois license, hut I wnnted to bo in a posi tion to practice In New York, and the following year I went to New York ugaln nnd tool: tho state dental etura lnatlon. I returned to Germany late in tho autumn of 1010 and Jater I learned I that my certificate had been granted. jThcn I commenced active preparations (Copyright, 1918, by tho MeCluro Newspapor Syndicate.) to dispose of my German practlco and return home. My second reason for wanting to get out of Germany ns soon ns possible was the fact that food conditions 'In Germany were becoming moro pre carious every day. My wlfo und I1 feared that our child, who was twoi years old, might suffer from lack of' proper nourishment If we remained j nnd I determined tlmt tin timttnr tin.,-! long it might bo necessary for me to remain In Berlin, my wife nnd child nt nny rate should leavo at the earliest possible moment. My third reason, however, was by fur tho most Insistent of nil. I had become convinced that what I knew of the knlser and his pluns, now tlmt wo wero at war, ought to be com municated to America without delay and that tho only way to do that ade quately would be to get homo ns soon as I possibly could, no mntter what personal sacrifice might bo Involved In abandoning my European practice und interests. It Is true that In the early years of II1V rellltlnnutllll with Mm lrnlan.. m,f - ........ ...A. ... ... ....ov. UUI , conversations naturally embraced only the most general of subjects, but. In Inter years, when he came to know mo better, ho enst aside all reserve nnd talked to mo on whatever was upper most In his mind at the time. After tho war started that, of course, formed tho principal subject of our discus sions nnd the part that America was playing In tho conflict was frequently i brought up bocnuso of the fact that I , was nn American. I Ono memorable Interview I had had with him Influenced me perhaps more1 man any other single factor to hasten tne settlement of my European affairs and return home. It was In tho fall of 1010. Tho knl ser had como to mo for professional attention, and nf tor my work was com pleted ho remained to discuss some of the aspects of tho war. Perhaps the fact that I had Just returned from a visit to America made him more than usually eager for a chat with me. Wo had discussed various phases of tho war, when the kaiser changed the Bubjcct nbruptly with the question : "Davis, what's tho matter with your country?" "In what respect, your majesty?'' I asked. "Why Is It that your country Is so unfair to Germany? Why do you per sist In supplying munitions and money to the ulllcs? Why doesn't your pres ident treut tho European warring na tions the sumo as ho treated Mexico by putting an embargo on munitions and letting us fight this thing out our selves? You do not ship munitions to us, why do you ship them to the other side?" I wus on such terms with tho knlser that I did not hesitate to answer his question with another. "I havo always understood, your majesty, that during tho Russian-Japanese war, Germany continually sup plied munitions to Russia. Why was thnt nny moro Justifiable than America supplying munitions to the ulllcs? Then ngnln, In tho Spanish-American "Davis, yon surprise me!" the kaiser-Interrupted, rising from the oper ating ennir, in which her had remained, walking towurdq me, throwing buck his shoulders nnd rising to his full height. "Tho cuscs aro entirely differ ent. When wo helped Russia ngalust Japan wo wero helping a white rnco against a yellow race, don't ever for get thnt don't ever forget that. But with America, that i3 certainly not the case. Your country Is acting from purely mercenary motives. It Is a caso of dollars, dollars, dollars !" and each tlmo ho repeated tho word ho struck his pnrtlally helpless loft hnnd violently with his powerful right. "Amerlen values dollars moro than she values German lives I She thinks "it right to shoot down my people." IIo had worked himself up to a de gree of Indignation which 1 had seen him display only on two or three pre vious occasions, nud I must confess I wns reluctant to stnrt a fresh outburst by answering his nrguments. Ills eyes, usually soft nnd kindly, flashed firo ns ho advanced townrds inn and slowly and Incisively declared : "Davis, America must bo punished for her uctlons l" In thut expression, which he repent ed on subsequent occasions In pre cisely tho snmo words and with tho same measured emphasis, I knew that ho revealed mostly clearly what his at tltudo was and will ever bo toward this country. CHAPTER II. Tho Kaiser at Potsdam. Getting out of Germany proved to be a far more difficult proposition than I had Imagined. Realizing that it would probably bo several months beforo I could final settle up my affairs, and that my cb'id, who wns anemic, ought to ho tu'iron out of Germany with us llttlo delay ns poBslblo becauso food conditions were fast going from bad to worse, . ap plied to tho kommandantur f or leave to have my wlfo nnd child go to tMon treux, on Lako Geneva, Switzerland, where I hoped to Join them nt tho earliest possible moment nnd accom pany them home. I did not relish tho idea of their going ucross the ocean without me. That was In May, 1017. Weeks passed while our nppllcntiun wus going from ono ofllclnl to unothur, lying, per haps for days ut u tlmo under u pile of other applications of u slmlllnr char acter or nwultlnt; the Investigation of our personal histories, und It was not until tho end of Juno that we received any word regarding It. Then wo learned that It had been denied. This was my first Intimation that wo might havo difficulty In getting out of Germany. A day or two later the kaiser called on me professionally and I told him of our plight, hoping that ho would Inter cede for us It wus the only favor of n personal character I hud ever asked of him. "My child Is uillng, your majesty," I said, "und I feel thut she needs n change of climate. I applied to the kommandantur for leave for my wlfo and child to go to Montrcux, but I have Just heard that It bus been refused 1" "Davis, I will see whut I can do In the matter," he replied reassuringly, nnd ns ho wns leaving my olllce ho turned to mo und snld In the presence of his two adjutants : "Regarding that matter you spoke of, leuvc It to mo and I will see what I can do 1" The kaiser's Influence would readily solve our problem, I thought, und I wus very much relieved. Two days Inter, however, I received a letter from Count von Moltke, ono of the kai ser's adjutants, stutlng that the kai ser had spoken to him regarding tho Switzerland project, but, under the circumstances, It was out of tho .ques tion. If, however, my child's condition were such us to make a change of cll mnte really necessary, ho added, tho kaiser suggested thut n trip to the Austrian Tyrol might perhaps bo ar ranged, us the climate there wns Just ns good as that of Switzerland, but be fore permission would be grunted for that trip it would be necessary to ob tuln n certificate from tho district doc tor stating that it wus nccessury. As the food situation In Austria wns Just ns bud us It wus in Germany, if not worse, thnt Iden didn't nppenl to mo nt nil, nnd I went Immediately to tho kommnndnntur and explained the situation to them. When they saw Count von Moltke's letter tho oflleer In charge threw up his hands. "That's final," he declared. "That comes from n higher authority than ours. It Is useless to pursue tho mat ter nny further. We received n com munication from his majesty regard ing your case, but the mutter wus left entirely to our discretion. It wus not a command, only a request from his mnjesty. A command, of course, would huve been different." Then I applied for a pass for my wife, child nnd myself to go to Amer ica. They pointed out ut the komman dantur that as my wife's application to leavo Berlin preceded mine, It wus possible she would be allowed to leave beforo me. I told the officer thnt thnt would suit mo admirably, ns I wanted tho pass for Mrs. Davis nnd the child grunted at Uin earliest possible mo ment regardless of what action might bo taken on my own application. Agnln there followed n long period of anxious waiting while the German red tape slowly unwound, but cvontu nlly, In September, we received word thnt Mrs. Davis and the child might leave Berlin for Copenhagen between October 10 und 12. They left on tho tenth. A day or two later commenced tho German offensive against Riga, on the Baltic. Within three or four days tho Germans captured successively the Oesel, Rutin, Ohro and Moon Islands In the Gulf of Riga nnd then carried their Invasion to tho mainland. Their npparent objectlvo wus Petrograd nnd on October 10 tho Russians announced that the seat of the government would be removed from Petrograd to Mos cow. These successes on the Baltic failed to overcome tho depression in Germany cnused by tho serious Internal situa tion In Austria nt this period. Muni tion factories wero being wrecked by hunger-crazed nnd war-weary strikers nnd tho populace was being shot down In great numbers In tho food riots which developed In vnrlous parts of Austria. Not since tho wnr began had the outlook been so discouraging for the Gennuns. Then, , 1 October 21, just as things wero leaking their blackest, tho great Gcrnnn-Austro offensive against tho Italh.us was started. Iu three days tho Italians wero swept out of Austria und the Teutons pressed forwnrd to the passes west of tho Isonzo river leading to tho Venetian plains. By tho end of October tho Italian armies wero In full retreat. Beforo this offensive wns over tho Germnns captured, they claimed, no less than 800,000 prisoners nnd sev eral thousand big guns, besides vast stores of munitions and supplies. Tho exultation of tho Germans over tho triumph of their armies In Italy know no bounds. While It was at Its height I had nn Interview with tho knl ser which will ever remain ono of tho most vivid In my memory. It wns about three-thirty one Sunday morning when I was aroused by a maid who, In an awe-stricken tone of voice. ' announced that tho Neue Palais, tho j kaiser's palace at Potsdam, was on tho phone. I went to the telephone and was Informed thnt tho knlser was suf fering from n bad toothache and would send his uuto for me within un hour or so. I got up nt once und packed my In struments, nnd ut six-thirty the cur, u big gray Mercedes limousine, nrrlv2d. Besides the chauffeur there was an outrider currying the bugle whose dis tinctive notes only the kaiser may use. While the Shell loom nnd other stuto rooms wero accessible to visitors be foro the war, no ono wns ever permit ted to visit the private apartments of the knlser upstairs. On this occasion, however, I was guided right through the Shell room, through n door opening on tho left and up n wide staircase to tho kaiser's gardorobe, or dressing room. There I found breakfast ready for me. It consisted of real coffee, real white bread, butter, marmalade, sugar, cream und cold meats. It was the first food of the kind I had eaten In some time und practically no one In Ger many outside tho royal family nnd tho Junkers wns any better off than I In that respect. While I was breakfasting, tho knlser was dressing. His valet entered sev eral times, I noticed, to take out arti cles of clothing from tho mnsslve wardrobes which lined the room. I had Just completed my menl when I re ceived word that my patient was ready to receive me. As I entered tho kaiser's bedroom he wns standing In the center of the room, fully attired In nn nrmy gray uniform, but without his sword, no looked more haggard thnn I had over seen him, except once In 1015. Luck of sleep and physical pain were two things with which he had had very little experience, and they certainly showed their effects very plulnly. He didn't seem to be In the best of humor but greeted me cordially enough nnd shook hands. "Invnll my life, Davis," he snld, "I havo never suffered so much pain." I expressed my sorrow nnd started to Improvise n dental chair out of an upholstered armchair on which I placed some pillows nnd, ns tho knlser sat down, luTlntighlngly remurked: "Look here, Davis, you've got to do something for me. I can't fight tho whole world, you know, and have a toothache!" When I wns through and his pain was relieved, his spirits seemed to re vive appreciably, und he explained why It was ho wus so anxious to huve his tooth trouble removed as quickly as possible. "I must go down to Italy, Davis," he sutd, "to see what my noblo troops have accomplished. My gracious, what we have done to them down there 1 Our offensive at Riga was Just a feint. We had advertised our In tended offensive In Italy so thoroughly thnt tho Italians thought we couldn't possibly Intend to carry It through. Fur three months It was common talk In Germany, you remember, that tho great offensive would stnrt In October, und so the Italians believed It was all n bluff nnd when wo advanced on Riga they wero sure of It. They thought wo wero so occupied there that we could pay no attention to them, und so wo cnught thorn napping I" 1 tie kaiser's face fairly beamed ns he dwelt on the strategy of his gen erals and tho successful outcome of their Italian campaign. "For months Italy hud been eiigng4 In planting her big guns on tho moun tain-tops und gathering mountains of ammunition and supplies and food und hospltul siipplleo In the valleys below, In preparation for their twelfth Isonzo offensive. "We let .hem go ahead and waited patiently for tho right moment. They thought that their contemplated offen sive must Inevitably bring our weaker neighbor to her knees nnd force her to make u separate peace 1" By "our weaker neighbor" the kaiser, of course, referred to Austria, and how nccurato was his Information regarding Ituly's expectations und how easily they might havo been realized wero subse quently revealed by tho publication of that famous letter from Knlser Kurl to Prince Sextus. In the next Installment, Doctor Davis tells of the kaiser's dual personality, showing how the war, while not changing, uncov ered the emperor's true charac ter. Don't miss this Interesting 6tudy of the German "war lord." (TO BE CONTINUED.) Home-Made Plaster. Holes In plaster wnlls mny bo stopped with n mlxiuro of sand nnd plnstcr of pnrls mixed Into u paste with wnter. When dry cover with u plcco of paper to match tho wall. Papyrus on Which the Desires of Utah Were Recorded Has Recently Been Discovered in a Good Stato of Preservation. Utnh, tho Egyptian, looked out from beneath his shnggy eyebrows across tho Nile, where tho eternal Pyramids shimmered In the heat ngnlnst tho cloudless sky. Gods of Egypt I How dim were these piles of stone! In tho bright light of tho sun god, Rn, ho should have seen thoso mnn-mude mountains clearly. Shades of his ancestors 1 His eyes wero dimming fast! IIo wns getting old very old, so he suddenly realized. Ho looked Into the basin of tho foun tain In the courtyard. The imago re flected made him conscious, for tho first time, of his swiftly approaching end. IIo sank down upon tho foun tuln's rim nnd mused upon the short ness of life, Its vnrylng fortunes nnd the prospects nf the future life ac cording to tho beliefs of himself und his fathers. Ah, well, ho was ready to die. Ho did not fear after deuth to take tho Journey with the sun god, Rn, In tho Boat of n Million Years to the Fields of Peace. No, by Amen, the god of Thebes I Had not Utah led a good life? Yes, he had nlwnys been just, mer ciful nnd kind to his scrvunts und Ills household. They had lacked nothing while ho lived, nor had his wife, Shf' tu, tho daughter of Sat Sepdu. But, after he wns gone nh, Plrn oh, the great one who gives life to his people would Ms memory bo suffi cient to keep1 her from want or mis treatment? Would she ever be set out of the grent stone house ns the wid ows of others hud been In tho past? A chill, sharper even than the chill of old age, shook him. It wus tho chll' nt feur for his beloved. Then a huppy thought wurml hib veins aguln. The people of his household nnd his city ever had listened and obeyed his spoken and written word during his life. His words by voice or wrOtag wero considered authority nnd whole somely respected. Doubtless, then, would his written words bo followed when he wns in tho Fields of Pence. Strange, neither ho nor anyone clso had thought of such n thing before. So with reeds, fluid nnd papyrus he wrote In beautiful picture wrltlug. That happened more than 1,500 yenrs ago. However, tho papyrus has kept In a good state of preservation all those centuries and wus recently discovered by excavators. Translated, It proved to be the will or legucy of Utah, allowing his wife, "Sheftu, daughter of Sat Sepdu of Gesub," four Eustern slaves nnd "the right to dwell In my house without ullowlug her to bo put forth on the ground by any per son." Tho "will" Is considered by authori ties to be the first ever drawn. Buttons and the War. Buttons nrc not generally regarded ns one of the grent urtlcles of com merce, yet a. report Issued by the fed eral tariff commission presents somo astonishing figures regarding the mug nltudo of the button Industry nnd the capital Invested therein. There nro moro than COO button manufacturing establishments In this country, representing a cupltnl of ap proximately $20,000,000 and an annual payroll of $8,000,000. The annual value of the products is more than $20,000,000. New York has almost half the factories, but the middle West sup plies most of tho freshwater pearl. Tho wnr tins put up the price of but tons, owing to the advance In tho cost of metals used In button manufacture, and the Increased price of celluloid sheets nnd nil subsidiary raw materi als, such ns dyes, chnlk, acids and can vas. It is interesting to learn that the wnr has stimulated the business In this country nnd has led to the manu facture of glass buttons, which former ly wero Imported another lnstanco o Seating Germnny nt Its own game. She Saves Fuel. i A little old woman, wearing n wool en dress, n blnck silk Jnckot nnd a llttlo round lint, entered u surface car nt n transfer station yesterdny, her nrmB so filled with n great bundle of rumpled newspapers thut so could barely keep her balanco. "We've got to conserve' sho said cheerfully to another woman who held n seut for her, ns she tumbled Into a sent, making n dive nt tho snmo time for nn evening pnper that some one had left lying there. "Is this yours! No? Well, the government snys we've got to save paper," sho continued, as shexulded this Inst one to her already big packuge ; "nnd I'll tell yon It saves a lot of wood when I make my coffee In tho morning." New York INnes. Model Villains In Belnlum. At the Initiative of M. F. Malft, di rector of tho architectural work- of tho city of Brussels, specialists iro studying nt present a project looking toward the creation, on the boundary of Great Brussels, of n largo vlllngo tor workmen which will be, ns far as tho authorities permit, annexed to Brussels city. It will bo n garden city, conceived nftcr tho most recent es thetic ldens of cities and especially destined for worklngmeu and small shopkeepers. Specinl Installations wlir be provided for, work at homo. From Belgian Bulletin. A X. rrr-