£112,000 A YEAR

Hokitika Guardian, 14 December 1920, Page 3

£112,000 A YEAR

SOME MORE ABOUT THE KAISER

(By-H. W. Wilson). Some new and curious fucts as to the exact maimer in which the ex-Kaiser bolted to Holland in November 1918 are divulged by Count Detlef Moltke. an officer of his suite, in a pamphlet which has just been published in Germany.

An attempt was made by .the German Government to induce him to abdicate on November 1, when he refused, declaring that if he went chaos would follow. On November 3 lie paid his last visit to the front, and the Allied airmen improved the. occasion by making an attack on his train. He was not in it at the moment, but there was A stampede of frightened people from it. including the cook of the imperial dm-

ing-car. Two days later telegraphic vvi telephonic communication with Berlin began to break down, and the Kaiser took to sending aircraft there. But these did not return. He was isolated. And the German Government cnlle.l more and more peremptorily for his abdication.

On November 9 he considered the use of armed force against the revolution in Germany, but had quickly to abandon that idea. He hoped, however, after the armistice to “ride, hack at the head of the German army,” till he was bluntly told that “the army will not march under your Majesty’s orders,’ and was warned that the revolution was mainly against himself. At last, most- reluctantly, he sat down and wrote an abdication as German Emperor, but on condition that he remained. King of Prussia and led “the unbroken army” hack home. This was as far ns he could be induced to go. To his dismay there came the news that the German Government, to get rid of him, had published the news that he had abdicated and that the Crown Prince had also renounced his rights, two hours before he had signed his provisional abdication. There was consternation at Spa. The Kaiser was furious. “He repeatedly asserted that he was still King of Prussia and would not leave the army. But during the afternoon there came m news that mutinies had broken out on the German front, while the Spa gairisou flatly declined to fight for him. He still determined to remain at Spa, but in the night of November 10 changed his mind and decided to fly to Holland. As he passed the last German post lie was received, not with military honours, but with shouted reproaches The main facts of his journey through Holland are known, but it lias' not been noticed that his progress was watched |,y thousands of the Dutch with jeers and hooting, and suggestions that lie ought to be hanged. By arrangements which had evidently been previously made with the Dutch Government he was carefully protected and lgnominiouslv conducted to his present safe asylum, where lie enjoys an income ot £112,000 a year. . It will he observed that he is still in theory King of Prussia, and may at any moment reassert his royalty.