THE FLIGHT OF "WILLIAM THE LAST."

Taranaki Daily News, 22 April 1919, Page 5

THE FLIGHT OF "WILLIAM THE LAST."

TOLD BY ONE OF HIS RETAINEp. « f

"Flight of William tho Last." Under this title the Vorwaerts gives a description of William Hohenzollern's hurried exit from the Imperial arena, written by the Kaiser's own attendant;—On Tuesday, October 29, at 2.30 p.nu, I received from the castle ait order to' ' come immediately. Arrived at the castle, I received a commission to prepare, with the personnel appointed to me, to start ■ at 11 o'clock at night from Wildpark Station to make the .journey to Spa in the Court train. I arranged provisions for about ten days from the castle's war store, where enormous treasures of food of every description are«stocked. On October 30, at 4 p.m., we entered Spa. The Kaiser and his suite of W gentlemen, with about 45 servants, continued to reside in the train. On November 3 the Kaiser undertook a journey to the front to Alost, in North Belgium. We left this station with some , delay. Had we remained we should have been no more, for ten minutes after the Court train's departure (the Kaiser with some of the suite had left on motor-cars) the station was bombed by French airmen and completely ruined, also a munition transport and hospital .. train full of sick and wounded. On the - return journey we saw six enemy air-' * men still above our train, but we were • lucky, as they had thrown all thenbombs at Alost. We returned to Spa about mid-day. On November 4 we were informed that we should leave that evening for Berlin. Our joy was great, but things turned out differently. The Kaiser had not complied with the request of the General Staff to retire from Spa as quickly as possible, as his presence occasioned fears of the worst, but had taken up his quarters in the Villa Froneuse, where he had previously lived. I had to contend with all sorts of things in the train. The couriers, who should have brought fresh provisions, meat, game, vegetables, etc., from Berlin had not arrived. Whaji was Ito do? I told a Court official that he must see that the necessary provisions were obained. This was done to a limited extent.

On Saturday, November 9, at 6 p.m., ' we received news in the' train that the Kaiser was coming down with all his suite, and would remain in the train. What did that meant we asked ourselves. After some reflection we arrived at the right conclusion— flight. -' About 10, when the Kaiser had left the restaurant car, I was instructed to have a travelling breakfast ready early the following morning for the Kaiser, six. gentlemen of his suite, and about eight members of the travelling service} and about half-past 4 the first breakfast must be ready, as at fi o'clock motor cars for the further journev (the flight to Holland) would be ready. Xhus it happened that the Kaiser left the train at 5 o'clock in the morning and fled in motor-cars across the Dutch frontier, and we followed in the train, reaching Eysden about 10. Scarcely had the train stopped when we heard people belonging to a factory situated opposite the train asking the mocking question whether we wanted to go to Paris, for if so we must take the opposite direction.

On Monday the 11th at 9.10 ajn. we left Eyaden for Maarn; via Maastricht. Our experiences during this journey were simply indescribable. Every single station that we passed swarmed like an anthcap with people endeavoring to surpass each other in howling and hissing holding up their hands, showing their tongues, spitting, and so on. We reached Maarn station at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the Kaiser being received by Count Bentinck at Amerongen. We arrived at our place of banishment at Amerongen at 8 o'clock, and found a very good reception in a small hotel boardinghouse, and had supper. We i went to our rooms, all of which were without stoves and very cold, but we said to ourselves that it was better than an internment camp. We remained in these quarters, very comfortably looked *' after by the lady of the house until the ■ ■ lvth, when K entered my rom early and asked whether I had heard four % '- shots during the night. I answered in the negative. He replied, "Yes w . here we sit like a mouse in a trail'' ' Thereupon I said that every mouse that ' ' is caught endeavors to escape from the : ''-i trap. I also should try, He thourirtf !' ■■! there was notlnng to prevent this, but I 1 should leave at my own risk This I did and through the German Legation ■ at The Hague I was able to stefr for home, and in this brilliantly succeeded ■ £