Moltke’s Strange Tales.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 April 1923, Page 4

Moltke’s Strange Tales.

HUNS' TREACHEROUS AVAR. PLANS. PLOT TO INVADE HOLLAND. Some strange disclosures are made hy the late Gen. Hclmiith von Afoltke. nephew of the great Aloltke and himself Chief of Staff in the Prussian Army before the war and during the first weeks of it. in the collection of his papers published by his widow under ihe title of ‘'Eriimerungon. Rrcife, Dokumente. 1877-1916” filer Kommende Tag. Stuttgart). Aloltko was removed from hi- post after the German defeat in the first Battle of the Marne and he died in 1916 of heart disease. He reveals what ha- always been suspected, that the Germain, at one time intended to violate the neutrality of Holland as well as that of Belgium and Luxemburg.

The concentration worked out hy my predecessor was so arranged that the German right had to pass hy Ruormond and traverse not only Belgian, hut Dutch territory. My predecessor. Count Schlieffen, was of opinion that Holland would content herself with a protest and would otherwise allow the violation of her frontier to proved without hindranee. 1.1 EGE REHEARSALS. Aloltke changed his plan, not because he regretted ii as a wicked act to attack another neutral State, hut because. as he explains at groat length, he thought the violation of Dutch neutrality would injur." Germany. A fact which he reveals is the cold-blooded i haravi: r of hi- preparation:- to attack Liege, the Belgian fortress, in a country whose neutrality the Kaiser, just before the war had promised to respect. I tool; care to have the positions at Liege reconnoitred constantly, end cli th" mads tested hv which columns oi troops could advance towards the interior c.i the town keeping out of sight ul the loi'ts. There wore live such

using them were trained hy actual prm- j tire, on the spot, at night, and their j mni'li r regularly siippleiiM nted. AA’heit the attempt to seize- Liege at the very outset faded, the Kaiser turnid on Aloltke with the word-: "A our attack on Belgium has brought England on my shoulders as an enemy.” And this, entry of Great Britain into the war (which Aloltke professes always to have anticipated) was a serious matter. as he says: "The swift aid given hv England was the chief reason why the attempt to crush France in the first onrush failed.” EX-K A I,BER DECKIN' El). An account is given of an interven- j linn of the ex-Kaiser on August Ist., j the date when the mobilisation order was given. AA'iHiam 11.. misinformed hy I’rinre l.iehiioW'ky. the German Ambassador in London. was led to slippose that France would i nisiii neutral. On Lai.- the Kaiser said to .Multi,-: “Now we can concentrate the whole | army against Russia in the ca-f.” I : : answered his Majesty that this was j m- ! : possible. The i one.ait ration of a:i army i | oi millions' could not he improvised; it. j j was the result oi a year M arduous la- j | hour, and one e begun, i mild not he | altered. !f his Majesty insisted on di- i i reeling tee whole army to the cast, it | would lint fi ■ an organised forte hut a j moo of armed men withmi: • applies, I Moll ke declines that lit wept tears I ol t’cxsiair at certain orders which the | Kaiser i-.'Ucd hut they ware -horily ! aIT ■ rtt a nls o:ue , Ik-.I w leui the mi-un-i di i 'standing was Hi a red up. I Then- I. (-video,-e ill his letters that Mr hi'i 111 heed a; 1 1 " Ra 1 1 le oi the j Maine, i) 11 the day when the German j ivt-vai fi.gan he wiote to hi- wife. ME. war which he-gati so hopefully has now :M, ou a turn in the nppn-it" direiI ion. | a,ii't hear what ha - hanm ned and stand or fall with my country. How iliil'ereoL it was wlicn only a lew weeks; ago we began the lampaign -o hrdliauily. and now what hitter disapjioitii.-nu-ni has eome upon us. And ho-v can I tv- manage to pav for v. hai ha h: eu . ! (lest roved 7 Appa rent ly Aloltke never iinagiued tlial the Alin - --. mild h ■ so sin pi- as to allow Germany to evade payment for I the damage done. Tile hi;! itiv for the feiivnl i i ;1: > - (■■ r,ll.lie- at the ID-I Rattle of the Alarne |,a. h Oil pom rails laid at Aloliko'- door , ,■ ha- la on saddled on his stall' niff r. ( ,1 11 c; 1 1 sh. who has Iron mad • a |! ,i, -Hi oil Ills rc| ni n t from lho ~ ni | d need lie had given the older to i(. |(e re!', iried that the orders 1 for th- retreat of the Ft Army (Kiuck) j t.. !( | i ~ v out al t’oo hour ol hi arrival. That the Ist Army was not in | a eoielition to operati iiidojiendeio ly Ijhov. ii hv the fact that it e odd not j esteldi-'li a iiaison with Hi- 2nd. Army. i “ IJc'hlc I Eye;' j Nil AY."' I n connexion w itii Hte rci cut oeal'.i ~| sir Tiio> ni' Die Ls. one oi Ausira- ; |j. ; 's mo t imtahlc hankers, it is re-: n,'(.,! , h:\t. nutiiv years ago. ho \ i-itod | ]| 1,;,,., a hraie-h id' t ?-.«* haul; I here, j Toe of ii m n"i th tolling in his i aii word- i ays the "Sydney Ahull- , ing I L-rald") : "In v.amhuing Hurmigh . tho slro'ds of louts I came across a | follow hanker. Ho invited me to -day ; with him, and I was wry glad la no i so. Ills office was an onlinaiy ten! i oi (-a lii'ii, and nn each side was a ten! which almost 1 • melted Ike bank. One j v.cs a barber’ ■ shop, and l other a j ptlhlic-lmitM-. The door wa- hut a j calico li:ti>. and tin- counter thM nr- j cupied the space aero-- the U-ut was . about 5 feel 9 inches long. AA e had ■ to climb over it to gel 1o the lmek | of the tent, where there were two bed-j stead', made of old Hour sacks stretch-j ed on pegs. I stayed there lour <n j live days, during which 1 wm- grieved j to -eu the careless maimer in which : my ho-t was currying on the business, j |],, iv, civeil cash for a dralf: oil Syd- j noy. and made no hook entry. He; would buy a panel oi gold du-G pay j fee it. shout the gold into a galvanised j iron bucket. but made uociilry. As; ~i:.i,i a- tin- operations I have described were finish,' 1 lie would throw hints,-If ] down on his hod and read a. yellowback. I used to accompany him lo ihe Relice Commissioner's camp. -Alien 11:ere he would pul in of take* out whatever , ji-.lt he thought necessary for the day, thrust the notes into I” j

overcoat, end walk hack to ihe bank, I about half a mile distant. The hags of money lay unlocked on the floor. J 1 offered to assist him in hnlaning his j hooks, inti he declined, not because 1 | was a rival hanker, lmt from sheer j laziness. Altogether, I think hi ; was | the strangest hank I ever saw.” One ; inn well imagine what a shock ihi' I lutl-t have Loon to Air Rich-, who was j noted for his attention lo details, and for that genius which is said to he the j capacity for taking infinite pains, j Whet Iter it was in the rough ami [ tumble of establishing branches of the : hank in isolated places in the early j days, or in his work as general man- j ager. he was nothing if not thorough, j