THE EX-KAISER OF TO-DAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17151, 3 May 1919, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE EX-KAISER OF TO-DAY.

OLD, BOWED AND WORN.

. A PRE-WAR INCIDENT.

Many stories of the ex-Kaiser are now told in the English papers. Maasbode, of Rotterdam, has an account from an old acquaintance of the Kaiser of a visit to the ez-menarch on the laliter's sixtieth birthday, January 27. Many flowers had arrived, and everything had been done to make the day festive, but the ex-monarch could not be roused from his condition of morbid uneasiness. He starts when anyone approaches him. When the visitor went' towards him he receded in alarm, and at first did not recognise him.

Later, the ex-Kaiser unburdened his mind in a flood of words. He gave the impression of a man on tSe brink of mental collapse. He thinks his generals, his advisers, his diplomats, Catholics, Jews, and Freemasons, all deceived him.

The visitor says he would not have recognised the ex-Emperor had he met him in the street. Wilhelm is now an old man, bowed and worn-out, with snow-white hair, and; dressed in an untidy uniform which seems to hang round the skeleton of a man.

Writing in the German review, Weltbuhne, Johannes Fischart says :—On IJuly 1, 1901 the Kaiser was on board the cruiser Nymphe to watch the finish of one of the yacht races of the Keil Regatta.

In one of the intervals he went into the captain's deck-cabin to sign some State papers. Interrupting h a work of appendi ing his signature to documents placed before him one after the oiher by Admiral von Tirpilz, the Kaiser remarked to another admiral standing near : " Tirpiti is a bore with his documents. I should prefer a glass of champagne." " At your service, Majesty," replied the other admiral, who rushed headlong to fetch a glass of champagne. Wilhelm drank half the glass, then went out on to the bridge, beneath which were General von Hahnke and the officers of his brilliant suite. " Hahnke," shouted the Emperor, " you would like some champagne, too," and, as the general turned his face upwards to reply, Wilhelm poured the remainder of his own glass over General Hahnke. "Majesty is too gracious," was General ! Hahnke's manly retort to this insult, while ' the remaining officers of the Imperial suite roared with laughter. Wilhelm returned in boisterously goodhumour to the deck-cabin and denuded something lo eat. The attentive admiral rushed to fetch some caviar sandwiches. Taking one of these sandwiches, Wilhelm removed the butter and the caviar with his forefinger, which he then licked clean, and, emerging once more upon the bridge, shouted, " Hshnke, you would like some caviar sandwiches, I am sure." As General Hahnke, looked up to murmur his thanks, Wilhelm threw the remnant of bread in his face. Again, General Hahnke, with a courtly [bow, replied, " Majesty is too gracious."