“ I WANT TO LIVE."

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 5850, 25 September 1917, Page 7

“ I WANT TO LIVE."

KARL FRIEDRICH’S LAST HOURS. SAYS ANZACS ARE GREAT MEIN. The Rev. Mr Caldwell, minister of the Baptist Church at Sreatham, was the chaplain at the general hospital in France at which the Kaiser’s nephew. Prince Karl Friedrich, the airman, died. Interviewed for an English paper, Mr Caldwell said: “I visited the Prince each day from his arrival to his death. He spoke freely of his capture and his treatment. He said ho was doing important work when he was attacked by British airmen. The contest was keen and exciting. He was on a fast machine, and was hit in a vital part. He was compelled to descend in full view of the Australians. He saw the predicament lie would he in when ho landed, so ho decided to bum his machine and then run. “ “The Australians. ’ he said, ‘were too clever for mo. They gave me a warm time when I took to my heels. T felt- a twitching sensation in my hack, and fell forward —done for. The Australians treated me with tho greatest kindness. They are sportsmen and groat men. Officers and soldiers who attended to mo coming down the lino were very considerate, and the whole atmosphere in this hospital is kindness. God is wvtli me. When I was christened the pastor read a text from the Bible, which ho repeated at lily confirmation, and gave me as my life-long message from God. T fear T did not value it enough hefore T was wounded, hut since then it lias been a. source of consolation to mo. It keeps returning to n\v thoughts. Tt is: “Tf God lie with us, who can bo against ns?” Whnt grater evidence could T have of its truth than llio kindness shown me now ? “ ‘T have no regrets. I did my best for mv country, and am not. sorry T am finished with the war. T want to ■Hive. Tam young, and when the war is oyer T shall go hack and help to build up my nation again.’ “An hour of so before he died,” Mr Caldwell concluded, “T prayed with him. When I had finished lie nno tied his eves, and with a. smile said ‘Thank yon very much.’ lie soon became unconscious and never recovered. “The TColniseho Zoitung published a letter which the Pi-inoe wrote to his parents. Ho said : ‘T bad lost vorjv much blood, and was frozen stiff. Two soldiers, however, gave mo their cloaks and covered me. T was carried an endless stretch, lint always very carefully.”