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Show Attempt to Kidnap Kaiser a 'Fascinating Footnote to History' An interesting aftermath of the "hang the kaiser" cry of World War I days was the daring attempt of eight American soldiers all from Tennessee to kidnap the kaiser in his refuge in Amerongen, Holland, and take him to Paris, there to turn him over to the Allied authorities. Under the pretense of being on a "journalistic investigation," they gained admission to the castle of Count von Bentnick and asked for an interview with the "All Highest." They almost succeeded in their bold plan, but even though they failed, they "did write a fascinating footnote foot-note to history." The result was the launching of an investigation by the Dutch authorities (in the course of which the ex-kaiser filed a complaint that the unauthorized and unwelcome unwel-come visit of these Americans to his castle "made me nervous!") who soon decided to hush the matter up, and a threatened court martial which ended only in a mild repri mand for the leader of the party. He was Col. Luke Lea of Nashville, later a prominent newspaper owner in the South, and his companion "footnote-to-history writers" were Capt. Thomas P. - Henderson- of Franklin, Capt. Leland S. MacPhail of Nashville, Lieut. Ellsworth Brown of Chattanooga, Sergt. Dan Reilly of Franklin, Sergt. Owen Johnson of Franklin,' Sergt. Egbert Haile of Nashville and Corp. Marmaduke Clokey of Knoxville. |