Paris, Sept. 21.
Some curious details of the publishers' struggle for the ex-Kaiser's memoirs are given by the Paris edition of the "Chicago Daily News." The German text was entrusted by the dethroned sovereign to Messrs. Koehler, an old established Leipzig firm, with power to negotiate on his behalf for the sale of the foreign rights. In April Messrs. Koehler gave a three weeks' option on the right of publication in all languages except German to an American group including the Chicago Daily News," the "New York Times," the McClure syndicate and Harper Bros. Mr. Clinton T. Brainard was despatched across the Atlantic to represent this group, and while his delegates were reading through the ME. to ascertain its probable value, he was cabling to the uttermost -parts of the earth, to get cther newspapers to join the ring and secure the exclusive rights for their particular spheres.
In the meantime rivals were coming into the field. Dozens of publishers and newspaper proprietors made the journey to Leipzig. Several American newspaper correspondents who were at the Genoa Conference were sent post haste to negotiate for the memoirs, which were regarded as much more interesting than the Conference. After receiving their readers' report the big syndicate made an offer of $225,000, which was accepted subject to no higher offer being received in a week, that is to say, up to midnight on Tuesday, June 6, in Berlin. On the second day a cable announced that a rival group had been formed in the United States and that ite representative was on his way in the Berengaria, due at Cherbourg on June 5. He landed soon after noon and reached Paris the same evening. He could have gone on by a train which would have landed him, in Berlin at 10 p.m. on the 6th, two hours before the expiration of the period agreed upon by his rivals and the German publisher. He had had a bad crossing, however, and felt ill Instead of continuing his journey. he went to bed, after telegraphing to Berlin to announce his entry into the lists. He could still have arrived in time by chartering an aexcplane, but he tavelled train, reached Berlin on the Wednesday ani, found he was tov lute. The big syndicate had p"t down the money and clinched the bargain immediately the week had expired. The English book rights were re-sold by the syndicate to Messrs. Cassell, and the French, Swiss and Belgian periodical rights to the Agence Radio.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.