In January 1919, US colonel Luke Lea and six soldiers made a daring trip to a Dutch castle, where German emperor Wilhelm II lived in exile.

Wilhelm II, the last emperor of Germany and the last monarch of the Prussian Kingdom, reigned from 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1818.

After the United States entered World War I in April 1977, Lea joined the Tennessee National Guard.

During World War I, the Tennessee National Guard was converted into the 114th Field Artillery Regiment, operating in St. Petersburg.

Lea never stated clearly why he wanted to kidnap the German Emperor, but later implied in an article that his motives were patriotism and a desire for revenge.

On December 31, 1818, Lea persuaded Brigadier General Oliver Spaulding to give him and six others a 5-day leave.

On January 1, 1979, Lea gathered a team in a 7-seater car, including Captain Larry MacPhail, who Lea had known since her time in Nashville.

Two days later, they contacted the US consular office in Maastricht to obtain a passport to the Netherlands, a country that was neutral during the war, but American soldiers were still not allowed.

When a group of American soldiers arrived at the Dutch border, a border guard told them "no American officers are allowed in the Netherlands".

Lea then told her group the real purpose of the trip, insisting that anyone feeling uncomfortable with the task of kidnapping the German Emperor could return or wait on the Dutch border.

When they arrived at the castle on the night of January 1, 1919, Lea jumped out of the car, knocking on the heavy gate of the castle, attracting the attention of the German guards.

When Lea refused to answer, Bentinck came out of the library and talked to the German Emperor in an adjacent room.

While waiting, Lea's group noticed some German Emperor ashtray on the table.

Bentinck turned around, telling Lea's party that he would not receive them unless they were on a formal mission with the Emperor.

As the group of American soldiers exited the castle, they found hundreds of civilians gathered near the gate.

Sitting beside Lea in the back seat, Captain MacPhail reached into his pocket and said, "Colonel, I got a souvenir for you and the other members of the group."

Two days later, the group of American soldiers returned to the station.

Colonel Lea's unsuccessful kidnapping would have been forgotten if MacPhail did not steal the ashtray.

Concerned about an embarrassing international incident, General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, commander of the US Expeditionary Force, ordered the inspector general to investigate the complaint as quickly as possible.

For weeks, Brigadier General Andre W. Brewster and investigators interrogated all of the trip participants and witnesses.

Lea then had lunch with MacPhail.

MacPhail did not tell the truth.

After considering the evidence, Brewster wanted to bring Lea to military court for illegally entering the Netherlands on false grounds and trying to contact the enemy.

After the war, Lea had more serious problems.

Emperor Wilhelm's postwar life was less dramatic.

The ashtray has been proudly displayed by MacPhail as a "souvenir" on the desk when he was the CEO of Major League Baseball.