Nebraska Newspapers

    ! STARTLING EXPOSURE OF INNER LIFE OF KAISER AND CROWN PRINCE AS
TOLD BY COUNT ERNST VON HELTZENDORFF TO WILLIAM LEQUEUX
: Relates How Kaiser :
• • ■
: Escaped Assassin •
• •
I- HI I oKl % I Mill.. — William I .e
who here rhroalrlem for hi*
frfeaJ. I oaat lra*t % «»a llel«*end«*rff.
•be latter* revelation* of the Inner
life of the imperial t.erman coart. ha*
»•** been rr.»ZBlirf throughout 1.0
rope a* the p«***eo*or of It* laarrtnukt
noeroc*
The I as li*h -Who** \\ fan** *a«a of
him “He ha* Intimate knowledge of
Che *e*-eC on tee of i oaflaeatal run
trie* and I* «oaaldered by the cuteru
men! t**f t.rrai Hritaiai aa aathorlty on
ataHb matter*.** laalbrr aathorlty *sy*:
-I r* pewpl- hate been more rloocly n*
* printed aaltb or ka»* more of the
aatpcaadtaa inner aoarhlarry of C*cr
maay Than he. *
I K|arat probably ha* more *oaree»
of *rrrrt taler mat ion at hi* t-ommand
than nay nairaporary la <*!«II life, and
for che loot *la year* the British lire
eraaaeat ha* made aalaable u*r of hi*
aaat at cape of arrrrt Information thruach
a *pr • .all y orsanUed depart meat with
«*hl«h 1 rvurut work* aa a voluntary
aad*taM
t ount voa Ifeltceadorff heeaine an In
timate of l arteral year* prior
Co che oat break of the war: he ha* been
U« In* la retirement la I ranee *in«*e
l«S»*i. IPI4. and It wa* there that Ur
q«r«t rrrrlted from the rrowc prince**
late pr'*c*asl adjataai perml**i«»a to
make pakU* theme revelation* of the
loner life of the Hobea»«*nrrti*— that
the demoerarir* of the world an light
rome to know the real, bat heretofore
hidden, peroonalltle* of the two domi
nant aaember* of thr autocracy It la
now arrayed esala«t.
THE command* you
«J audience at once ill the
private dining nw»iu.” said
an*- • Ter ng The kai^ r ~ study. where
1 was uniting tutu.
.%> I |*»i—I d«»wn>tairs to the r**oRi.
to ah. h e:j*ntnce was forbidden even
to the crown print, himself. I natur
ally w 'hder*-.! why I had been CoIP
tn*nd*-i to tsuunctf there.
il.v«- y«»u any knowledge of the
< * of the letter which you have
br* .gh* fr-.m th« crown prince?” the
eiu}o*r *r a*k*-d hluntly.
! r*-i*li**«l In the negative.
A T ■ T* :'•>*! pimfTow: li. a* k
ed suddenly
“T-< Thorn. 3;v imiwrial highness
in-i~ ■- ’he g»rr.- s there on Thurs
day.'* I SfdC.
“Ah «»f otjr-e I intended to go,
hot tt l* impossible.**
Then after a |« use. the emperor
ks-ked as. -'might in the face and
suddenly Mid:
• H» 'rend--rff. have you any know!
edge ,,f say lun;; mlb-d Mlnckwit*?"
I reflected.
“1 , a i « v<*n Min-'kwit*. grand
tar. -ter tie- e.*jrt of the duke of
Roue-Alten burg." was my reply.
Vi ft:* nun. Wilhelm Minck
wit* der p«se« as a musician."
1 kisoi my head.
“You ar. quite certain that you have
never li e,.r<! the name? Try to r>*-<>)
l«rt ali-'her tike crown prince has
ever : •• •..•’.ed him in your presence."
I endeavored to ris-all the circutn
st; fur - .:neho very gradually 1
fel* a ■! - - re. ileit.iin of having
tmrr heard that name before.
A* the r iieient I f»ii to recall any
thing y»cr majesty." was my answer.
The etiip- mr knit his brows as
though annoyed at my reply, arid then
gre- •—i d—-pty la dissatisfaction.
“Metu lit* here In -ilani." he «abl.
“Te*.egr;*td» to the crown prince re
calling turn at my order- and I will
can--. •» is-t. *) ,.t Thorn. Toil
the crown prince that I wish to see
him tonight tmrmdlateiy u]m>ii his re
turn."
Th-r. not..-ing f*-r the fir-t time that
the rmperor held a puper in his hand.
I realized t.y it- color that It was one
of those — .-r*-t r-i"*rt* furnished for
the kaiser'* eye alone—a report of one
of "he thousand* of *pie- of Germany
spread ev.-rywheiv.
Minekwit*! I impress,*! that name
upti i: y t.ii-tnory. arid being dismissed
•-,«ed r j ., |f ,,tjt „f the imperial pres
ence.
Kexaming to the Mar- • r palace I
—at a I*mg and urg.-nt i —::i:v over
•he privat* wire t» “W illie" at Al
• •*.«. rej» :■ mt his majesty's orders,
tad recalling him at once. tyuite well
I ,ew Tlist -urh an unusual message
-Id tsr--'!se his IligtlTiess* ;iJjJ.reheU
- - Tli-vt f'«r —*>:ae often**- or other he
*a- at-. it to receive a pj'temal cas
t ' .'S- If it I oltfil 1 * |.e explicit.
he*su*»• I fi l l no knowledge of the
re*— xi the -of was canceling our
cawpasut »t Thom
“D d He Ask You That?”
At nine o'clock that night the crown
prtn.-e t •urst into the r*-cn wherein I
was att* ad.t.g to th*- corn -j*>ti<l. n<-e.
“What !» 'fc** tiaiite of fate does all
this no an. Sli-liaii'lorff?” lie demand
'd. “Why did the < lajieror fail to re
h-> To tiiT message?”
i . .-..red it." I -nil And then I
de-.Tlh.-i ,hat look plac In the eui
f* - r - private dining room. When
1 ! • - r - *• of Minefcwltz the
cr»>'i t i < . . cheeks blanched.
! !i y.m ihriiT* he gn*j**d.
* ' ' 1 t'.m that the only per
son I kn< . . f that name was Count
von St.fo k-.iitz.”
At: •; * ..-Tie fat. old master of the
court. Oh The emperor knows him
well enough. It Is sotnetx-jy he
Is ref err'ng to.”
“Hi* Uitjesty wishes to see you mt
xiee." I urged, full of wonder.
I could plainly see that hi* imperial
highness had been much upset at men
S<* of th*- mysterious j- r—.n called
ICiackw; z. What could the emperor
know of him? Was there some scan
dal at the root of it all. some farts
which the crown prince feared might
be revealed?
Travei-«ial- ,-! and without (-hanging
bl» tunic. “Willie” went to the tele
pt :;tid ordered Knof to bring hack
the ‘-;ir. In it he drove across to the
News Palais to see the emperor.
I had an appointment in Berlin that
night, and waited until quite late for
“Willie's" return. As he did not come.
I left for the capital, and on arrival
;.t my rooms rang up Wolffs agency,
and gave out a paragraph to the press
that his imperial highness, the crown
prince, had been compelled to aban
don his journey to Thorn, owing to
having contracted a chill.
At the Schloss Oels.
Several weeks went by. and one dr.y
we were at the ancient schloss at Oels.
In far Silesia.
The guests included old Count von
Reisenhach. court chamberlain of the
prince of SchambourgT.ippe. who was
a noted raconteur and bonvivant, with
Major von lleidkumper of the Fourth
Bavarian Light Cavalry, a constant
: ptmion of “Willie," anti Karl von
Bappenheitn. a captain of the Prussian
•guard, w ho had been educated at Ox
ford. anti who was so English that it
wti> often difficult for people front
London to believe that he was a Prus
sian.
Von I’appenheim was one of “Wil
lie's" new friends. He was the son
of a great landowner of Erfurt, and
'he pair had for the past month been
ins..parable. He was a shrewd, keen
eyed man. who seemed ever on the
alert, but. of course, obsessed by mili
tary dignity. He had a sister. Marga
rete. a pretty girl, a year or so bis
Junior, who hud been to the Maruier
palace on one occasion.
one day I had accompanied the
I arty cut after stag. Soon after lunch
eon. which we took at a forester's
house, we went forth again, and I con
■■euled myself at a point of vantage,
lying behind a screen of ferns and
branches specially const: ueted as
cover.
I was ssone. at some- considerable
distance frs-n the others, ami had been
there waitin' f..r nearly an hour with
no gun In readiness, when suddenly I
heard the cracking of dried wood not
far away.
Something wis moving. I raised iny
gun in breathless eagerness.
Next moment, however. I heard the
voices of two men—"Willie" and his
friend. Von Pappenheiin. They were
ppronehing me, speaking in low. con
tinent ial tones.
“You quit;- understand." “Willie"
usaying. “My position i« a terri
ble one. I don’t know how to estri
cate myself. If I rare reveal the truth,
t!.* •; I know full well what their ven
geance will be."
"But. my dear Caesar.” was Karl
von I'appenhelin's reply, for he was on
su : intimate terms that he called his
h" hy the name Von Hochberg
!. • stowed upon him. “is it not your
;’> to risk all and tell the truth?”
1 '!:■■ j'alr had halted only a few yards
front me and taken cover behind a
iced hush which had been cut down
and placed conveniently at the spot,
in case the shooting party were a large
ore- and the screen behind which I had
concealed myself was insufficient. So
near were they that I could hear all
that was said.
"The emperor would neither beli< ve
nor forgive me,” “Willie” said.
"Minckwitz is a clever devil. He
would bring manufactured evidence
which must implicate me."
Minckwitz! That was the name
h oh the crop* i-..r had uttered, asking
r:.e if I knew him!
“Bui can he bring evidence?” asked
his companion.
"Yes. curse hint!—he can!”
“You can refute It. surely?”
“No. I can’t. If I could. I should
make a ch an breast of the whole mat
ter.” Willie declared.
“He Holds Me in the Hollow of His
Hand.”
••But cannot 1 help you? Cannot I
Minekwitz. and Muff him?” his
friend suggested.
“Yon don't know him.” was the re
ply. “He holds nte in the hollow of
his hand."
“Ah ! Then you have been horribly
indiscreet—eh ?”
“I have. I admit I have. Karl; and
I do not see my way out of it."
“But. my dear Caesar, think of the
danger existing day by day—hour by
’fur!” cri**d Von Pappenheim. "Think
v.hat there is at stake! That letter
yi. i showed me this morning reveals
.inly too plainly what is Intended."
“It is a letter of defiance. I admit.”
“Anil a catastrophe must inevitably
occur. if you do not act.”
“But how can I act?” cried the crown
prince. “Suggest something—I cannot.
If I titti r a syllable. Minekwitz will
nee! certainly carry out his threat
against me.”
“Contrive to have him arrested upon
sonic chart.« ur other,” Karl suggested.
“If I did he would produce the evi
dence against me." declared the crown
prince.
A silence then fell between the pair.
Suddenly Karl asked:
•TV»-s Von Heltzendorff know?”
“He knows nothing," was “Willie’s”
answer. "The emperor questioned him.
hut he was in ignorance of Minckwitz’s
existence. He was naturally surprised,
but I did not regard it as judicious to
enlighten him.”
“He is your confidential adjutant. If
I were you, I should tell him the
truth. No time should be lost, re
memher.”
Then, after a few seconds of.silence.
Von Pappenheitn went on:
“Why. I never thought ot It! My
sister Margarete knows Minekwitz.
She might perhaps be useful to us—
ehr
“Why, yes!” cried “Willie,” “a wom
an can frequently accomplish a thing
where a man would fall. A most ex
cellent Idea. Let us leave the others
to their sport and get back to the
A LETTER FROM THE CROWN PRINCE'S PERSONAL ADJUTANT
TO WILLIAM LEQUEUX, POSSESSOR OF THE
SECRETS OF EUROPE.
Yeneux \adoi,
par Moret-sur-Loing,
Seine-et-Marne.
February 10th, 1917.
My dear LeQueux:
1 have just finished reading the proofs of your articles deaerlfclni
my life as an official at the !niperial court at Potsdam, and the two o
three small errors you made 1 have duly corrected.
The gross scandals and wily Intrigues which I have related to y®1
were many of them known to yourself, for, as the intimate friend j
Luisa, the ex-crown princess of Saxony, you were, before the wai
closely associated with many of those at court whose names appear li
these articles.
The revelations which I have made, and which you have recorde
here, are but a tithe of the disclosures which 1 could make, and if th
world desires more, I shall be pleased to furnish you with other an
even more startling detail*, which you may also put into print.
My service as personal adjutant to the (ierman crown prince Is, Imp
pily. at an end. and now. with the treachery of (Germany against civili
xation glaringly revealed. I feel, in my retirement, no compunction 1:
exposing all 1 know concerning the secrets of the kaiser and his hoi
With most cordial greetings from
Your lineeBf friend,
< 'Agned) ERNST VOX HELT7.EX DORF-F.
sehloss and discuss a line of action
eh?"
And in agreement, the pair emerged
from their ambush, and retraced their
steps along the path they had come.
A Message From the Emperor.
Next evening Von Pappenhelm’s sis
ter Margarete. fair-haired, petite and
rather doll-like, arrived at the castle.
During dinner an imperial courier
arrived from Berlin with a letter front
the emperor, and “Willie” opened it.
read it. and then, excusing himself,
left the table. 1 rose and followed
him. as was my duty, hut when outside
the room, his highness sent me hack,
saying in a thick, husky voice:
“I shall not want you. Von Heltzen
dorff; I will write the reply myself.”
On my return the guests were dis
cussing the effect of the emperor's
Message upon their host. Von I’appen
heim being particularly anxious. He
said something in a low voice to his
sister, when the latter became at once
thoughtful. Indeed, the remainder of
the meal was a very dull affair, and
it was with relief that we rose and
went out into the big ancient hall,
with its vaulted ceiling, where coffee
wns nlwnvs sprvprl.
The courier had left on his return
journey to the capital, yet “Willie” did
not again reappear. At eleven o’clock
I found him lying in a heavy sleep
upon the sofa in the room set apart
for me for my writing.
I called his faithful valet, and to
gether we half-carried him to his room,
where he was undressed and put to
bed. Hardly had I returned to my
room, when Von Pappenheim entered
in search of his host.
“nis highness is not well, and has
retired to his room,” I said. “He ex
pressed a desire to see nobody to
night."
“Oh!” he cried in despair. “Why
did he not see me and tell me the
truth ! Precious hours are flying, and
we must act if the situation is to be
saved.”
“What situation?" I asked, in pre
tended ignorance.
“You know nothing. Von Heltzen
dorff. eh?" he asked, looking me
straight in the face.
“Nothing." was my reply.
“You have no knowledge of the trap
into which the crown prince fell when
he was in Paris with you six months
ago. and when he and 1 first met?”
“A trap! What do you mean?”
“Has he told you nothing?”
“Not a syllable.”
“Ah! Then I cannot be frank with
you until I obtain his highness’ per
mission. He told me that you knew
nothing, but I did not believe it. Know
ing well what implicit confidence he
places in you. I believed that you knew
the ghastly truth.”
Into what trap had “Willie” fallen
during our last visit to Paris I could
not conceive. His constant absences
alone, his terrible craving for excite
ment, his wild and reckless search for
pleasure had ever been a source of
anxiety to me. Times without number
had I lifted a warning finger, only to
be derided by the son of the all-highest
one.
On a Secret Mission for the Crown
Prince.
Next day, soon after his highness
was dressed, he entered my room.
“Heltzendorff,” he said, “I have been
chatting with Von Pappenheim and
liis sister upon a little matter of busi
ness which closely concerns myself.
I want you to leave in an hour's time
and go to Hanover. In the Kirehroder
strasse, No. 16. out at Kleefeld, there
lives a certain man named Minckwitz
—a Pole by birth. He has two nieces
—one about twenty and the other two
years older. With them you have no
concern. All I want Is that you en
gage a photographer, or, better, your
self take a snapshot of this man
Minckwitz, and bring it to me. Be
discreet and trust no one with the se
cret of your journey.”
“Exactly. T1 ^re is a doubt ns to
tlie man's identity, eh?"
“Willie” nodded tn the affirmative.
Satisfied that I should at last see
the mysterious pers< n whose Identity
the emperor wished tc establish, I set
out from Oels on my loirg journey right
across Germany.
In due course I arrived ir. Hanover,
and found the house situated in the
pleasant suburb. Here I found that
“Willie's” suspicions were correct, and
the man Minckwitz was livisg under
the name of Sembnch and pretending
to be a musician. I watched, nnd very
soon, with my own camera, in secret
took a snapshot of the mysterious In
dividual ns he walked In the street.
With this I left, two days later, on my
return to Oels.
The photograph was that of a thin,
nnrrow-faced. deep-eyed man, with a
scraggy, pointed heard—a typical Pole,
and when I handed it to “Willie” he
held his breath.
“Look!” he cried, turning to Von
Pappenheim and hi- sister, who were
both present. “Look! There is no
mistake! That is the man. What
shall we do? Xo time must be lost.
How can I act?”
A Talk With Von Pappenheim’s Sister.
Brother and sister exchanged glances
blankly. From inquiries I had made
In Hanover, it seemed that the man
was a stranger, a music-master, who
had arrived there about a month ago.
I feared to make inquiry through the
police, because my official capacity as
personal adjutant to the crown prince
was too well known, and suspicion
might have thus been aroused.
The trio again held secret counsel,
but I was not told the nature of their
deliberations. All I knew was that
the crown prince was in some terrible
and most dangerous difficulty.
That afternoon I met the girl Mar
garete walking alone in the grounds
near the sehloss. The autumn sun
was pleasant, though there was a
sharp nip in the air. which told of the
coming of the early Silesian winter.
We had walked together for some
distance, when I suddenly halted and
asked her point-blank why they were
nil in such great fear of Herr Minck
witz.
She started, staring at me with her
big blue eyes.
“His highness has not told you,
count. Therefore, it would ill become
me to reveal his secret," was her cold
rebuke.
“But if the situation is so grave,
j and if I had been intrusted with the
secret mission to Hanover, I may,
perhaps, be of service in the matter.
1 understand you are acquainted with
Herr Minckwitz. alias Sembach—eh?"
“Who told you that?"
“Nobody. I learned it myself,” I an
swered, with a smile.
For a second she reflected, then,
with a woman's cleverness, she said:
“I can tell you nothing. Ask the
crown prince himself." And she re
fused to discuss the matter further.
Indeed, she left the castle two hours
later.
The Crown Prince’s Fear.
That night I went boldly to “Willie,”
finding him alone in a little circular
room in one of the towers of the castle,
to which he often retired to smoke and
snooze.
I stood before him, and without
mincing matters, told him what I had
overheard, and all I knew.
The effect of my words was almost
electrical. He sat up. staring at me,
almost dazed at my statement.
“It is true. Heltzendorff. Alas!
True!" he replied. But he would even
then give me no inkling of the reason
of his fear.
•’If this Herr Minckwitz means mis
chief. then surely it would he easy
j to secure his arrest for some offense
or other, and you need not appear in
it,” I suggested.
“I've thought of all that. But if
the police lay hands upon him, then
he will revenge himself on me. He
will carry out his threat—and—and.
Heltzendorff. I could never hold up
my head again.”
“Why?”
“I can't he more explicit. I’m in a
hold, and I cannot extricate myself.”
I reflected for a moment. Then I
said:
“Ton appear to fear some action
of Minckwite’s. If that Is so. I will
return to Hanover and watch. If there
is any hostile intent. I will endeavor
to prevent it. Fortunately, he does
not know me.”
Next night I was hack again in Han
over, having stopped in Berlin to
pick np a friend of mine upon whose
discretion I could rely implicitly—a-re
tired member of the detective force.
nann*i Flartwieg. Together we start
ed to watch the movements of the mys
terious Polish musician, and to our
surprise we found that he had three
friends, one a furrier living in the
Burgstrasse. vho visited him regular
ly each evening. They always ar
rived at the same hour, and generally
left about eleven o'clock. Through five
days we kept watch, alternately close
ly shadowing the man who called him
self Sembnch, and becoming acquaint
ed with his friends, most of whom
seemed of a very queer set.
A Strange Purchase.
There was no doubt that Minckwitz
and the two young women were asso
ciates of some criminal gang, and.
further, I was staggered one evening
to watch the arrival at the house of a
young man whom «I recognized as
Bnsch. an under-valet of the emperor
at the Neues Palais.
For what reason had he come from
Potsdam?
He remained thqre till noon on the
following day. When he emerged, ac
companied by Minckwitz, the pair went
into the city, and we followed, when,
] curiously enough, I came face to face
with Von Pappenheim's sister, who
was apparently there for the same
purpose as myself! Happily, she was
too intent in her conversation with
Minekwitz, whom she met as though
accidentally, to notice my presence.
Then, at last, the musician raised
his hat and left her, rejoining the
young man. Broseh.
The pair went to a bookshop in the
Herschedstrasse, and presently, when
they came forth again. Broseh was car
| rying a good-sized volume wrapped in
I brown paper.
My curiosity was aroused. Therefore
] I went into the shop, made a purchase,
and learned from the shopman that the
younger of the pair had purchased a
well-known German reference book.
Professor Xebendahl’s “Dictionary of
Classical Quotations.”
Strange that such a book should be
purchased by an under-valet!
Leaving the detective. Hartwieg, tc
watch, I took the next train to Pots
dam, where I was fortunate enough to
find the emperor giving audience to
the iinperinl chancellor. At the conclu
sion of the audience. I sought, and was
accorded, a private interview, at which
I recalled his majesty’s anxiety to as
certain something regarding the man
Minekwitz.
“Well—and have you found him?"
asked the emperor, very eagerly.
The Emperor Showed Me a Letter.
I replied in the affirmative. I Then
he told ine something which held me
breathless, for. unlocking a drawer, he
showed me an anonymous letter of
warning he had received, a letter
which, posted in Paris, stated that an
attempt was to be made upon his life,
and hinting that the crown prince
might be aware of it.
"Of course.” he laughed, “I do not
regard it seriously, but X thought we
ought to know the whereabouts of this
man Minekwitz. who is probably an
anarchist."
“Will your majesty leave the mat
ter entirely in my hands?" I suggested.
“The police must not be informed.”
“It shall t>e as you wish. I give you
authority to act just as you deem
best, if you really anticipate danger."
"I do anticipate it." I replied, and
a few minutes later bowed myself out
of the imperial presence.
I'uiuii; mui i mini iiHuui uir
palace, gossiping with the officials anil
dames du palais, awaiting the return
of the young man Brosch. That night
he did not come hack, hut he arrived
at the palace about seven o'clock on
the following morning. The head valet
was furious at his absence, but the
young man made a very plausible ex
cuse that his sister out at Lichtenberg
was very dangerously ilk
I had no sleep that night, hut as
soon as I was informed of the uniler
valet’s return, I repaired to the em
peror's study and secreted myself be
neath a great damask-covereil settee
which runs along the wall opposite the
door. For nearly an hour I remained
there, when the door was opened
stealthily, and there entered the young
man whom I had seen in Hanover on
the previous day. He carried a book
in his hand. This he swiftly exchanged
for another similar book of the same
appearance, and a moment later crept
out again, closing the door noiselessly.
Quickly I came forth and took up
the classical dictionary, a copy of
which was usually upon the emperor's
table. It presented just the same up
pearance as the book that Brosch had
taken away, only it was considerably
heavier.
A Narrow Escape.
Without delay. I dashed out, sought
the emperor's valet, and was admitted
to his majesty’s presence.
Three minutes later we were both in
the study. I took up the book and held
it to his ear. .Tust as I had heard, lie
could detect the faint ticking of a
watch within.
The book had been hollowed out and
a bomb inserted! It was. no doubt,
set to explode between eight and nine
o'clock, when the emperor would be
at his desk.
“Take it out quickly!” shrieked the
kaiser, in terror, when he realized the
true import of the plot.
In obedience, handling the book very
carefully, I rushed with it downstairs,
out into the open. I placed it on the
grass some distance away, while the
emperor followed me. utterly astound
ed at the discovery.
Having deposited it. I dashed back
to where the emperor was standing
upon the steps, greatly to the surprise
of the sentries, when hardly had 1
reached him than there showed a
blood-red flash, followed by a terrific
report and concussion—an explosion
which would have blown the emperor’s
head off ns he sat.
His majesty stood white and rigid,
instantly realizing what a narrow es
cape he had had. while the noise
caused the greatest alarm, and people
began rushing hither and thither t<:
ascertain the cause.
In a few seconds his majesty was
calm again.
“Say nothing of this. Heltzendorff.'
he said. “Let it remain a mystery,
Come upstairs, and I will speak on the
telephone to the police.”
“Tour majesty gave the matter un
reservedly into my hands,” I reminded
him.
“Ah. that is so; I forgot.” he ex
claimed, and after thanking me he
added: “Take what steps you like,
but have the offenders punished, and
also try to find out who sent me that
anonymous warning."
The young valet, who had been, no
doubt, heavily bribed by Minckwitz to
substitute the book, had already dis
appeared, and, as a mntter of fact, has
never been seen since in Germany.
The man Minckwitz had also, it
seemed, suddenly left Hanover on the
night of my departure, for Hartwieg.
following him. reported to me by wire
that he was in Paris.
What I Learned in Paris.
Without delay I traveled to the
‘ French capital, saw my old friend.
Plnnud of the Surote, and told him
the whole story, explaining in confi
dence that for some mysterious rea
son the crown prince feared that if
the man were arrested, he might reveal
something unpleasant.
"I quite understand.” replied the
French detective, with a smile. “I
know that, six months ago. while the
crown prince was in Paris, he was one
night enticed into the gaming house
kept by the notorious Minckwitz.
: There a quarrel ensued, and the crown
! prince, fearing attack, drew his re
! volver. which went off and shot one of
j Minckwitz's confederates stone-dead,
j The crown prince has ever since been
paying big sums to hush up the af
fair.
"Until recently Minckwitz conceived
the Idea that if the emperor died and
the crown prince came to the throne,
it would mean to him considerably
more money each year. Therefore he
conceived that diabolical plot. I
warned the crown prince of it. and he
threatened to expose Minckwitz and
liyve him arrested. Minckwitz, in turn,
threatened that if his highness made
the slightest movement to thwart his
plans, he would expose to the world
that the German crown prince, during
his latest escapade in the Montmartre,
had killed a man. Finding this to be
the case, I myself wrote that anony
mous letter of warning, which I ad
dressed to the emperor."
“And which has had the effect of
saving his majesty’s life." I remarked.
That night Minckwitz found himself
arrested upon a charge of blackmailing
a Portuguese nobleman, and was later
on sentenced to 15 years’ imprison
ment.
In his solitary hours in prison he
often wonders. I expect, why his das
tardly plot failed. Had it been suc
cessful. however, it certainly would
have had a great effect upon the fu
ture history of the world.
(Copyright. 1917. by William LeQueux.l
FORESEES FUSION OF RACES
One Complex Human Species Will
Grow From Those Which Succeed
in Persisting, Says Scientist
"If the ancestors of Swede and Arab,
Saxon and negro, Greek and Chinaman
had all lived together and freely inter
married there would never have been
any Swedes, Arabs. Saxons. Greeks or
Chinamen, but instead a homogenous
race differing front them all,” said
Prof. Maynard M. Metcalf of the Or
chard laboratory of Oberlin, O., in an
address before the Chinese Students'
alliance. "It is Isolation which has al
lowed the several races of man to de
velop, to evolve.
"Hereafter no race can develop In
dependently of the rest of mankind.
Divergent evolution into races more
and more distinct has ceased. We are
entering upon a new anthropological
period, a period in which divergent
evolution has ended and a fusion of
the races will begin. Increasing fu
sion will remove the present rather
clearly demarcated racial diversities
and the ultimate human species will be
one complex race, fused from all those
present races which succeed in per
sisting.”
Blanket Named After Inventor.
The cold winter of 1340 gave us the
blanket. So. at least, says tradition,
which ascribes its invention to Thomas
Blanket, a Flemish merchant, who set
tled in Bristol, and fell from affluence
to want, says the London Chronicle.
Blanket and his wife, suffering from
the intense cold by reason of scanty
bedding and lack of fuel, he searched
for something to put on the bed to
Increase the warmth, and hit on a
piece of rough, unfinished cloth that
had been thrown to waste. Its suc
cess as a warmth giver suggested the
manufacture of special bed covers
from the same material, and these ar
ticles, to which he gave his own name,
won the worthy Blanket wealth and
immortality.
Wax From the Bayberry.
The recovery of wax from the bay
berry was for centuries a New Eng
land household industry, and it has
lately become a factory industry, the
wax of the plant being generally used
in the making of bayberry candles,
held in high esteem for use ami or
nament by New Englanders. A tushe:
of the berries yields as a rule, between
four and five pounds of wax. Another
plant belonging to the same genus is
the “sweetgnle,” which grows abund
antly in the bogs and marshes of Scot
land. It is a small shrub with leaves
somewhat like those of myrtle or wil
low, having a fragrant odor and bit
ter taste, and yielding an essential oil
by distillation.
Division to Two-Mile Trench.
A division, which is the largest bod>
known in the organization of the
American army, will fully man two
miles bf trenches. The regulation dis
tance in the inunning of a trench is a
yard to a man. There are three lines,
however, needed to fully man such
defenses—the firing line, which is
down in the trench, a yard behind each
man; the support, which is back a
short distance, and the reserve.
Well, Who Did?
Billy was told to amuse his baby
brother for a while. He obeyed, say
ing just loud enough to be heard:
“Huh, who ever heard of a he nurse
girl?”
EXCEEDSj) BILLION
LIBERTY LOAN SUBSCRIPTIONS
SURPASS ALL ESTIMATES.
f '
OVERSUBSCRIBED 52 PER CENT
Over 4,000.000 Persons Purchased
Bonds—Draft Registration Com
plete; 9,694,938 Answer Call.
Washington.—Liberty Loan sub
scriptions total $3,035,220,850, an over
subscription of nearly 52 per cent.
This figure surpasses the highest esti
mate of treasury officials by several
millions of dollars.
The final tabulation as officially an
nounced by tlie Treasury department
shows that more tlian 4.00O.OOO per
sons bought bonds. Ninety-three per
cent of subscriptions, or those of
3,960,000 persons, were for sums carv
ing from $50 to $10,000, while twenty
one subscribers applied for allotments
of $5,000,000 each or more.
The New York federal reserve dis
trict led the list, with subscriptions
totaling $1,186,788,400, or more than
tiiree times the amount subscribed iu
the next district, Chicago, $357,195,950.
The other districts sent subscriptions
as follows:
Boston. .$332,447,600; Cleveland.
$286,148,700; Philadelphia. $232,309.
230; San Francisco, $175,023,900;
Richmond. $109,737,100; Kansas City.
$91,758,850; St. Louis. $80,134,700 •
Minneapolis. $80,255,500; Atlanta, $57.
878,550; Dallas. $48,949,350.
These subscriptions include those
sent direct to the treasury and appor
tioned among the various reserve dis
tricts.
—
Registration Reports All In.
Washington.—The grand total of
nams on the draft registration "roll
of honor" Is !>,694,t)38. The totals are
to he submitted to the census bureau
to determine why certain western
states showed a registration of only
about 50 per cent of the estimate. I'm
vost Marshal General Crowder con
siders the returns practically a 100
per cent registration. With the addi
tion of the eligildes in the army and
navy, who were not required to reg
ister. the total will he brought well
over the 10.200.000. Provost Marshal
General Crowder directed the regis
tration boards to post a list of the
men registered in each precinct. He
urged that the newspapers print the
roll of honor.
To Offer Farm Loan Bonds July 1.
Washington.—'The first issue of
farm loan bonds, it was announced,
will tie offered the public about July
1. From $100,000,000 to $150.001!.in XI
of the bonds bearing 4K per cent in
terest. probably will tie issued within
a year. The twelve federal land
banks, through the Farm Loan board,
have concluded an arrangement with
a group of investment bankers under
which half of the issue, up to $30,000.
000. during the next six months will
be marketed by tiie bankers.
Joint Food Control.
Washington.—Food control in the
United States and Canada will he
made as nearly alike as conditions
in the two countries will permit. In
many respects it will amount almost
to a joint control, it was said, after
a conference between Herbert C.
Hoover and W. ,T. Hanna, just ajs
pointed Canadian food comptroller.
Fooil laws already enacted in Cana
da. Mr. Hanna said, closely approach
the administration’s food legislation
pending in congress.
To Resist Extradition.
Bologna. Italy.—Alfredo Coeehi.
who is under arrest here in connec
tion with the murder of Both Cruqpr
in New York, will resist extradition.
He declares himself innocent of any
crime and his lawyer is preparing a
ease to show no valid demand for his
return to the United States can he
made.
Coeehi declares he left America
only for domestic reasons.
Admits Theft of $25,000.
Chicago.—James Burgess, manager
of the Adams Express company, ad
mitted the $25,000 robbery of an ex
press car in the Burlington yards here
•Tune l'-1. He named Peter Pelo
quin. a switchman, and his brother.
■Toe Peloquin. as accomplices.
Ordered Into Active Service.
Washington.—Sixteen companies of
! national guard engineers were ordered
into acti service by the war depart -
j ment. The engineers will he utilized
I to lay out and prepare camp sites for
i the reception of the national army
levy and the national guard to he
j called out soon.
Boys Murder Junk Man.
I Chicago, 111.—David Srery, 33 years
] old. a junk man, was beaten to death
with a base ball bat by three boys be
tween 12 and 11 years of age in an
alley on the west side. Bobbery is be
1 lieved to have been the motive.
Warrants for Slackers.
Los Angeles, Cal.—Warrants for the
arrest of 102 persons charged with
failure to register .Tune 5 for the se
lective draft were issued here by D.
M. Haamack, United States commis
sioner.
Tenth District. Oversubscribed.
Kansas City, Mo.—The tenth fed
eral reserve district oversubscribed
the Liberty loan by more than a mil
lion and a half dollars, according to
an official statement issued by the re
serve bank here. The total figures
were $101,670,000.
Subsea Fires on Lifeboats.
Paris. — The German submarine
which torpedoed a British steamer
turned its guns on the lifeboats and
killed eight of the occupants, the ad
miralty announced.