I
STARTLING EXPOSURE OF INNER LIFE OF KAISER AND CROWN PRINCE AS
TOLD BY COUNT ERNST VON HELTZENDORFF TO WILLIAM LEQUEUX
• i i i'I i ..... ., i■.i ----— — ---- T... tli. ...iti..,M ..p ti,..cn i 1.1 ,1 i « i. ...
«k« krrr rliruuirlr* for Ilia
lrlr»4 * oont 1 ra*t ««*■ Hrl?xendt<rfT.
Ikr Intlrr't rrtrUlh lift of tbr ilinrr
Ilf# of tb# ibi|M-ri tl fUerman eourf. hit*
long Itrrft rr< t suiml ihn ilKii Ut l-IJ
rspt no lb# |h »»r«tur of its lanrrnjuit
Tb«- l.«clt*k “U bn'« M U«" *ny* of
bfan “fir bo* Intiao ale kaow lr tlfte of
tb# ar rrf arr» Irr of • oatf»ent:tl eorrt
irk* Mi la rueaidrrrd by tb# rrn
ao#n< «••# .reat Ifriiulm an Mtitbortty <»n
■nr-b aMirn." InMhrr authority anj»:
“Few people bate bee i more t lo*e|v :it
aftolrtl nltii or kawn more of tbr
MitHMidiNr toner ma blurry of Orr
nuMiy tban be *
Ie4|«e«i probably baa morr aourre*
of ter re i Inform * i Ion nt bla romnuinil
tban aay rontrmporary In eltll life, nntl
for (be taal alt years tbr Hritlsb t.o%
rrnmeat ba« matt# % doable nor of liU
• ant ai••re ol secret laformntfoa tlimuth
a opreinlly organised department nllb
wbteh I rQarai M*ffia aa a toluatary
€ mat « on llelirr adorff be rant# aa *n
ilnanie of I ri4«eut •• trral y ears prior
to tbr outbreak of tb# war; be ba* been
lit la* io retire ment la France alMl
%nsnat. Ibi 4. and it nn tbrrr that I r
«4 nr a t rerrftrf front I be rroai print*#**
late personal aatjntaat permission tt»
make ••nblle tb*«r re«elatlnna of the
Inner III# of tb# llobmrollr ras— t hat
9 be demorraeie* of tbr world mlabt
eomr flo know tbr real, but heretofore
bidden, personalities of the two doinl
nant members of tbr aufnerney they are
now arrayed ***ln*t.
^»4 I M-4-M-M-4-H +4-+++4-4-4-5-+V+
; Trautmann Affair +
% X
: Cause of Trouble i
1 i
aii tit ■ ■ « i « i i ». a i a i a i m ■ _« a,.« a
Tit: Trauttnann affair was one
M>'h caused a wild sensation
t Pots*(am in the autiittin of
‘ * I 'J 1 s'.-miik- implicated in it
In a somewhat <*uri.«u* nmtiner.
I rhaio-ed to in- lunching at the Es
plam-d- In Berlin, chatting with Ea 1
r«»(ue of 'he French ctnhavsy. Our
hostess was Frau Breltenhach. a
wealthy Jew.*" a woman who came
from tJortmund and who was spend- i
lug mom-v like water in order t*. !
wriggle into Berlin society. As per I
sons! »dju' nt of the crown prince. I
was. of .our*.- on«* <>f the principal
gu*-s-s. sir. I 1 suspected that she was |
aagleie f- . a ca*-.| -*f Invitation to the)
tw-gf l«all ct the M.irnior palace.
Frau lire i'.-til-a- h was lunching with |
sigi.-eti gu.-sts a' .»ne hlg. round table. |
her 'laughter Elise. a very smartly
dress.-.) _-,ri of ii-aeteen. seated oppo
rite to h* r. It was a merry party, in- j
ctud.:i£ ■(* it did. some of the most
MmsD.-i is-rs..n* in the empire, ajnong
them being the Imperial chancellor.
BethiruMUi-HoIlweg. and that grand
*etgt.-ur. wrho was a favorite at court. |
the tnu’.'tailllUmalre s.-rene highness. |
Prtn-e M ii.tnillan Egon ztt Fuersten
te rg ttf ttie latter it jpny tv* said that
t»- m*n rivaled hl« Itiflnence with the
e- ,{ier.*r. What he said was law in ]
«J* tuiany.
iu- rs' - ’.rg was head of the fa- 1
T1; U- “I • e's trust.*" now dissolved
ha' *' that t ■ . with it« capital of
*'**• •••'»*• * s -i gr. ;t force in the
German - - * --r-ail w.-M, Indeed.
- i- !> :i t-s.r t; 5Tii- * I • v '* lie of the
kii'scT's •!.»• aii augusr tut purely dec
orative aiid e. || tdn.was actu
ally inveu'.-d for him n* colonel mar
shal of •* . I'r • ..art in excuse
t-. wear - : a-eforra and srorg***»ns
d«--*«rii' -ns - l-.fitted a man who.
I*ss ig a hundred millions, was ati
itats-rt". ■--<■ t. . !»--ror in his
deep Eld s.-i tor world jstwer.
Young Man Across the Poorr.
Tbr ■ Ii <. rty w < the
pwi*«we *4 a ■ - etiri.-us dram.--. A<
we -hatted I r- | (liar far across
tiie rr-> d- d r• :-i. a! a laid set 111 a
window tE. re s»t !-<iie a dark-haired,
•allow gootl !-. l;'tig young civilian,
who . ■ o. a rmli-T
ie.r.st t!..ai «-r. \ *"* t> s (.y.- were fixed
straight u{»*u F’ise Itr.itenb.-n-h, as
though -he exercised over him stum*
•image fasetnatt*>n.
Ileif a d--r*n tlm.-s 1 ^ I a ne.st across
rml on .s. -.-ti <|.w- that the
yoc-'.g man h-.-l n*. eyes for ihi* no
t • * r wind tie- t:d>le. h.s gaze lieltig
hi*--' «!*•*« the d ■ -liter of the great
ftni * icier.
v. ! f. • n distinct belief that
the wing «-:i tl- 1 "v fare was familiar
t<* It was lot ttf first time I had
«* him. jit 1 <-■'!*»,| not reetd! the elr
•atti ‘ • • » In which we had met.
Tw=. i igtits later I dined with the
J’.r. ). !■■■< h* * their tile- house In the
Al»e» . ms».» lie only guest la-sides
tin - \i< the t'oiuitess v«m Rasse
w it/ . i d after tllnner Frau I’.reiten
b di look tie- eount- -s aside to talk,
whil. I wr.-d with h< r daughter
Into the winter canlen. with its high
paltns 5ii I s-"> ns ex« ♦ lj-11 over
looked It*- gwr*lens of ;'ir* Austrian em
bassy.
V'bii the man I -I hr light us oof
f». the pretty |3l*e e.i:;-:.-n- •) (.>
question • >* about life at the crown
prilJer’s court.
-|I"W tit *di Interesting It must
h»* to hr |» r-. nni adjutant to the
ttwtti prince" V th* r Is dying to get
a oomuiand t*« on. >*c th** r.s.-ptions at
Potsdam."* th*- tr rl su'd, “tody today
ahe wa« * ml't a well, whether yon
routd possibly i • y ur li.fluenee in
that dlre.1t.Mi."
In aw Instant I - •* why I had been
Inv ited to dun ■ ,s . d lunch, sms so
UltetL
| rrrt.s-ted = :«! Then I sni<! •
*1 th' not it ink that u ,!| !«■ very dif
flr’ilt. I will se, w . : .tan be done.
Itat 1 hope that If I a: 'ill you
will uicifuy ><*ur mother."
Who I looked in at th- court niar
•*ml» ro>-m in the palace next inorn
tnc. I wrtpbbsl d->w.. the name of
mother and daughter for cards.
A Week later the crown prince and
[iStur-« gave a grand ball at the Mar
ts .w palace at Potsdam, and the oir
pecer hltMHdf attended.
yrru ilrti'.ubacf g wgeously r.f
tfsvd. made her how before flic all
... . - and tier daughter did the same
I ' . . « . *.. ’
.h«-n I duneed with her, I saw how im
!iresst-d she was by the glitter and
glamour of the Potsdam court circle,
and h> the fact that site was in the
presence of tlie all-highest one. i'rom
words she let drop that night as she
hung ui«m my arm. I wondered wheth
er she was really as ingenuous as she
pretended Sic- was, 1 found, an ex
trcmely discreet and clever little per
son. a fact which further increased my
officitd interest in her.
Questioned by the Emperor.
<*tie night about two months later
I had on appoint incut with Max ltein
hnrdt at the Deutsches theater, in iter
tin. to arrange a royal visit there, and
ifier the performance 1 went hack to
the palace, prior to retiring to my
rooms in the Krausenstrasse. The
guards saluted as I crossed the dark
courtyard and having passed through
the corridors to the private apart- i
ments 1 entered with my key the
crown prince's locked study.
To my surprise. I found “Willie”
seated there with the emperor in ear
nest discussion.
With apology. I bowed instantly and
withdrew, whereupon the kaiser ex
claimed :
“Pome in. Heltzendorff :.l want you."
Then lie east a quick glance at the
young man. who had thrown himself
In a ln::y attitude into a long cane
lounge chair it was as though liis
majesty was hesitating to speak with
me, i r asking liis son's permission to
do so.
“Tell me. HeltrendorfT." exclaimed
liis majesty suddenly, “do yon know
tliis person?” and he placed before my
g- e a cabinet photograph of the pretty
Klise.
tvs. i answered trankly. "it ’s
Fmitelln Rreltenbaeh.
"An«l what do you know of her?” In
quired his majesty. “You introduced
her and her mother to court. 1 believe.”
I suv that the emperor had discov
ered something which annoyed him.
What could it be?
At once I was compelled to admit
that I had set down their names for
invitation, and. further. I explained all
that I knew about them.
"You are certain yon know nothing
more?" asked the emperor. “Under
stand that no hlame attaches to you.”
I assured him that I had revealed nil
that 1 knew concerning them.
"Hold no further communication
with either mother or daughter.” his
majesty said. “Leave for Paris by the
eight o'clock train tomorrow morning,
and go to Baron von Steinmetz. the
chief of our confidential service in
France.”
Then turning to the crown prince, he
said: “You have his address."
“Yes." said the younger man. “He
is passing as Monsieur Felix Keumont,
and is living at 114 Ids. Avenue de
N. uilly. close to the Pont."
I scribbled the name and address
upon the Tmek of an envelope, where
upon his majesty said:
"Carry my verbal orders to Stein
metz. and tell him to act upon the or
d« rs I sent him by courier yesterday.
And you will as-ist him. He will ex
pi- In matters fully when you arrive."
Then, crossing to tin1 crown prince's
w riling table, le- ma jesty took a large j
envelope. Into wlii- 1 he placed the pho- I
tograph witli several papers, and |
sealed them with the crown prince’s
sea I.
“Hive this to Von Steinmetz from
tile." ids ma '••st v said.
T bowed as I took it from bis majes
ty'- hand, my curiosity naturally ex
• iit-d regarding Frau Rreitcnluieh and
her daughter. What. I wondered, was
in the wind?
“And. Meltzendorff, please report to
me." remarked the heir, slid lounging
lazily in the rlinir.
Rowing. I took leave of my imperial
n aster, and next morning at eight
o'clock, set out upon my mission.
Baron von Steinmetz.
i inmi'i ina iwiron v,,n iMoinmetz liv
ing in :i good-sired linns, in the Ave
ni:de Neijtlly, not far from the bridge.
<*!!•• of tin* cleverest lind most astute
ffii'inls ihnt Germany possessed, and
1 man liigii in the kaiser’s favor, he
h 1. in the name of Felix Keumnnt,
purchased, with government funds of
course, a cinema theater in the Hue
Lafayette, and ostensibly upon the
..is of that establishment lived
comfortably out at X tiilly.
At eleven o'clock in the morning his
v; let. evidently a German, showed me
In.
•'1 quite understand, my dear Ilelt
r. ndorff." lie «aid. as he took from the
emperor'< packet the picture of Frau
leiti Klls" and stood gazing at it. “It
is quite plain v.-hy you should have
hei n sent by his majesty."
“Why. 1 don't understand. F.ut his
j majesty told me that you would ex
pi ii. The young lady and her mother
are friends of mine."
“Kxaetly. That's just it!" lie ex
claimed. “You apparently know hut
little of them -eh?—or you would not
cull them your friends!"
These w ords surprised me. but I was
the mere astounded when he contin
ued :
“You of course know of those dis
graceful aiiejiviiious letters which have
' een continually arriving at court—of
the emperor's fury concerning them.”
i replied In the affirmative, for. ns a
■ after of fact, for the past/ three
months the whole court hail been flood
ed with most abusive and disgraceful
correspondence concerning the cama
rilla that had again sprung up around
the kaiser. The emperor, the empress,
the crown prince and princess. Prince
fatei. Sophie Caroline. Prince Henry of
Prussia and others had received let
ters. most of them in typewriting, con
taining the most intimate details of
scandals concerning men and women
around the emperor.
Fully a dozen of these letters ad
dressed to the crown prince he had
handed to me—letters denouncing in
; A LETTER FROM THE CROWN PRINCE'S PERSONAL ADJUTANT 1
TO WILLIAM LEQUEUX, POSSESSOR OF THE >
I SECRETS OF EUROPE.
Yrteux Xmlon. 4
par Moret-sur-l.olns:. *
Setnc-et-Marne, . 1
February 10th« 1017. < |
My dear l.eQueiix:
i have just finished reading the proofs of your articles describing '
my life as an official at the Imperial court at Potsdam. and the two or *
three small errors you made I have duly corrected. ,
The gross scandals and wily Intrigues which 1 have related to you <
were man* of them known Co yourself, for. as the lutiinnte friend of <
I.uisa, the ex-crown princess of Saxony, you were, before the war. 4
closely associated with many of those at court whose names appear la *
these articles. ,
The revelations which I have made, and which you have recorded ,
here, are hut a tiihe of the disclosures which 1 could make, and If the *
world desires more, I shall lie pleased to furnish you with other and 4 ,
even more startling details, which }«u may also put into print.
My service as personal adjutant to the German crown prince is. hap- , i
fiily, at an end. and now, with tl»e treachery of Germany against ci\ili
ration glaringly revealed. 1 feel, in my retirement, no compunction In
exposing all I know concerning the secrets of the kaiser and his son.
With most cordial greetings from
. Your sincere friend. < '
► * < Signed) ERNST VOX HELTZEXDORFF. <\
.. . A A A A A AAAAAAAAAAA. a . A. A A A A A A .. <
some eases perfectly innocent people,
destroying the reputations of honest
men and women, and abusing the heir
to the throne in an outrageous manner.
On at least three occasions “Willie”
had shown me letters addressed to the
kaiser himself, and intercepted hy the
kaiserin. who. in consequence of this
flood of anonymous epistles that had
produced such a terrible sensation at
Potsdam, had ordered that all such
letters found in the imperial postbag
should lie handed at once to her.
“The identity of the writer is the
point that is engaging my attention.”
the haron said, as he opened a drawer
and drew forth a bundle of quite a
hundred letters, adding: “All these
that you see here have been addressed
either to the emperor or the empress," |
and lie handed me one. which on scan
ning I saw contained some outrageous i
statements, allegations which would!
make the hair of the all-highest bristle t
with rage.
“Well." I exclaimed, “that certainly j
Is a very interesting specimen of
anonymous corr spondenee.”
“Yes. it is!” exclaimed the haron.
“In Berlin every inquiry has been made
to trace its author. Sehunke (head of
the detective police) was charged hy
the emperor to investigate. He did so, ;
and both he and Klewitz failed utterly.
Now it has been given into my hands.”
A Typical German Investigation.
Presently, when I sat with the haron
at his table, he switched on an intense
electric light and then spread out some
of the letters above a small, square
mirror.
“You see they are on various kinds
of note paper, bearing all kinds of wa
termarks. of French. English and Ger
man manufacture. Some we have here
are upon English paper, because it is
heavy and thick. Again, three differ
ent makes of typewriter have been
used—one a newly invented importa
tion from America. The written let
ters are, you will see. mostly in a
man’s hand.”
“Yes. I see all that," I said. "But
what have yon discovered concerning
their author? The letter I received
bore a French stamp and the postmark
of Angers."
He placed before me quite a dozen
envelopes addressed to the emperor
and empress, all hearing the postmark
of that town in the Maine-ot-Loire.
Others had been posted in Leipzig,'
Wilhelinshaven. Tours. Antwerp. Her- j
lin. Wiltnersdorf and other places.
"Thi> investigation is exceedingly :
difficult. I can assure you.” he said. “I
have had the assistance of some of the
host scientific brains of our empire in
making comparisons and analyses, in
deed. Professor Harbge is with me font
Berlin." *
A few minutes inter the professor •
himself, an elderly, spectacled man in
gray tweeds, entered the room. 1
knew him and greeted him.
“Sixteen different varieties of paper
have been received at the Nones and
Manner palaces." the haron remarked.
“Well. I have worked for two months,
night and day, upon the inquiry. 1 '
have discovered that eleven of these |
varieties of paper can he purchased j
at a certain small stationer's shop. ;
I.ancry's. in the Boulevard Hatissmann. j
close to the Printemps. One paper es- j
peel ally is sold nowhere else in Paris, j
It is this.”
He held over a mirror a letter upon
a small sheet of note paper hearing
the watermark of a hull's head.
“That paper was made at a mill in i
the south of Devonshire, in England,
destroyed by fire five years ago. Pa-1
per of that make ennnot he obtained
anywhere else in France." he declared, j
I at once realized how much patience
must have been expended upon the in
quiry. and said:
“Then you have actually fixed the
shop where the writer purchased his
paper?"
“Yes." he replied. “And we know
that the newly invented typewriter, a
specimen one. was sold by the Maison
Audebert. in Marseille. The purchaser
of the typewriter in Marseille pur
chases his paper and envelopes at I.an
cry's. on the Boulevard Hatissmann.”
“Splendid I" I said, for it was clear
that the haron. with the thnusand-and
one secret agents at his beck and call,
had been able, with the professor's
aid. to fix the source of the stationery.
“But,” I added, “what Is wanted from
me?" Why. I wondered, had his maj
esty sent the haron that photograph
of Elise Breitenbach?
“I want you to go with me to the
central door or the Printemps at four
o'clock this afternoon, and we will
watch Lnncry's shop across the way."
the baron replied.
The Writer of the Letters.
• This we did. and from four till six
o'clock we stood, amid the bustle of
foot passengers, watching the small
stationer's on the opposite side of the
boulevard, yet without result.
Next day and the next I accompa
nied the prosperous cinema proprietor
upim his daily vigil, but in vain, until
Ids reluctance to tell me the reason
why I had been sent to Paris annoyed
me considerably.
On the fifth afternoon, just before
five o'clock, while we were strolling
together, the baron's eyes being fixed
upon the door of the small single
fronted shop. I saw him start, and
then make pretence of indifference.
"Look!” he whispered.
I glanced across and saw a young
man just about to enter the shop.
The figure was unfamiliar, but.
catching sight of his face. I held my
breath. I had seen that sallow, deep
eyed countenance before.
It was the young man who had sat
eating his luncheon alone at the Espla
nade. apparently fascinated by the
beauty of Elise Breitenbach.
“Well," exclaimed the baron. “I see
you recognize hint—eh? He is prob
ably going to buy more paper for his
scurrilous screeds.”
“Ves. But who is he?" I asked. “I
have seen him before, but have no
exact knowledge of him.”
The bnron did not reply until we
were back again in his house at
Neuilly. Then he said :
“That young man. the author of the
outrageous insults to his majesty, is
known as Franz Seeliger. but he is the
disgraced, ne'er-do-well son of General
von Trautrnann. captain general of the
palace guard.”
“The son of old Von Trautrnann!” I
gasped. “Does the father know?”
The baron grinned and shrugged his
shoulders.
Then, after I had related to him the
incident of the Esplanade, he said:
“That Is of greatest interest. Will
you return to Berlin and report to the
emperor what you have seen here?
His majesty has given me that instruc
tion.”
The baron told me of his long weeks
of patient inquiry and careful watch
ing: of how the young fellow had been
followed to Angers and other towns
in France where the letters were post
ed. and of his frequent visits to Berlin.
He had entered a crack regiment, but
had been dismissed the army for forg
ery and undergone two years’ impris
onment. Afterwards he had fallen in
with a gang of clever international
hotel thieves, and become what is
known as a rat d’h"tel. Now. because
of a personal grievance against Ihe
emperor, who had ordered his prose
cution. he seemed to have by some
secret means ferreted out every bit of
scandal at Potsdam, exaggerated it. in- '
vented amazing additions, and in se
cret sown it broadcast.
His hand would have left no trace
if he had not been so indiscreet as to
buy his paper from that one shop close
to the Rue de Provence, where he had
rooms.
i nc «. rest ot tsenerai von i rautmann.
On the third night following I Stood ■
in the emperor's private room at Pots
dam and made my report, explaining
all thnt I knew and what I had wit
nessed in Paris.
"That man knows a very great deal
—hut how does he know?” snapped the
emperor. “See Sohnnke early tomor
row.” he ordered, “and tell him to dis
cover the link between this young
blackguard and your friends the Hrei
tenbnehs. and report to me.”
Next morning 1 sat with the astute
Schunke at the headquar; rs of the
detective police in Berlin, and there
discussed the affair fully, explaining
the result of my journey to Baris and
what 1 had seen, and giving him the
order from the kaiser.
"But. count, if this woman Breiten
bach and her daughter are your
friends, you will be able to visit them
and glean something.” he said.
“I have distinct orders from the em
peror not to visit them while the in
quiry is in progress." I replied.
Bator that same morning I returned
to the Manner palace to report to the
crown prince, but found that his high
ness was absent upon an official visit
of inspection at Stuttgart.
In the meantime I several times saw
the great detective. Schunke. and
found that he was in constant commu
nication with Baron Stoinmetz in Taris.
The pair wort' evidently leaving no
stone unturned to elucidate the mys
tery of those annoying letters, which
were still falling as so many bombs
into the center of the kaiser's court.
Suddenly. One Sunday night, all Ber
lin was electrified at the news that
General von Trautmann. captain gen
eral of the palace guard—whom, truth
to tell, the crown prince had long se
cretly hated because he had once dared
to utter some word of reproach—had
been arrested and sent to a fortress at
the emperor’s order.
An hour after tk» arrest his majes
I ty’s personal ad jute nt commanded me
!by telephone to attend at the Berlin
t Schloss. When w* were alone, the
i kaiser turned to mo and said:
[ “Count von Heitzendorff. you will
[ say nothing of ydur recent visit to
anonymous letters—you understand?
You know absolutely nothing.”
Then, being summarily dismissed by
a wave of the Imperial hand. I retired,
more mystified than ever. Why should
my mouth he tints closed?
When I returned to my rooms that
evening Sehunke ring mo up on the i
telephone with tile news that my j
friends the Breitenbaehs had closed ;
their house and left early that morn
ing for Brussels.
“Where is Seel Igor?" I inquired.
“In Brussels. The Breitenbaehs
have gone there to join him, now that
the truth is out, and his father is
under arrest.”
Tlie emperor's fury knew no hounds. !
ITis mind poisoned against the poor j
old general, he had fixed upon him as !
the person responsible for that dis
graceful correspondence which for so
many weeks had kept the court in con
stant turmoil and anxiety. Though his
majesty was aware of the actual ]
writer of the letters, he would not
listen to reason, and openly declared
that he would make an example of the
silver-haired old captain general of the
guard, who. after all. was perfectly
Innocent of the deeds committed by his
vagabond son.
A prosecution was ordered, and
three weeks later it took place in
camera, the baron, Sehunke and a
number of directives being ordered to
give evidence. So damning, indeed,
was their testimony that the judge
passed the extreme sentence of twenty
years’ imprisonment.
And I. who knew and held proofs of
the truth, dared not protest.
Elise Breitenbach.
Where was the general’s son—the
real culprit and author of the letters?
I made inquiry of Sehunke, of the
baron, and of others who had, at the
order of the :i!l-liighest, conspired to
ruin poor Von Trautmnnn. All. how
ever. declared ignorance, and yet. cu
riously enough, the fine house of the
Breitenbaehs la the Alsenstrasse still
remained empty.
About six months after the secret
trial of the unfortunate general I had
accompanied the crown prince on a
visit to the Quirinal. and one after- :
noon while strolling along the Corse,
in Rome, suddenly came face to face
with Fraulein Elise Breitenbach.
the noted confectioner's at the corner
of th*» Piazza Colonna. and there, at
one of the little tables, she explained
to me how she and her mother, having
become acquainted with Franz Seeli
ger—not knowing him to be the gen
eral's son-—they suddenly fell under
the suspicion of the Berlin secret po
lice, and. though much puzzled, did not
again come to court.
Some weeks later mother and daugh
ter chanced to he in Paris, and one
day called at Seeliger’s rooms in the
Rue de Provence, hut he was out.
They, however, were shown into his
room to wait, and there saw upon his !
table an abusive and scurrilous type- j
written letter in German addressed to
the emperor. Then it suddenly dawned
upon them that the affable young man
might be the actual author of those
infamous letters, about which all Ber
lin knew and was talking. It was this
visit which, no doubt, revealed t* the
baron the young man’s hiding place.
Both mother and daughter, however, ]
kept their own counsel, met Seeliger j
next day. and watched, subsequently J
learning, to their surprise, that he was
tlie son of General von Trautmann,
and, further, that he had as a friend
one of the personal valets of the em
peror. from whom, no doubt, he ob
tained his inside information about
persons at court.
“When his father was arrested we !
knew that the young man was living j
in Brnssels. and at once went there in
order to induce him to come forward,
make confession, and so save the gen
eral from disgrace,” said the pretty
girl seated before me. “On arrival we :
saw him alone, and told him what we j
had discovered in the Rue de Provence, 1
whereupon he admitted to ns that he
had written all the letters, and an- |
nounced that he intended to return to j
Berlin next day and give himself up j
to the police in order to secure his I
father’s release.”
“And why did he not dp so?” I asked. !
“Because next morning he was found 1
[lead in his bed in the hotel.”
Fearing the emperor’s wrath, thu \
Breitenbachs, like myself, dared not
reveal what they knew—the truth,
which is here set down for the first
time—and. alaspoor General von
Trantmann died in prison at Mulheim
last year.
(Copyright. 1917, William LeQueux.)
BUILT FOR KING'S DAUGHTER
Famous French Road Constructed by
Louis XV to Render Travel
More Easy.
The high road running along tlie
edge of the plateau of Craonne,
France, frequently mentioned in the
official communiques during the second
battle of the Aisne. and which is going
down to history under the name of the
“Ohemin des Dames." (the ladies’
way), dates from the time of Louis
XV.
This road, beginning at the l’aris
Maubeuge road, about ten miles north
east of Soissons. crosses the plateau
of Craonne, a distance of about twelve
miles, then descends into the valley of
the Ailette to cross the Yaucierc
woods to the domain of the ancient
chateau of Dove, near Bouconville,
where the Princess Adelaide. Sophie
and Yictoire, daughters of Louis XY.
visited one of their ladies of honor.
Mine, de Narbonm . every summer.
The roads of the region were de
testable. Out of consideration for the
princesses a new paved road was built
along the crest of the plateau and from
that fact it derives the name of the
“Chentin des Dames.”
She Used Her Voice.
Tilt* Waldorf-Astoria hotel in Xew
York has a maid with a voice. She
can yell louder than any Comanche on
the warpath. Kceently she let loose
her voice and bellhops and porters
rushed to her from all over the big
hostelry. lu answer to her cries she
pointed to one of the rooms. "Th re's
Leprechauns in there.” she cried, "tit
tle devil men. with bald heads' and
whiskers, leaping over the bed in yon
der room.” "Leprechauns.” cried a
{Kirter. also from the Knierald isle, and
he devoutly crossed himself. •rLepro
chauns, indeed." whimpered the maid.
"There they are iu there. I went in.
and bless my soul, if these little devils
did not go lea pin’ about lookin' for all
the world like l’addy MeFaddcn's two
uncles over in Ballyshanon. Sure, I
won’t go in there again, job or no job.”
With compressed Ups aud doughty
manners, the little party of men went
into the room and then, after a sup
pressed gasp, they laughed. For gam
boling about were two tiny marmosets.
“Pets, are they?” repeated the maid.
“Well, may be they’re all right, but
they look like devils just the same,
ami I’ll have none of them.”
Sudden Change of Mind.
“Why in the world don’t they give up
their automobile aud try to pay some of
their debts?” asked the lady who was
alwavs worrying about the troubles
other people hath
“Probably,” her husband replied,
“for the same reason that we don't
move into an apartment we can afford,
instead of keeping up this place and
wondering how long we can avoid go
ing to smash.”
“Oh. but I despise a man ’ who is
willing to let the world see that he's a
failure*, instead of being brave enough
to keep up appearances, at least.”—
Judge.
Not Knocking at All.
“I wanted to talk to you yesterday."
“Why didn’t yt>u call me on the
! telephone?"
"It wasn't important enough for me
i to go to all that trouble.”
WHITE LOAF IS REGRETTED
Its Successor in England is Not New
However, as Country Had Noth
ing Else Years Ago.
We all monrn the death of the white
loaf. We look with disfavor upon its
gray successor, and we think of the j
dingy edible as something new—“ow
ing to the war.” We have forgotten
that with our grandfathers a quits
white loaf was a rarity, observes Lnn
| don Answers.
English millers had the shock of
their lives when they discovered the
whiteness of foreign flour. Nothing
could he produced by our mills to sat
isfy the baker, who in turn had to j
please his customers with white bread
Imports of flour increased, and all be
cause the British public were en
amored of white bread.
Rumors of wonderful machinery pro
ducing white flour in Budapest caused
English millers ro visit Austria-Hun
gary. The rest.it of the deputation
was that in 1S7S the first complete
plant to reduce wheat to the white j
flour was installed in Bilston.
So started the home manufacture of
white bread. We have had to hid fare
well. not to an old friend but to an
enemy alien invader.
Serum for Infantile Paralysis.
Prs. M. Xeustaedter and E. .T
Ranzahf describe in the Journal of
tiie American Medical association ex
i perlmenrs they Iiave been making on
i monkeys in developing a serum for the
treatment of infantile paralysis. The
I sernin fs derived from the blood of
: horses. Their report says:
“The five neutralization experiments
j were po^it*^ without exception. The
| serum protected one monkey complete
ly against a rather slow-acting virus
of the eighth generation originally re
i covered from a human patient. On
j account of the scarcity of monkeys '
j we eotild not make as many experi
ments as we would wish to do. so we ;
I report the facts without drawing eon
I elusions. We feel, however, that we
I are Justified in using the serum in hu
j man eases. especially when human ;
serum fs unobtainable. and shall re
port when a sufficient number have
been treated.”
Caring for Birds in England.
T’nder the will of the late Lord Lu- 1
eas. land and premises in Xorwalk
have been bequeathed to the Hon. Ivor 1
1 Grenfell. This property of 3.000 acres
• was acquired ten years ago hy Lord
Lucas. Viscount Grey. Hon. E. 8. Mon- !
tague and 11. Russell, all keenly inter
ested in l ird life, in order to provide
| protection for rarer kinds of birds.
Elaborate precautions have been taken
to preserve from disturbance some
j young birds of a very rare species and
careful study is made of the habits !
of the colony of birds on the estate
> hy the headkeeper and others in the
| employ of these bird lovers.
National Forests Productive.
On the Humboldt National forest in
Xavada there are 315,740 sheep, the }
largest total to be found on any one of
the national forests, while the largest
number of catle—75.81S—is found o l
the Tonto National forest in Arizona.
The average annual value of the meat
product of these two tracts Is esti
mated at .82.000.000.—Popular Me
chanics Magazine.
SAVING NICKELS AND DIMES
Shortage in Small Coins Declared
Due to Widely Adopted Prac
tice of Thrift.
Shortage of small coins, complain*-1
of by banks, may be due partly f ■ the
practice of saving buffalo nickels and
the new dimes, bankers say, according
to the Minneapolis Journal.
Many persons have formed the !i■ It
of putting away the buffalo coins or
file new ten-oent pieces on th> well
established theory that the sav n
accumulate considerable sums in
way and yet do it so gradually t
“he never misses it.”
“The shortage of nickels and din*- -
probably is due in part to this prac
tice. There is. however, an even i *>re
stringent shortage of pennies, which
has been felt for the last six months."
Bankers said tb** penny famine pr* * -
ably was due to recently Instilled thrift
among children. Pennies given them
by parents, coins that formerly wen
hack into circulation as quickly a
little feet could flutter to the corner
candy store, now find their way into
the toy bank.
The Shifted Shame.
The ex-convict who rece: testi
fied that he, u mere unsoph -ar.-d
rounder of thirty or more, u ".red
into stealing from his employ* a
woman to whom he gave pan ' the
money, reminds me of a hoy v -
brought into a prison In New 1
afternoon in .Tilly, 18G0. As t!
key led him along the youth i
cell a man with a smooth.
somewhat hard face. The boy d
and addressed the man in th>
“You,” he cried, "are the
my being here!”
“How comes that?” inquir. Hi--k-»
the pirate, for the man in the v s
none other.
“Why,” snid the boy. “I stole ■
hire a boat so I could go down to It- 1
loes island tomorrow an*l see you
hanged.”—New York Sun.
Why He Didn't Register.
An Indianapolis man who i: - a
practice of bragging about hi' short
comings. said that there were s- V«
reasons why he didn't register ' r
conscription.
“The first one is that am only Sts
feet one inch tall.
“The second one Is that, taking r r
height into account, I am too fat f -
my stature.
“The third one is that I ha\- only
one arm.
“The fourth one is that my teeth .•.re
bad.
"The fifth one is that I am too -1.”
“Well, what are the other so rea
sons?” he was asked.
“Well, the other SO don't rr rr r.
The five I have enumerated w.*ul _ ve
me the necessary alibi."—Indian
News.
“He'lt Get You Yet.”
Two extremely well dre"- I ; g
men were sitting one day i:.
spick and span high-powered i -
drawn up by the pai
Fort Benjamin Harris..a as a
of student officers, tired at !
swung by, returning from the *-a
treaching ground. The young i a
grinned at the student officers :t i -:ie
student officers grinned back. Then
one of the latter sang out:
“Oh, you kids! Uncle Stun hasn't
got you now, hut he'll get you y- r. —
Indianapolis News.
The Limit.
Bess—Is he so impossible?
June—Oh, fierce! Why. part
naiurna are both stuck on him.
Compensations.
“Elizabeth's baby cries all itigtr '•>••
says. “Why should she mind? I- . t
ter husband a floorwalker?”
His Excuse.
“On what grounds do you claim r\
'inption from military service
"My mother says >he didn't rai~»* me
o he a soldier.”
Ending of the too modern n ^ t
'So they were divorced and lived hap
pily ever afterward."
We always feel that Providence
agin” us when it rains on circus ,
Grape-Nuts
Made from choice whole
wheat and malted barley,
this famous food retains
the vital mineral elements
oi the grain, so essentia!
for balanced nourish
ment, but lacking in
many cereal foods.
From every standpoint
good flavor, rich nour
ishment, easy digestion,
convenience, economy.
Health from childhood to
old age Grape-Nuts
food,
j
"Tlere’s a Reason”
