Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-10-28
The Eccentric King OF Bayaria-a
Remarkable Stag-Hunf.

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A Munich letter SAYS: His MaieS.v
King Louis IL Is earning genuine i'm
mortality by his eccentricities. He i
neither statesman nor warrior, nor are h.
! dominions, even had they not been 70.
duced to a sort of vassalage under the
newly-reconstructed Empire. large eneugb
to make him of any consequence in tie
world Still he occupies large share ot
public attention. Sometimes he suddenly
absents himself from the palace, and his
Ministers are left in utter ignorance %
his Whereabouts, while solitary and
alone he wanders about the crags of his
mountains or PLAYS the recluse in some
abandoned old castle. When the fit strikes
him he orders an opera or a drama to be
performed before him as sole spectator
and within week past he arrived at the
ROYAL Theafer Just as the performance
closed and the public were leaving Never
theless he entered the royal box and sent
word to the actors to play the whole four
act comedy over again, not person being
allowed to remain in the audience part of
| the house except the King and his few at
PENDANTS As he pays well on such occa-
sions his whims are cheerfully gratlfed.
Lately he has taken to study the life and
times of Louis XIV, the Grand Mon.
aruue' OF France, who died in IT'S, after
having reigned for seventy-two years.
This was undoubtedly the ablest, but also
the most absolute and dissolute, of all the
Capetian Kings of France; yet so much
| has the Bayarian King fallen in love with
| him that some months ago one OF the
Kings country residences was transformed
| into a miniature imitation of palace Of
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/ and seventy years ago. All the furniture
was made in Paris, modelled after the
| originals, as were also the dresses for the
| King and all the royal servants, the car.
riages. the harnesses, saddles; even the Ia
| BILE china was specially ordered at Sevres
| The rules OF court etiquette which were in
force under the French King have been
adopted; the French language alone Is
spoken on such occasions, and when thus
alfred and surrounded King Louis of
| Bavaria actually believes himself to be the
| great and puissant King Louis OF France.
| About two months ago he had Transformed
himself again into his French namesake,
| and was reading one of the exciting stag
| hunts that had been arranged Tor Louis
| XIV. in the forest of Nincennes. He re-
| solved at once that he must have a stag
| hunt also, and gave the necessary orders TO
| the master OF the horse. This chasing the
deer with hounds came off three days ago
at his, Frenchified palace OF Hohen-
! schwanpan, and it was the most ludicrous
event living man has yet set eyes on. OF
course it was To be at night, with torches,
the King TO witness il in state from the
/ large balcony of the palace, and the deer,
| with the hunters, the hounds and the
torch bearers were all TO pass in front of
| him. But here was the trouble. The Off
Ger in charge of the arrangements knew
| that if there was a real live deer in the
case the animal would choose his own
course TO escape from the hounds. and
might speed away in an opposite direc-
! ton from where it was wanted to go. An
idea struck him, and he hurried Off to
! Munich TO an ingenious mechanician, to
whom he confided his difficulty. The
artisan promised to construct an artificial
deer, 10 be set running like lightning by
clock.work, that would GO straight ahead
when once set in motion. This secured,
a pack of blooded hounds was bought IN
| England and brought here A track was
cleared for them, running on Decline
from one end of the park to the other,
| passing in front of the royal balcony.
| The mechanical deer was completed in
time, covered with fresh deer skin and
the force of the mechanism tried, being
found to work admirably. The officers
were delighted, when another difficulty
seemed to mar their success. The arti-
| fetal deer gave out no scent and the
hounds would not follow it. One Of the
chamberlains at last worked out plan.
Wen keep the hounds on meager diet
few days before the performance he
said, then an hour before the start we'll
give them slight taste of smoked sausage;
on the deer we'll hang string of these
sausages, and then you'll see the dogs run
after the sausages like devils And thus
IL was done AT the appointed hour the
King sat in state on his throne erected on
the balcony, surrounded by his court, all
clad in silks and satins after the fashions
of Louis XIV. On came the deer, the
hunters, the hounds, the torch bearers,
shouting, yelling, believing, barking.
Just in front of His Majesty two of the
foremost hounds had reached the deer,
and plunged upon the-sausages. The
jump of the dogs upset the mechanical
deer, and the continuance lay upon the
ground, striking out furiously with It's
legs in the air. Yet the hounds gave il no
heed, as they should in regular stag-hunt,
but fell TO fighting among themselves for
the possession of the sausages. The King
left In disgust and shut himself up in the
mountains, while the burghers OF Munich
are laughing over the monarch's remark
able hunting experience"
"
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