Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-04-12
Romantic Freaks Of a King.

Victor Tissot has just issued the second
series of his Voyage au Pays DIES Mil
lards," under the title of "The Prussians
in Germany" From the new volume we
will cite n few passages relating to that
most romantic OF living monarchs, King
Louis of Bavaria. An entire chapter is
devoted to description of the six castles
owned by the rio-troubddo,r, beginning
with the two palaces at Munich. If half
the freaks and follies related therein are
true, his Majesty must certainly have q
bee in his bonnet Of most uncommon di-
mansions, but, as the writer is French
man telling about Germany, his statements
are, of course 10 be taken with "a grain of
salt. One of the six castles is thus de-
scribed:
"Ihe castle Of Hohenschwangau is pic
turesquely perched upon a rocky peak.
All around lie lofty mountains covered
with gloomy forests of pine, and at the
foot of the rock there is romantic lake
peopled with swans. The King harnesses
these swans 10 II gilded bark shaped like a
shell, and is drawn over the surface of the
water, while band of singers, grouped
upon the bank, execute fragments OF
Lohengrin,' and the moon Eliminates
with its pale beams the fantastic march of
stuffed stays, which are moved by means
of internal mechanism.
AT the time of the last eruption of We
suvius the King became envious, and
wanted to have one, too He summoned
TO Hohenschwangau the two professors of
geology OF the university, and ordered
them to get up a volcano. They set To
work at once A mountain was followed
out, and the hole was filled with powder,
sulphur, coal and petroleum. The sight
was magnificent The fire engines were
brought thitAer from miles around. 1t
was thought that the royal castle had been
mined by the Prussians and had been
blown up.
"The King also wanted tempests on the
lake of Hohenschwangau. An enormous
machine has been constructed, provided
with prodigious wheels, which raise great
waves with aterrible noise.
Whether he inhabit his Castle of
Berg, of Lin.lenhot, or of Munich, there
are two things that are indispensable to
his comfort this piano and his moon
light. Without a piano the day would
seem TO him century long, and with
out moonlight it is impossible Tor him to
sleep When Providence refuses to light
have recourse 10 fabricated moonlight
4 special apparatus for producing the
electric lightlhas been installed in each
of the royal bcdchambers. At Munich
the ceiling ispierced with a thousand mi
mute holes, behind which are placed gas
Jets. That represents very fairly a starry
sky. While travelling the King makes
use of an economical and portable moon
which can be hung up like an astral
lamp.
This strange charscter-this soul of a
child in the body OF man-this King
born 10 reign over nation of poets and
musicians--it not suited 10 our century of
soldiers and of brute force. LOUIS III.
would have teen scharming sovereign in
the1sys ofthsminncsingers and OF dreamy
ehafelafaes. D-day no one understands
him. he seems 10 belong TO legend and
not 10 history. He who is seated upon a
throne has 10 right to use it AS a piano
stool, for if uFpheus himself were to re-
turn 10 earth be would not take up Tyre,
but gun with all the modern improve
mentsn
Here is n anecdote relating 10 the
Kings soiouA at has royal Chateau de
Berg: