The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-11-22
Field Marshal Baron Won Wrangel.

The cable has announced the death of
Field Marshal Baron Frederick Won
Wrangel, the oldest officer in the Ger
man army.
Count Won Wrangel was born in 1874,
and entered the Prussian army in 1896.
He made the campaign of France in 1914
with Prince William, now Emperor of
Germany, and fought as a Colonel under
Blucher at Waterloo in 1915. In 1S4S,
when he was already regarded as a vet
eran and known as "Papa Won Wran-
GEL" he distinguished himself rather ter
ribly against the insurgents at Berlin,
and in the campaign of Schleswig-Hol-
stein. On the sixtieth anniversary of
his entry in the Prussian service he was
made Field Marshal with great solem-
nifty, and few who witnessed the cere-
| mony probably imagined that nearly ten
years afterwards the old man, like a
| Northern Radetsky, would startle the
enemies of his country by his dashing
and brilliant exploits as the commander
of an army in the field. But in 1864 he
conducted the eAustro-Prussian campaign
against little Denmark with such stern
and successful energy that he was made
a Count by his. sovereign and covered
with new decorations. He declined on
account of his age in 1866 to take an
active part in the war against Austria,
but witnessed it in the camp of the King,
and he was sorely distressed when it was
found to be impossible for him to march
against France with the avenging Ger
man armies in 1870. more than seventy
years after he had first crossed the Rhine
in arms. He was Commander-in-chiei
| -, J., 10 L.
he had nearly as many orders as Wei
lington, among them the Black Eagle
with chain, the Grand Cross of the REQ
Eagle, the Royal House Order of the
Hohenzollern, the Dannebrog, the Eul
phia Order, the Order of Maria Theresa
and numberless others-German, Rus
sian, Swedish and Danish.
The old Field Marshal was soldier O.
the type called into being by Carlyle'
hero, Frederic the Great, who taught hi
officers not to lose their hats on parade
by making it capital offense to do so
1t is told of him that when his only sol
had ruined and disgraced himself at tn
gaming table, the old warrior called tn
unhappy youth into his presence, laid
pistol on the table, and with the words
ga dishonored Prussian officer has n
! place left in life," walked quietly out
The son shot himself, and the fathe
never suffered his name to be mentione,
again in his hearing.
PROBABLY the largest landholder i
t America is Ex-Governor Coburn, o
i Maine, Incredible as it may seem, he
l the owner of not less than 593, 900 acre.
e divided up as follows: Maine, 45O, 90
acres; Canada, $4,000; Wisconsin
e $4,000; Dakota, $4,000; Michigan, 20
, 900; Minnesota, $4,000. His latest pul
: chase is that of tract of land in Dakot;
:, and was taken of the Northern Pacif
Railroad in lieu of stock, in which roa
2 he invested some $500,000. His agen
Mr.. Whipple, had just returned frol
the West, whittier he has been to loo
after Mr.. Coburn's interests and sc
= about the last purchase. He repor
;, the land in Dakota as among the fine!
II held by the Governor. He says it
y well adopted to the growing of cereal
!, . and fine crops of wheat have been ha
:, u vested in the vicinity the presentseasoI
q The Governor is said to be besieged wit
q beggars of both high and low standing
. and scarcely day passes but he r.
:, ceives letters asking aid to help bull
: seminaries, churches and charitab
: institutions. He is reported as givir
=, =, away upward of 100000 per annun
! Mr.. Coburnis probably worth Sc, 900, 90