New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1880-06-30
Berlin Letter.

l." NAY Will ~ Cu NC Silu or all
the great Hohcnzollern who have
played such conspicuous parts in
modern history that no childish ap.
peal to their sympathies or gcncr-
osity ever failed to obtain prompt
aud benevolent recognition. The
most recent exemplifcation of this
I, amiab bic characteristic of warrior
race is afforded by a kindly action
of the German Crown Prince, one
Paul Brandt, a fatherless lad only
nine years old, having exhibited
q remarkable capacity for music,
was taken some months ago into
Romarowski's "Victoria Institute, :"
then to be gratuitously instructed
in tone-art generally, and in violin.
playing particularly. On the 22d
of March this courageous little fel.
low sent birthday congratulatlon
to the venerable Emperor, in which
he embodied a petition for a new
fiddle, upon the pertinent ground
that his own violin ''scraped so aw.
fully that he could bear with it. no
longer. Through the accident that
young Brandt had addressed his
letter to ellis Royal Highness' in.
stead of to ellis Imperial Majesty"
the petition came to the Crown
Princes hands, and the future Ger
man Emperor, upon perusing it,
forthwith directed his Court Mar.
shall to make inquiries at the Vic
toria Institute respecting the youth.
full applicant and his lawfully scrap
ing" instrument. The truth of
little Pauls allegations having been
fully established by Count Eulen-
burg's Investigations, the Prince
proceeded to purchase good sound
violin, which he despatched to the
institute on Whit Sunday last as a
"Pfingst geschenk' for Paul Brandt.
It is by such tender deeds as this
that Princes most surely win their
way to the hearts Of their peoples.
In Magdeburg last week the chief
sexton of the municipal cemetry
was guilty of an act so atrocious
that but tor the nteryention of the
police he would have been lynched
on The spot by the indignant pop.
ulace. On the previous day little
girl, only seven years old, had wan.
dered into the burying ground under
his charge, and plucked flower
from one Of the graves, all uncon.
scious of offence. The sexton
caught her in the act, and deter
mined to inflict punishment upon
her which should effectually deter
her from ''despoilin" his graves for
the future. So he dragged the ter.
ror-stricken child away into the
dead house, in which four corpses
were lying on their biers, awaiting
burial, thrust her in, locked the
door upon her and went about his
business. It was already late in
the day, and the sexton, according
to his own account, having finished
his work, and forgotten all about
his tiny prisoner incarcerated in
the charnel-housc, made fast
the cemetery gates for the night.
i Next morning, returning to his
work at the usual hour, it sudden
| ly occurred to him that he had omit.
ted to let the child out of the dead.
house before gong home, and he
FASTENED to unclose the door-when
a shocking spectacle met his gaze
Crouched up in a corner with CLASSY
eyes fixed in a death-stare of horror,
and blood.stained lips, bitten
through and through in con.
vulsive agony, was fifth
cOrpSe--that of his unfortunate vic.
tin. The hapless child had been
literally frlg htened to death. I
shall be curious to see what pun
ishment will be allotted by German
Judges to the relentless sexton of
Magdeburg, whose hard heart not
even the pitifal appeals of terrified
childhood could melt to mercy.