New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-06-27
MAD KING LUDWIG.
A HERITAGE OF WOE FROM THE HOUSE Oh
HAPSBUR0.


the intimate companionship Of Prince Luitpolds
sons and daughters aud whose ancestors time Gus
/ of mind were among the leading people OF Munich.
The conversation ran upon the mental malady OK
the late King Ludwig III. Accord
ing to my interlocutor, who stadieo
medicine with Prince Theodore, Duke in Bavaria.
and brother of the Empress OF Austria, the DO
mented monarch was the victim oil ancestral con-
sangune marriages. He says that the Hapsourg
family was q family Of maniacs for a long course OF
generations through marrying n-and-ih' anu
that the Wirtlesbach or Electorate 'a"o
now Royal House Of Bavaria was inter-
married hundreds of times since the Reformation
with the Hapsburg. They were tho TWO
great Catholic stocks Of South Germany anh IN
blood were hardly distlnguishable one from the
other until quite recently, when Wittelsbach
Princes welded Prussian and other Pfotestans
Prncesses, which'lf 1t did not tighten the mental
screws that were loose, brought in some
physical beauty. The type OF mai
ness of King Ludwig is distinctly traccapio
to Hapsburg ancestors of the sixteenth century,
and they derived the cerebral neurose RON III"
Emperors Charles V. andFerdinand sons OF JOANNA
the insane daughter of Isabella the Catholic WI"
owed her aueenly status 10 the fact that she was
the only sane member Of her family. fon smle'
remarked Herr Won Casteli-Casteii, an"
think my explanation recondite German nonsehSe'
Nv theory nevertheless is scientifically true. There
was hardly any divergence of type IN the bapsours
family from the time of Don Carlos. son of Pnilip
H. of Spain, and his contemporary, the Emperor
RodoIpbe at Vienna The Lorraine husband OK
Maria Theresa changed the blood at Vienna, but
subsequent intermarriages OF Archdnkes anu
Archduchesses with wives and husDah"s
Of Hapsburg lineage have tended to BRING
the race back to Its original Vpc'
The hereditary nenrose IS showing ITSELF In the
Crown Prince Rudolph, who Is the slave Oh ms
whlms and vagarles, and was threatened win
softening of the brain when he was elgitee ms
mother was Bavarian by BavarIan mothcr tho
daughter of an Austrian Princess By BIvarian
Prince, who had long line OF ii psburg ancestors
King Ludwlg's type of insanity. rs have a'reafy
told Won. had an exact counterpart in the Emperor
Rodolphe and his brothers Ernest, Matthias and
A bert, three hundred years ago They were all
moody had artistic crazcs lived solitude, despised
politics. and hated women"
Herr Won Castell-Castcil here went to $40
table where there was pile OF DOCKS ana
took from them PERKINS, work on Les
Marriages Espaenoes.' in which are word portraits
OF the fonr Princes in question. They were taken
from the correspondence of busbocqlc win PDinp
H. and from opinions expressed by Pope Pfut W.
Oneen Elizabeth to whom the Archduke Albert
James |. of England. Rodolphe was an alchemist.
His mania was 20 evoke visions OF fair women from
the chemists cruciblc and to render himself inde-
uendeDt of his subjects By transmitting dross INTO
gold He held real women III the grtates.ayerSion.
and used to have solitary fcasis OF tno
most luxurious kind Matthias was own brother
to Rodolpbe. lie AMI Eraest were music
mad The latter hal the finest collection
of wrought silver IN the word. His amnsem,nts
were at once extrayagant and pderile lie beard OK
the Aihambrl aud not being able to visit spain TO
see IT, was thinking OF getting 4 reprOiuc;d Oh MS
Austrian estate, when he died lhough inyNoky-
MIST he was a drunkard. He usel wlen travelling
10 be decked out with jewels and surroulded ~
Italian musicians and carried IN litter. Albert
wanted to be an androgvnc. lie be 'ine an hcc,e-
siasical Prince and later was released IRON MS
vow, by the Pope. to become through his marriage
with Observation-Disclosures of Philip III. and tue bead
tIful Elizabeth of France-the perpetual Governor
of Belgium.
KING Ludwig received had m lch to do IN serving
as a hotbed for germs Of insanity wllch perhaps.
had h. been more ind cou,y managed wonld not
have taken great Development. He and his
brother were consigned to the care OF IN austere
old Jesuit father who was allowed To quit his eon-
vent to act his tutor and to bring with hlin other
fathers to be sub-preceptors, The two
boys were kept by the Council OF Regency
under the Reverend Father who IN obedience 10
satisfaction of Lultpolb brought them up 10 keep
IN mind that sin and death entered the world
through Eve. that women were necessary
cures, and that they we're ali nearly a.
bad as Lola Montez. The poor Green Doyagei
being thea a Protestant was nor suffered to nave
any part in directing their education. Al That
could be done to put gray heads on ne green Shoul-
ders was tried InoS Mer tho subjected 20 the
and professors belonged to tue ineXorabIe and
miexbe Prussian school. IL was eApecte that
the two royal brothers would turn ont prodlgies
and be masters of every science. when Ludwig
came of age the first thing he did was to provide
himself with such boyisn TOYS as tops. marDles,
kites whistles, teetOtuns: and 50 on. lie and
| OTTO who growing silly, aad finally became
possessed with suicidal mania played with them
or eighteen molt,.s Ludwigs artistic craze slc-
ceeded tie puerlle one lie had plenty oil money
and could not understand that IL was ever
to cone to an end. fhe civil LIST was tive
million and half lorins and the ancestral domains
of their uncle. the late King OF Greece.
Ministers were only communicates with through
haiIdressers and cOStum.rs. and whea they wefe
granted audiences the KING sat shnd 4 screen
which md II person from their eyes. He MS ID 10
take unaccountahe fancies TO Young >o'dIefs,
wood ranger, and so on, bring them home with
hun, entertain them at sipper and mako
them costly presents Wagner was his god
Whenever Ludwig going TO see bIm at Bay
reuth he used make the train stop before Il got
OF "rne MASTER who he knew had gone to receive
linn at the railway and YOU'D be- surprised
to find him IN the house on his return.
His Majesty when Obliged to wrl'e 70 his Ministers
used a green pencli, and PINK one III Wiling 10
us personal attendants. A blue one was reserved
for Wagner The color bue was to SignIiy thlt
the genus of "the Master was vast a thc leav-
ms and a!I-omJIacIag The unhappy Green
Dowaccr became 4 Catho lc five or years ago.
She Intends TO end her days 10 "a cOnyenh
] saw Ludwig when he was here about eight
wears ago to study the Architecture OF Versailles
Palace. A gen ieman connected with the German
Emba,sy tod me ~ what hour should Sse INN on
The gran staircase there aud promised me to keep
INN whiting some momcats IN the yc,flDulc - that
/ could look we'll al iIm He was lall and very
hands Jme. VIM he WAS in PARIS h. was the gusSt
of ,he German Ambassador. Priqee ioheaiohe. wao
~ l}avarlau. Bns before the King arrived At tho
+ obassv the Princess uohcnlohc aud her daug htsr
had TO leave it. hey STAYED during MS visit
winch lasted a week at a hotel
UP DEND.4 L-nLN LIAA LGlLN.