Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-04-16
RERbIN's SPECTRAL LADY.
rhe Fourth Centennial Anniversary of
Her First Appearance.
From the Near York World.


BpRrlN, March 16.-Berlin celebrates
curious anniversary this year. 1t is just
loo wears ago since the White Lady of the
Hohenzollerns first made her appearance
on any stage. This event took place at
me old castle in Bayreuth before the death
a. the Brandenburg Elector, Albrecht
Achilles. OF late years nothing positive
has been heard the mysterious spectral
visitor. though she was reputed TO have
heen seen in Berlin before the death OF the
voung Prince Waldemar, and two years
aro n paragraph appeared in one OF the
Barllu papers to the effect that she had
hean seen in some of the apartments OF
me old castle. There was considerable
excitement among the court ohclals at
The time and searching inquiries were
made in order to learn who had given the
information to the public, not because the
officials attached any Importance 10 the
8ppearance of the White Lady, but be-
cause they feared it might possibly naye
an Injurious effect upon the health oil Jhe
Fmperor. who is nor proof against sucn
things. For the White Lady is natural
apnepdix. so 10 speak, to the divinity OF
Inc Hobenzollerns. No great relgnlng
family can be considered as complete
without its family ghost or protectress.
White Lady has been Investigated by
some very learned German writers. Long
ESSAYS have been written on Inquiries
Into the ALLEGED Restlessness of the W hlte
Iady'' and 1.-THE reason why she appears
IL members of the HChenzOllern family"
The literature on the subject is very rich
one. The original w hite Lady is gener-
ally assumed by writers to have been
widowed Countess kumgunda, OF Orla-
IN, hat at
senburg, near Bayreuth. This lady is
said to have fallen in love with young
and handsome Kuig1t, the Burgraye Al
bert Of Nuremburg, and her affection, so
it is said, was not unappreciated by the
rallant cavalier But when the Countess
EXPIRE. d the wish for mafraye Albert
replied thas he could not enter the holy
bonds OF matrimony $50 long as four eyes
were in existence Having two children
by her former husband, the Countess very
naturally imagined that these were the
obstacles to her union with the knight,
and so she killed them by running one OF
her golden halr-pins through their skulls
INTO the brain. W hen Albert learned
what the Countess had done he refused to
marry ner. The inhuman mother event
ually died, but ner corpse could never
rest, and though she was duly bur-
led she used to appear frequently after
One of the German writer's who has in
5estigated this legend says that the Coun-
less was a Princess of HOhenzoIern, con-
Iequently she had right to become the
Isiting ghost at all the castles of that
race. A German historian, julius Won
Mnutoli, who wrote an essay on the ie-
gend III 1850, recording "all the appear
Rnces of the White Lady from the year
1856 to the newest times" notes the fact
t.Af,
ages first appearance was current in
1886 at the old castle at Bayreuth." Dur
ing long course of years she appeared
in various Hohenz0llern casJles-at Bay
reuth, at Anspach, and later at Berlin.
she made great stir about the COM
mencement of the present century on the
occasion OF the French occupation OF Bay
Teuth, taking delight in annoying the foes
Of the HOhenzolleIns. From 1906 to 1909,
while the French occupied and were con-
tnually passing through the city, she
was frequently seen by officers quartered
in the castle. In 1909 she is reported to
have appeared to the divisional comman-
der Gen. d EsPagne, on the first night OF
his residence at the castle. She treated
him very rudely, pushed his bed into the
middle of the room, and then overturned
it; and when the Generals Adjutant has
tened to the room ON hearing cries for
the bed and suffering from deadly fright.
When, on the following morning the Gen.
eral saw the pictures in the castle he
pointed to the picture of the White Lady
painted in q black dress, with white
ruff and hood, and exclaimed:
s'She 1t was who appeared to meW
He lett the castle the same day. He
fell few weeks afterwards in the battle
OF Aspern, on May 81, 1909.
a 81 knvT
appeared to Napoleon /. while at Bay
reath. The first time was on May IA,
1872, while he was on his way to Russia.
He lived in the so-called New Castle. 1t
appears that the story of the appearance
OF the mysterious lady had spread through
the French army, for a courier mad been
sent on from Aschahenburg in advance,
with the command that the Emperor
should not be lodged in the apartment
wherein the White Lady was wont to APP
pear. When Napoleon arrived at Bay
reuth he sent TOR Count Munster and ask
ed il these orders mad been carried out.
Whether Napoleon saw the White Lady
Or not cannot be said. The historians
say, however, that on the following morn
ing, just before his departure, he was
very pale and restless. He often uttered
the words zee maudit chateau" and said
TO some OF his suite that he would never
stay IN LnaG castle again. IN August,
1918, Napoleon was once more in Bay
reutb, but though rooms Lad bean pre-
pared for him in the castle he would not
stay there, but drove to Plauen for the
night.
In all these cases a nearer acquaint-
ance with the spectral lady would doubt
less nave revealed high degree OF human
aature. The historian Won Minut0i, in
deed, referring to the lady's appearance
remark that "she seemed to appear when
ever 1t seemed to the cavaliers or officials
about time To remove the Court from that
dull city" In 1910 the same authority
says that the spectral lady was seen by
Margraye Albrecht, the Warrior, who,
however, does not appear to have under
stood any fooling. Hearing that the lady
was In the habit Of making her rounds in
the apartments of the castle he laid in
wait for her, grasped her suddenly, threw
Aer downstairs. aud found out next morn
Ing that he nad killed one OF his own do
mestlcs. Twenty years later, when Mar
grave Georg Friedrich contemplated re-
building the palace OF Piassenburg, the
White Lady is reported to have made such
aeommoti0u that he gave mp the idea. In
ibt Falkeustein says that MargraYe
Efdmann Philip, of Brandenburg, saw
lhe White Lady in mis- castle at Bay
Ietth, seated IN his own fav0ritc CHAIR
ana that the apparition gave him SUCH a
lIlght that he died two DAYS afterwards.
The mysterious presence having OBJ
talhcd great reputation IN ErancOnia,