The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-03-21
GBRMANY'S CROWN PRINCE.
New and Interesting Statements
Relative to His Sickness.
Why His Wife, the Grown Princess,
Boxed a Doctors Ears.


Sun cables the following interesting and
hitherto unpublished fects concerning the
German Crown Princes disease and the
commotion it has caused in the royal suf-
ferer's family:
The Crown Prince has been suffering for
years from occasional hoarseness before it
was deemed necessary to have his throat ex.
amined by a specialist. In February
last year, however, there was an e1-
ceptionally severe attack, and Professor
Bergman was requested by the EN-
peror to examine the Princes throat and
say in confidence what was really the matter.
Bergman had no difficulty whatever in
pronouncing that the Prince was suffering
from malignant cancerous disease, and
that to insure the patient temporary relief
from pain and postpone for few years the
inevitable catastrophe, it would benecessary
to extirpate the larynx.
On hearing of the nature Of Prof. Won
Bergmann's report, the Grown Princess sum.
moned him to her presence and questioned
professor calmly repeated what he had told
the Emperor The Crown Princess vehe-
mently denied that her husband could
possibly have an incurable disease.
and the professor courteously and
sorrowfully contradicted her, and the
audience ended abruptly by the Grown
Princess, forgetful of dignity, boxing the
learned professors ears. Not unnaturally,
Bergmann refused to have anything more to
do with the Crown Princes case 1t was only
at the last moment, and at the earnest and
repeated requests of the Emperor, finally
turning into orders, that he altered his de-
| cision.
1t is pretty generally known that the Crown
Princess detests Prince Bismarck more than
L. -, &l.o, -lN1o avid Va
knows that Bismarck reciprocates her feel.
ings, and she enormously believes him quite
capable of intriguing against her husbands
| rights to the throne. The Crown Princess ex-
erts great influence over her husband, and
Bismarck has not infrequently had reason to
know it. He consoled himself, however, with
the fact that, although the Crown Prince and
Princess were opposed to him, their son was
one of his most devoted admirers. Prince
William is not popular with the mass of the
| German people, but his Bismarck worship is
| the redeeming. feature in their eyes and saves
him from being positively disliked. He is in
| truth most unlovable young man. He
Sights his Schleswig- -Holstein wife and in
suits his mother at times by parading his ad-
miration for Bismarck and in other ways
Such are his unfilial sentiments in regard to
| his English mother that he rarely visits the
parental palace, and then only when directly
commanded to do so by his grandfather.
Daring the past few months the Crown
Princess's great dread has been that she may
live to see Prince William on the throne
| which it has been her ambition to share
with her husband. As far as the public
have hitherto understood; Prince VIII
by the death of his grandfather and
father, but it seems the latter event is not
necessary, because there is law on the statue
| book which provides that no Prince suffering
| from incurable disease can succeed to the
imperial throne Upon this law hangs the
explanation of most of the curious happen
ings at San Reno, which have been puzzling
all Europe. -.
weapon by which he could strike mortal
blow at her ambition terrified the Princess.
| She saw that her only chance was
| to obtain an authoritative expression
| of opinion that the disease was not incura-
| BILE. In her sore distress she appealed to her
mother, Queen Victoria, with the result
that DR.. Morell Mackenzie was summoned to
the royal presence and taken into the royal
confidence. He went to Berlin, examined the
Crown Princes throat, and, as arranged,
| pronounced the disease non-malignant and
curable One portion of the growth in the
throat which he extracted was very carefully
selected so as to enable Professor Virchow,
| to whom it was submitted for microScopical
examination, to declare, with clear con-
science, that it contained nothing to justify
the supposition that the throat was the seat
of malignant disease.
Thenceforward Mackenzie became solely re-
| sponsible for the conduct Of the case. The
royal patients condition seemed to improve.
| Mackenzie was knighted, and his English prac-
| tice increased enormously. Acting on Mac
kenze's advice the Crown Prince went to
Toblach in the Tyrol, and there he had re-
lapse, which in absence Of official bulletins and
| other authoritative information, caused a storm
of Indignation throughout Germany. The Ger,
mans could not understand why the beloved
'sUnser Fritz should be allowed to re-
main in a foreign land under charge OF a
foreign physician and nursed by foreign
wife. The people clamored that the Prince
should be handed over to the care OF Ger
man experts, for of course DR.. krause, phy-
sician in ordinary to the Crown Princes
household, could not be considered authority
| in such an important case.
1t was at this time that the German news
paper crusade against Mackenzie commenced,
| and it is still going on. Then, too, the aged
Kaiser interviewed, and in spite OF the protests
of the Crown Princess, commanded that Ger
man and Austrian experts should investigate
the matter. The result Of that memorable
! November consultation is still fresh in the
! public mind The experts declared that the
| Crown Prince was suffering from cancerous
disease. DR.. Mackenzie signed the report,
but with very important reservations. He
again carefully removed particles from the
throat, and Professor Virchow again
failed to find in them distinct signs Of
cancer. Then Virchow relieved himself of
further worries and responsibilities by going
to Egypt, where he now is away out Of reach
of the telegraph.
When the operation Of tracheotomy be-
came necessary, the Crown Princess would
only consent to it after having been warned
that her husbands life depended upon it.
The Emperor again commanded Professor
Bergman to proceed to San Reno,
but not until tracheotomy had been
actually performed When he arrived
he received no facilities for seeing and
examining the Princes throat, and his visit
| cannot have been pleasant one. He is still
/ at San Reno by the Emperors commands
| The experts now in attendance are divided
| in opinion on various points, and are jealous
Of one another, although the Germans are
united in distrust of Mackenzie.
Ever since tracheotomy was performed
Emperor William has desired to have his
son removed to Berlin. The German eI-
perts unanimously declared that the disease
is incurable, and that the patient may as well
be at Berlin as at San Reno, but the Crown
Princess resolutely opposed removal, and so
far she has had her way. The excitement
all over Germany, and especially for some
reason or other in Bavaria, is so intense that
Mackenzie's life would not he safe should he
venture to show himself in the Fatherland