Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1889-05-17
COUNT O'OANNE.
The Accomplished but Disreputable Mill
taTy Governor OF u Prince.

Extraordinary, says Paris letter to
tie New York Tribune, is the career
OF the accomplished military adven.
! ltnrer. so well known in this city and
at Monte Carlo. who. after holding a
. high rank in the German army and
one of the most important and conf
dental appointments at the royal
courts of Prussia, is now being tried at
Berlin, behind closed bars. on crimi-
nal charge of fraud. The extreme Sc
crccy of the proceedings and the ex-
clusion of the public from the trial is
due to the fact in the Year 1888 the
prisoner was employed by the present
emperor in connection with certain
rather discredilablc financial transac-
tions.
The allowance which Prince William
received before he ascended the throne
as Kaiser Wilhelm III. was an exceed
ingly small one. and although. by dint
OF much economy and cheese pairing.
his clever court marshal. Byron VA
Liebanau was able to make both ends
meet as far as the household expenses
We're concerned, the amount was en-
tirely inadequate to defray the cost of
William was far from bearing the rep
utation for picty aud even bigotry
which now distinguishes him. and
which has led him to prohibit horse
racing aud other kinds of amusements
on Sundays. Indeed, he led an ex-
trcmely fast and dissipa,ed life; the
sultanas of the demimonde whom he
honored with his attentions were num-
erous. while his iutrigues and escap-
AIDES formed n never-failing topic of
gossip in Berlin society. Being terri
bly, in debt aud hard pressed for money
about six years ago. he bethought him
self of his former military governor.
Lieut. Col. ODanne, whom he knew
To be thoroughly INSCRIPTIONS. aud
decided To make use of his services for
the purpose OF raising big loan. With
considerable effrontery the colonel ad-
dressed himself in the first place to no
less a parsonage than the czar. who
was induced by his representative to
advance a considerable portion of the
sum required by Prince William. On
his return from ST. Petersburg O'Danne
tempts to raise the balance of the
amount in Berlin. So indiscreet was
the use which he made Of the princes
name that the matter ended by reach
ing the ears Of the chief authorities at
Berlin. As the name Of the colonel
had already been seriously compro-
missed in sundry previous affairs OF
particularly shady nature the prince
deemed it most prudent to throw him
overheard and to deuy ali knowledge
:.s HE aaneals for money: The conse-
improper use of the name uf royal
Psussian prince for the purpose of OBJ
tanning money by fraud. At the trial.
however. he was able tn give such in-
contestablc proofs Of Tia. fact that he
was really acting on the behalf of
Prince William iu the affair that. much
to the disgust of the royal pupil. he
had TO be acquitted.
He is a man of striking and distiu-
guished presence. who served with
great gallantry in the war of 1866. and
who a couple of years later. when a
lieutenant-coloneIu uf the FIRST regiment
Of guards nj Putsdam. was appointed
10 the responsible post of military gov
ernor To Prince William. the present
kaiser. In 1872. however, he WAS
placed ou the retired list aud seuteuced
10 eight months imprisonment for
having been guilty ot looting during
the French campaign. Here in Paris
he has been known On and of during
the past sixteen years AS the "Comte
O'Danne." and great sensation was
created on the bnulevards when, in
the latter part of 1887. it became known
that ne had been arrested At Lyons on
the charge of being German spy.
The accusation now brought against
him, aud on which he is beiug tried at
Berlin, is to the effect that not only
did he sell false Information TO the
military attache of the German em-
bassy here. but he was actually at the
time receiving money from the French
war Office for details which he was
able To furnish concerning the German
military organization. In view Of the
anxiety Of the kaiser to place under
restraint man SO disagreeably asso-
ciattd with an Objectionable period Of
his career. it is highly probable that
Col. O'Danue will be sentenced to an
exceeding long term Of imprisonment