New-York tribune., 1890-01-26
GERMAN PERSONALITIES.
CRAZED BY EXILE-HERR WlNDTIIORST-DR.
METZGER'S WOES AT WIESBADEN.

nRoM An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TRIBUNE
Berlin, January lC
Troubles and sorrows are falling thick on the
venerable white hairs OF poor old Dom IedrO OF
Brazil Barely two months have elapsed since he
lost the throne which he had occupied for over
fifty years, and driven forth to spend tie re-
maindcr of his old age in exile. Since then he
has lost his personal fortune and has been rendered
dependent upon the bounty Of his relatives; he
has lost his faithful and devoted wife, without
even having the consolation Of being present at
her death to bid her a final FAREWELL and now
he has lost-worse than lost-hs favorite grand
son. Prince Augustus of Saxe-Coburg, whom, until
the birth of the little boys of the Countess
d'Eu he had always considered as the heir to his
throne Prince Augustus was a handsome young
fellow who, as officer of the Brazilian Navy,
spent several weeks in Ncw-lOTk three years ago
The shock caused by his grandfathers deposition
and the circumstances connected herewith, To-
eether with an illness brought on by his being
forced to embark with insufficient clothing when
he left Brazil with the Emperor, have
combined to shatter his mird lie Is
suffering from an acute form OF lne
persecution mania, and is convinced 'hao
the people around him are forever trying 10
assassinate or kidnap him. So serious has his
condition become that within few days af'er ''e
arrival Of Dom Pedro at Cannes ID Decalie
necessary to place him under restraint lie
has, accordingly, been conveyed to the lanioU'
insane asylum of Gratz, in Styria, Austria, among
the recent inmates of which have been the puchess
of Alencon and the Duchess of Augus'enouls'
mother of the reigning Empress of Germany.
man named Bruno Reinsdorf, who until three
months ago, was engaged at New-fork III assiS"
ing the Socialistic Most TO edit the frehelh mas
Just been arrested at Pegan. small village III
Saxonv and is In danger of losing his head on the
scaffold Bruno is the brother Of Augustus helnS-
dorf who was implicated in the conspiracy 10
assassinate the late Emperor William al the III
auguration of the great statue of Germania LII
the Niederwald and who was subsequently exc
cnted for his share in the plot. The credit 1or
uncarthinr the latter belonged to an exceedingly
clever Commssary of Police named Rump1, VINO
was stationed at Frankfort-On-the-Maln Bruno
had sworn to be revenged on the commisSaIS
for his brothers death, and accordingly Wheh III
July. 1856 the body Of Captain Rumpf was 1ouhd
living in the outskirts of Frankfurt, at the side
of the railroad track along which the Special
train bearing the old Emperor to the Lake oil
Constance had Just passed. suspicion was lmmeul-
ately directed toward him. The autopsy ana IN
quest revealed the facts that Rumpfs skull had
been crushed by means Of bludgeon, ana MS lace
and body terribly mutilated with sharp Knile'
The corpse had thereupOn been lad across the
rails by the murderer, in the hope that the wheeIS
of the Emperors special train would grlnd IL 10
pieces, thus destroying all traces of the previous
crime The guards of the locomotive had merely
hurled the corpse TO one side of the track, with
out passing over it. Bruno's arrest was at once
ordered, but it was found that he had already
taken to flight, and that he had managed to
ESCAPE to America Two months ago one Of the
small force of detectives which Prince Bismarck
maintains at New-Yorll for the purpose Of keep
ing watch on the Socialists notified the Berlin
authorities that Bruno Reinsdorf had disappeared
from Mosts printing establishment and that II
was believed that he had sailed for Germany with
his wife. This proved TO be the case. and, having
been traced to Pegan he was arrested there. TO-
gether with his wife, last week. No mercy will
he shown to him, for Police Commissary Rumpf
was not only one of the favorite officers of the
Chancellor but was also highly esteemed and
much liked by the Imperial family. Indeed. his
tragic fate created a most painful impression at
the time upon the aged Emperor.
PreDarations are being made among the clerical
opposition TO celebrate in suitable manner the
seventv-cighth birthday of Herr WindthorstI
the only member of the Relchstag in whom Prince
Bismarck recognizes foeman worthy Of his steel.
Nothing is more strange than the contrast between
the two men. The one, a burly giant III stature,
with big loud voice and heavy tread, always
arrayed in his uniform of a cavalry general with
boots and spurs complete the other. little old
dwarf almost hunchbacked with a slngulorly
ngly yet clever face, watery eyes that are hidden
behind a huge pair of blue spectaces a
strous and almost toothless mouth, from which
issues a thin piping wooden kind Of voice, and
clean-shaven cheeks in every fold and wrinkle
of which there seems to lur< a sarcasm
irony in store for the Chancellor. 1t is this
ugly little dwarf, however, who is the temporal
representative of the Pope in the German En-
pire. 1t is he who is the despotc leader of the
Catholic party in German poltics-a party Of
the most heterogeneous nature, since il is com
posed of great feudal princes and lords, Of pre-
iates and of priests, of landed propretOrs, Of
Poles. lIanoverians, and even a sprinkling Of So
cialstS All these are ranged under the banner
of the little old man, who was formerly Prime
Minister to King Genge Of Hanover, who has
succeeded in blending his loyalty to the over
thrown Guelph dynasty with the most unques-
toned patriotism toward the great German En-
\ pire, and who although three years older than
Prince Bismarck, seems destined 10 survive him
The Chancellor treats with him as from power
TO power and at the Parliamentary receptions
at which Herr Windthorst is his guest makes
point of giving him invariably the place of honor
at his right
Germany is the only civilized country in thd
world wherein murderers are still beheaded with
an axe or sword Neither old Emperor William.
nor his predecessor, King Frederick William ",
could ever he induced to sign death warrants, and
hence capital punishment had become almost
obsolete. The present Kaiser, however, shares
none of the views entertained by his predecessors
in this respect. Executions have become fire.
quent, and hardly week passes by without the
headsman, Reindl, being called upon to exercise
his profession either in this city or in the prov
inccs. just before Christmas lie was summoned
10 Erfurt to decapitate the two murderers Of a
forester Only fhc prisOn chaDlain tbp Governor