The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-10-08
A SENSATION IN aERMANY.
Ken OF Noble Birth aud Exclusive Society
Charged with Gambling.
Especial Correspondence1

the accession to the throne of Emperor
William has there been such q rapid
succession Of great social scandals as
since the beginning OF this year, and tile
opening Of the winter season is looked
forward to with q considerable amount
of trepidation, as there are many woll
known faces and prominent figures who
will be found to have vanished from the
social horizon
We have had, first, the gambling
scandal at Hanover, in which so many
of the most dashing and brilliant officers
Of the German army were implicated.
and which resulted in the dropping of %
large number of more or less illuo rioua
and aristocratic names from the roster
of the army and from the invitation list
Of the imperial court. Following 9lia
came the disgraceful Baron Won kofza
affair, which at the very moment when
every body believed it to have been eu-
tirely buried and out Of sight has now
cropped forth anew, the baron being
once more cited TO appear before the
magistrates, since some of the anony-
nous letters which he is charged with
having written contain information con-
corning the emperor S eldest sister, Prin-
cess Charlotte, which could not possibly
have been known to any one else than
the baroness, who accompanied the
princess during a six months tour Pm
Egypt and Palestine last year And
now, as a climax to the whole matter,
we have the publication Of an anony-
nous pamphlet entitled "Geldlcutes
and which contains not only the names
and addresses of all the known and un-
known usurers to whom our golden
youth have recourse for means where
with to satisfy their tastes for extrava-
gance and gambling, but, what is far
more to the point the names and ad-
dresses of the tOuts, or sohleppers, OF
the per cent gentry.
When I inform You that the majority
of these touts are men Of noble birth,
counts, barons and even d couple 0f
princes being among the numbers that
most Of them are members of our most
exclusive clubs, habitues of the imperial
court, and a number of them holding
commissions either in the reserves or
on the active list Of the army. you viii
be able to understand the sensation cree
ated by the appearance Of this pamphlet,
which for the past fortnight has been
the all absorbing topic Of discussion OF
course we all knew that the fashionable
usurers did have their agents ia club
land, in society and in military circles
indeed the conviction of Count Won
Schleinitz and Baron Won Zeidlitz Ou
charges Of conspiracy and fraud some
time ago had served to cnlighten The
public on this score-but do not think
that any one, not even the people ina
society, realized to what an extent the
evil had grown. One thing is certain
namely, that the pamphlet viii involve
the disappearance from orr metropolis
of most of the noblemen whose names
are mentioned therein, for it is evident
that as soon as Emperor William rec
turns from the autumn maneuverH ho
will call upon those holding officers
commissions to either clear themselves
by means Of legal proceedings or else
to betake themselves to fields and pass
lures new.
A widespread impression prevails that
the latter alternative wiz be the only
one left open to them. since the charges
contained III the pamphlet are of such
an explicit, direct and detailed charac-
ter as to preclude the possibility of their
having been made by any one who WAS
not thoroughly acquainted with all the
ms and outs Of this exceedingly unsa-
worry phase of metropolitan life. ln one
way the emperor will be glad, as he bias
spared no effort during the last three
years to check the extravaganza of hls
officers, to curb their improvidence and
love of display and to put a stop 70 their
card table, for high stakes He has even
caused the commanders Of the various
regiments to quietly communicate to
him the names Of those of their subal-
terms most noted for their excuses i'm
this respect, taking advantage of the in-
formation to either transfer the offend
ers to some other corps or else to quietly
demand their resignation-as, for in-
stance, he did in the case Of Prince
Charles Fuelstenberg and Prince George
Radziwill
Brugsch Pasha, who has just died
here in relative obscurity, deserved bet-
ter treatment ON the part Of his country
men, and also Of the scientific world,
and his demise in comparative poverty
and neglect recalls to mind the verse m
Scripture about not placing one faith
IN princes, for no man Of his time pos
sessed a more extensive acquaintance
and friendship among the crowned heads
and royal personages of the old world.
He was by far the most eminent and
distinguished Of all Egyptologists, and
there is no one who has done more
than he to reveal to the people OF the
present day the secrets concealed
throughout 80 and 40 centuries in the
hieroglyphics Of the monuments Of am
cient Egypt A man Of scrupuious hon-
esty, 1 cannot help recalling 70 mind ava
anecdote which the pasha was fond oil
relating to me concerning his relations
with old Khedive IsmaiL The latter
had intrusted him with the representa-
ton of Egypt at the Vienna exhibition
and had conhded to him large SUM Of
money-about 5000, OOO--for the pur-
pose.