The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-04-10
BLOODY RECORD.
Count Won KOtse Shoots His
Third Man
In a Duel in the Woods Near
POtSdam.
A MINE OF POLLUTION
In the German Court Whose EX-
posture
BY Anonymous Letters, Some
True, Some False,9
IS HAVING A SEQUEL
OF BlOOdshed That Shocks the
German Empire.
Authorship of the Letters Close
TO the German Throne

TO the German Throne
Copyrighted 1896. by Associated Pressl
Berlin, April 1O-There was a sensa-
tion in court and military circles here
this morning when it was announced
that another duel growing out Of the
great court anonymous letter scandals
had taken place in the woods nearPots-
dam and that Baron Won Schrader, the
master Of ceremonies of the Prussian
court had been shot and seriously
wounded by Count Won Kotse. The
lattr was formerly court chamberlain
and was acquitted on the charge Of
being the author Of the anonymous
communications alluded to.
Count Won Kotse and Baron Won
Schrader used pistols and the latter
was severely wounded in the abdomen.
He was taken to the hospital where his
wound was pronounced to be of most
serious nature. His relatives were tel
egraphed for and promptly gathered at
his bedside.
Count Won Kotse's arrest has been
ordered and his friends say he will sur
render to the authorities whenever and
wherever called upon to do so.
This is the third duel of the series of
were sent out last April by Count Won
Kotse, and he has repeated today his
announcement OF his determination to
keep on fighting his enemies until he
has settled accounts with all on his
list. Those who know Count VonKotse
feel confident that he viii keep his
word.
The scandal which gave rise to this
series of duels began nearly five years
ago when high court persOnages. male
and female. old and young, began re-
ceiVing anonymous letters or postal
cards calling their attention to this or
that escapade upon their own part. or
upon the part of relatives or friends
AS a result. wives became separated
from their husbands. and fathers and
ly everybody of Importance being
smirChed more or less by the venom of
the anonymous writer, who was evi-
IDENTIFY person thoroughly familiar
with all the details Of court life. Peo-
PIE began to look askant at their best
friends.
Every effort possible was made by
the police to discover the guilty party.
But, in spite Of this, the anonymous
tormentOr was able to continue the
cruel work for about four years. The
general opinion was that the vile com
municatiOns was the work of q woman:
but gradually this opinion changed and
1 for some unexplained reason suspicion
fastened itself upon Count Won Kotse
z one of the court chamberlains a popu-
/ lar man, well liked by the emperor and
/ trusted by all his friends Finally a
/ volunteer spy denounced him to the
I court authorities on the ground that on
/ the blotting paper pad of a letter pad
used by the count he found clear re-
production of one of the anonymous
I communications, a postal card. There
I upon Won kOtSe was arrested and con-
I fined in a fortress. Upon trial he was
/ acquitted Of the charges brought
/ against him.
While Won Kotse was in prison the
I tide of sympathy turned decidedly In
/ his direction. Ugly Whisperings were
/ heard on all sides, his arrest was open
/ ly denounced as an outrage and the
names of a number of very high court
DersOnages including Duke Ernest
/ Gunther of Schleswig- -Eolstein. the
/ brOther-in-laW of Emperor William Of
I Germany. In fact some persons even
/ had the audacity to cast the side Iights
! of suspicion upon higher person than
Duke Gunther. though it would seem
/ without any just ground for so doing.
l When Count Won kOtse was Teleas-
/ ed from prison he promptly sent out
/ challenges to about a dozen Of those
I whom he believed to have been i'm
! plicated in a plot to ruin him in order
to save the reputation of the high per
1 sOnage, whoever he may be- who is
/ looked upon as being the real author OF
/ the anonymous communications
Among the principal persons cbaI-
/ lenged were Baron Won Reischacll
/ court martial to ex-EmperOr Freder-
I lex OF Germany Baron Won SCnT90aT
/ master Of ceremonies of the PrussfaD
/ court Prince NOnFuerstenberg. Prince
/ Aribert of SAKE Altenburg and Prince
/ Albert of SAKE Altenburg.
] A rumOr never substantiated also
! had lit that Won Kotse had challenped
/ Duke Ernest Gunther of SchIesvvlr-
/ Holstein. but this has been denied and
/ is not believed to be true.
The first Of the proposed series Of
duels was fought with pistols. in the
! Grunewold early during the morning
/ of April 13 last between Count Won
/ KOtse and Baron Won Reischach The
! latter had insisted upon severe condi-
I tions namely that shots would be ex-
/ changed until one of the contestants
| was so badly wounded as to be unable
1 to continue firing. Seven shots were
/ exchanged with the result that both
1 the count and the baron had more or
I less severe flesh wounds. But at the
| eighth shot Won Kotse fell with bull
/ let in the lOin and for sometime his
I life was despaired of and even when
/ the attending physicians pronounced
| that he would Hv e, they coupled this
/ statement With the remark that lac
/ would be crippled for life
I In June last Won KOtse met Baron
I Won Schrader on the field Of honor
wounded him slightly and was again
/ wounded himself. For this Won Kotse
was sentenced to three months i'm
kprisonment in the fortress OF Glutz.