Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-04-15
HISTORY OF THE SCANDAL.
The German Court Has Been on II
Anxious Seat for Five Years.

The scandals which gave rise to this
series of duels began nearly five years
ago, when high court persona -eS male
and female old and young, began receiv-
ing 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 mothers
discarded their children, nearly every
body of Importance being smirched more
or less by the venOmous writer, who
was evidently person thoroughly ia
nliliar with all the details of court life.
People 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 anony-
nous tormentor was able to continue
the cruel work for about four years The
general opinion was that the vile COM
munica tons were the work of a woman
but gradually this opinion changed and
for some unexplained reason suspicion
fastened itself upon Count Won KotZe one
of the court chamberlainS, a popular
man, well liked by the Emperor and
trusted by all his friends. Finally a
volunteer spy denounced him to the court
authorities on the ground that on the
blotting paper pad of a letter pad used
by the count, he had found a clear re-
production of one of the anonymous COM
munlcatlonS-a postal card. Thereupon
Won kotZe was arrested and confined in
the fortress. Upon trial he was ac-
quilted of the charges brought against
him.
Tide of Sympathy for Won Kotze.
While Won Kotze was in prison, the
tide of sympathy turned decidedly in his
direction. Ugly whisperings were heard
on all sides. His arrest was openly de-
nounced as an outrage and the names of
number OF very high court perSonages,
including Duke Ernest Gunther of Schles-
vigil olstein, the brother-in-law of En-
perOr William of Germany, were men
toned in connection with the affair.
1P fact some persons even had the au-
dacity to cast the side lights of suspicion
upon higher person than Duke Gun
Their, though it would seem without any
just ground for doing so.
When Count Won KOtZe was released
from prison he promptly sent out chal-
lenges to about a dozen of those whom
he believed to have been implicated in
plot to ruin him in order to save the
reputation of the high parsonage, who
ever he may be, who is looked upon as
being the real author of the anonymous
communications. Among the principal
persons challenged were Baron Won
Reisbach, court marshal to ex-Emperor
Frederick of Germany; Baron Won
Schrader, master of ceremonies of the
Prussian court; Prince Won Fuersten-
burg. Prince Aribert of SaXe-Altenburg
and Prince Albert of Saxe-Altenburg.
A rumor, never substantiated, also had
it that Won kotze had challenged Duke
Ernest Gunther of Schleswig- Holstein,
but his has been denied and is rot be-
heVed to be true.
First of the Duels.
The first of the proposed series of
duels was fought with pistols in the
Grunewald early during the morning of
April Ii last between Count Won Kotze
and Baron Won Reischach. The latter
had insisted upon severe conditions;
namely, that shots would be exchanged
until one of the contestants was so badly
wounded as to be unable to continue
firing. Seven shots were exchanged with
the result that both the count and the
baron had more or less severe flesh
wounds. But at the eighth shot Won
Kotze fell with a bullet in the loin. He
was taken to a hospital and for some
time his life was despaired of, and even
when the attending physicians pro-
nounced that he would live they coupled
this statement with the remark that be
would be crippled for life. This is prac-
tically the case, although the count
walks with greater ease than was ex
pected.
There was some talk of sending Count
Won Kotze and his opponent to prison
for fighting the duel but there was such
popular sympathy for Won kotze that
the Emperor overlooked the matter on
the counts reported promise to give up
his plan Of fighting the rest of the series
of duels.
However. in June last Won Kotze met
Baron Won Schrader on the field of honor
wounded him slightly and was again
wounded himself For this Won Kotze
was sentenced to three months impris-
opment in the fortress of Glutz and on
July ID he gave himself up to the gov
ernor of that place and served his SEN
tence. but he was treated with the great
est consideration and it was again report
ed on his release that he had promised
not to fight another duel.
Lawyer Runs Away with Papers.
By this time Won KotZe had become
quite a popular hero and his enemies felt