Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-22
UNPOPULAR ROYALTY.
Scenes fin Munich That Mark the
Lunncy of Otto and Ludwig.
From the New York Times.

FROM The New York Times.
The royal family is not very popular. ow.
ing to the cult the people have for King
Ludwig, who drowned himself in the Starn-
berg lake. The people even declare that no
was drowned by order of the regent, who
wished to secure the succession to his own
SOL. He is else said to be very avaricious,
which is the objectionable sin in hospitabls
Munich. Tie worship of Ludwig is Incom-
prehensible when his awful extravagance.
his want of moral sense, and his evident
lunacy are Considered. Through an officer
of high rank at court We obtained permits
sion to visit the three palaces erected by
the crazy king. Such lavish and unneces-
Sary waste of money absolutely appalled,
US. The millions that those castles alone
must have cost are incalculable.
On the roof Of the old castle in Munich
he had a small lake made. and used chem
lcalS to make the water blue, these ran
down and destroyed the ceilings of the
rooms below and caused endless expense
and trouble. 1t Is said that Wagner en-
couraged him in his vagaries and led him
INTO many extraSdganccs. such as paying
immense sums fer representations of his
operas for himself alone, the opera house
heated and lighted IL for an audience.
There was a Wagner festival going on
while We were in Munich. We had Wagner
for breakfast dinner and tea. We lived SO
near the opera house that We could hear
almost as well as If We had been Inside.
experience in Venice. where we rowed
around the Opera House and listened to the
music under the full moon, most delight
ful and novel way to "deadhead.
In one of the museums is a room dedicat-
ed to Ludwig. They have brought there all
the furniture of his room and his belong
IL gs, even some of the things he wore
when an infant. This is shrine at which
all Bava rians worship. The furniture and
hargings are of richest blue velvet, en-
broidered and fringed with solid gold. Lud-
wig seems to have had cult for himself
also. he never considered anything too
expo nsive for his own pleasure.
When his extravagances passed all bounds
and he showed undoubtcd signs of greatness
he was taken to Starnberg. about two
hours from Munich. When We saw the lit
tie schloss We Cid not wonder that he killed
himself, for a drearier little place. con-
tTas,ed with the grandeur of his other pal
aces, can hardly be imagined. The house
is very small. more like a farm house. very
shabby and tawGry inside. and utterly un-
hor.elike. He must have felt that 1.-THE
game was up and that death would be
preferable to a life in such a place. The
grounds are very beautiful, and so is
the lake, but the house is dreadful 1t
is awful to think of the despair that must
have filled his soul whei. he found him.
self practically a prisoner here. away from
all that he cared for in Munich. 1t Is this
view of him that makes the warm-hearted
Bavarians make martyr of him. They
showed us the room where he received
depntations from Munich who went
through the form of consulting him. Be-
hind curtain I'm one corner was a tran
door. down which he would disappear if
he did not wish to see people. He was
what the Germans calf menechcnscneu or
shy OF his fellow-man. He never would sec
or speak to any one unless cornered, and
SO ne invented these trap doors by which
he could 1y.
Walking through the court yard of the
old Schloss In Munich. saw engraved
on a glass door. Estate Of Koenig Otto"
He Is the real king poor Otto Q hopeless
iunatt: for many years. rom ping on all
Tours and imagining himself an animal
and trying to eat grass. The unfichy Nit
uebachs. how much craxiness they have
In their family! The Empress Of Austria
Is eccentric to the point Of crasiness al
most She ard Ludwig looked very much
alike until lie grew SO immensely Tat.