The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-09-16
THE KAlSER's ExTRAvAGANCE.
Charges That for Personal Uses He
Squaudered the Guelph Fund.

Berlin, Sept. 16.-An immense sens alton
has been created here, aud not only In
Berlin, but also In the various German
capitals and at Vienna, by the announce
ment on most reliable authority OF the fact
that Emperor william hasappropriated and
| entirely squandered In personal extrava,
gshce what has until now been known rs
the Guelph fund.
The latter constitutes the private for
tune Of the former reigning family OF
Hanoy er. tie head OF which is the present
Duke CT Cumberland, and which is a branch
OF the royal house OF England. At the
time when Hanover was seized by Pruss stu
in 1856, it was expressly stipulated that
| the enormous privates fortune OF the blind
| King of Hanover should be restored to
| him, the crown property remaining I'm the
hands OF Prussia.
AT the last minute. however. Prince
| Bismarck decided that II would be folly
to Turn over Sc large a sum OF money.
amounting To over SIS 200 900, to u
royal house that was imbud with feelings
| of such hitter resentment against Prussia
as that Ut Hanover. Consequently he
charged the blind ex-King, who was at
vienna at the time, with intriguing 10
recover his throne. and declared that the
fortune would be held in trust by the
Prussian crown for tile ex-King and his
legitimate heir until either the one or
the other should acknowledge the legality
Of the nnexation OF Hanover by Prussia.
As long as Bismarck remained In power
he made use of the interest Of this fund
for substituting newspapers, both at home
and abroad, several Partisan dailies being
among them. He himself described these
papers as reptiles" and the fund as the
Reptile Fund.-" although its official name
was the Guelph fund, Guelph being the
family name OF the royal English house OF
Hanover, as. was OF Qaeen Victoria TN
u; ste married Prince Albert, OF coburg.
Old Emperor william never approved Of
this course of Bismarck, which he regard
ed IA 1shonorable, and It is W ell known
that Emperor Frederick wasonly prevented
by his premature death from restoring the
Guelph Fun1 to blind King Georges son
and heir, the present Duk. OF Cumberland,
who, married to the youngest daughter of
the King and Queen OF Denmark, ii
lrother-!n law OF the Dowager Czarina, of
the Princess of Wales and of the King OF
Greece. Bismarck evertouched the capital
however.
Just two years ago German and foreign
newspapers were full OF stories of the
financial embarrassments OF the Kaiser OF
tie woes or Berlin tradesmen. who We're
unable to get their bills paid and of un.
dignified compromises effected by the treas.
urer OF the imperial household. Then all
OF Sudden, however, the Emperor
branchcd off into an extraordinary fever
of extravaganza, and the festivities OF the
Court OF Berlin during the following win
ter were on a scale of prodigal nagnifi- |
cence and luxury without precedent or |
parallel in Europe Indeed, 1t was esti- |
mated at the time that the expenses Of |
the royal household during that winter |
season could not have been under several |
hundred thousand dollars day.
The opinion was freely expressed at the /
time that the Emperor had struck oil
The oil well now turns out TO /
have been not the revenues, tut the |
capital of the Guelph Fund, which, IL Is
claimed, has almost entirely disappeared. |
II, indeed, there is anything at AL left |
OF IL. Ii seems that tlis has been known /
for some time past by certain royal per
sonages. among others by the Prince III
w les, anil accounts for the bitter ami
mostly displayed by the latter against his
imperial nephew.