The herald., 1898-12-26
DISMISSfDIN DISGRACE
FREQUENT FATE OF OFFICERS
IN THE GERMAN ARMY
They Get Small Pay and Bargain
With Agents to Marry Rich Girls
Who Will Settle Their Debts

The life of young aristocrat in the Ger
man army is not all beer and skittles. The
pay is ridiculously small, and then there are
the card tables, and after the card tables
comes one or two thngs-disgrace and ruin,
or a ma ntrimonial agent and rich wife from
the realm Of the parvenu. Recent develop
ments have emphasized this condition of af-
fairs.
Emperor William has just dismissed from
the army Baron Won der Planitz, adjutant
of the First regiment of guards, and Lieu
tenant Won Goetze, son of General Won
Goetze, commander of the Seventh army
corps, owing to scandal growing out of the
card table. A brother officer, no less per-
sonage than Prince Alfred, only son and
heir of the reignng Duke of Saxe-Coburg-
Gotha, was also involved in what is said to
have been disgraceful affair. He has been
placed on the half retired list, and banished
from the crack regiment Of the German army
to line regiment station at Darmstadt.
Prince Alfred is Queen Victoria's grandson.
The prince and Won Goethe, so the story
goes, lost heavily at cards. They charged
Baron Won der Planitz, who won, with un-
fair play. A hand-to-hand scuffle ensued,
and challenges were given and accepted.
Learning of what had taken place, the
colonel of the regiment placed all three of
the officers under arrest. The emperor or
dered the matter to be brought before
court of honor, with the result already
stated.
The emperor has likewise forbidden any
duel, which is pretty hard on the baron, who
has been accused of cheating, and to whom
satisfaction" is consequently denied.
Prince Alfred has found it convenient to
leave Germany for time, and is now in Rus
sia, where he wlA remain on visiu to his
cousin, the czar, and as guest likewise of
the Grand Duke Sergius, until the end of the
year.
This matter RECALLS the affair of the Baron
Won Nettelbladts who committed suicide
some months ago, being unable to pay $4,000
which he owed to we'll known usurer.
Nettelbladt did not borrow the money him
self, but had become responsible for
brother officer, who failed to pay. This
affair led to the arrest of a certain Miss
Hartert, and now other matters have been
made public, showing how money lenders
had exacted terrible interest from the Off
GERS. The trial of Miss Hartert will come
off in short time, and this will help to end
the shady transactions of the money lenders
with whom the German officers deal.
During the winter of 1896 there occurred
many engagements between the officers of
the regiments of the "Garde" in Berlin and
daughters of the money aristocracy." In
the following spring all these engagements
were broken off. The one which came first
and which led to the breaking off of all the
others was that of a Lieutenant Won We'll
lin, and but few there were who knew the
true reason. Only the knowing ones smiled
when by chance the subject came up in the
course of conversation.
There are hundreds of marriage agents
in Berlin. About thirty of these operate
among the upper classes, and there are
three who have become famous, or infamous,
just as you please. These go by the names
of Won Lepel Hartert and Gessler. Of
those in the higher society who want to
marry rich women, nine out of ten are army
officers. These gentlemen are generally the
poorer contingent of the aristocracy. The
court officials and estate owners are gen.
orally we'll off, but their sons, who invaria-
bly, become officers, are often obliged to
marry for money.
In Germany officers get very small pay IA
second lieutenant hardly 1915, captain
about $1,000, and the younger sons of the
families generally have to depend great
deal on their pay only. The officers repre-
sent the greatest part of the male members
of the first society in Germany, and have
heavy expenses, often greater than their
pay and income, and so they are forced to
borrow money. The next step is to fall into
the hands of some money lender, who is al
ways willing to lend money to officers, as
they are, if they do not pay back in cer-
tain time, dishonorably dismissed from Che
army.
To save themselves from this disgrace
the next thing is to think of rich mar
riage, and they fall into the hands of mar
riage agents. The agents begin by provid-
ing them with money on very low interest,
but when they have them in their clutches
they charge higher interest, and then comes
the proposal of arranging rich marriage
] for certain percentage, generally per