The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-11-05
Gambling inBerlin
Recent Scandal Among the
Hiph-FIYers Of That City.


I by the great gambling scandal broke
upon Berlin. bu1 in its dramatic after
math OF horrors il has already taken
rank as one OF the most terrible social
/ sensations Of the century, says Ne"
/ York World correspondent in Berlin
| Num5erless scions OF the proudesi
Prussian families have suffered social
/ degradation; regulations have been
/ dragged in the mud; fortunes once
/ thought solid as rock have collapsed 70
I the hidden canker: six officers and gen
tIemen OF the imperial army have com
I mitted suicide because Of their connee-
/ ton with the scandal; two princes OF
/ blood royal have been proved 70 be its
/ victims; and the most sensational trial
! Berlin has known for many day has
/ inst closed IN a verdict OF acquittal for
the chief defendants.
Il is said in Justification OF such a YER
diet that there was much which could
/ not be revealed: tina, 30 officers now sta
toned in sixteen garrisons Of the army
were implicated; that members OF the
German royal family were 50 involved
| that the very instinct Of seIf-preservation
/ dominating the Berlin court dictated a
lapse Of justice lest scoundrels pushed
| too far might turn upon their accussTs
and reveal all that they knew.
In the formation Of the club Of ''Mer-
I ~ FeIlows'-they were sometimes known
as Der Harmlosen" and sometimes as
Der FroeIcher' merriment was
/ the prelude Of ruin. shame and death
two men chiefly figured.
One was Adolph Wolf. professional
card sharper.
Another was the Count Klaus von
! EgIoffstein. scion Of one OF the nohlest
families in Germany.
These men forega thered in some far
/ corner Of Europe. as gamblers viii, and
planned the descent upon Berlin which
has ended so fatally.
The times were propitious for such an
attempt Since the victory over France
made Berlin a world capital German
wealth has grown enormously. The
cities Of Germany have. under the i'm
petus OF new trade and new manufac-
lures, grown more rapidly than even the
American boom towns OF the west Ber-
lin particularly has outstripped all the
capitals Of the world in the rapidity with
which it has swallowed up It's suburbs.
Where twenty-five years ago was a
quiet university town with the simple
ways Of an intellectual aristocracy is
now a splendid court. a vast capital,
wealth. luxury. display. extravaganza.
Nowhere on earth is the pace hotter than
in the now imperial Berlin
The gay butterflies OF the court and
army flOcked TO the new club. Why not?
Was not Count Won Eglonstein one OF its
sponsors?
The count belonged 70 one Of the oldest
families in Germany. whose scions oc-
cupy high positions in the households Of
az least two Of Queen Victoria-s children.
He was heir 70 an estate at Arkliiten.
and was an officer Of Uhlans. He was
known 70 have kept a racing stable and
TO have driven the finest four-in-hand IN
Berlin. He boasted that he gave his
butler bigger pay than he received in
salary as an officer OF one OF the en-
pei or's regiments.
In a system where, as a matter Of
course. the commissions In the army %
to rich young gentlemen OF title. Count
Won Egloffstein was natural leader
There was one exception 20 the aris-
tocratic membership % the Merry Eel
lows. II was Wolf. the gambler. cleverly
disguised and introduced TO the members
as a rich Uerchant-"not exactly one OF
Us. YOU know, but a capital fellow. they
said Of him
The resort which these WORTHLESS estab-
lished was not a club in the ordinary
sense of the word. All that a man need
ed to belong to # Ras a foolish head and
full purse. He had only to De intro
duced TO couple of members and then
could join the fascinating company
around the little green tables The play
was high. enormous sums were staked
There were those who won and those
who lost
Two Of the defendants in the recent
trial. Herr Bruno Won Kayzer and Herr
Paul Won Schachtmeyer. both officers %
the Reserve, in a single evening won
1906 marks each. while Herr Hans
Bernhard Won Kroecher. the third ae-
cused. won 1890 marks IN one sitting
and despite the unnistakabIe evidence Of
the use of d0ct0red cards on several oc-
casions. and despite the testimony which
proved thar nearly se0o.Ooo marks e.
ro009n had been lost within the short
period 81 the clubs existence. Count
Eglonstein. Count donna and Count
stoch lost in one evening 5aD4 20 II 90
marks each. and Others nigh up IN aris-
tocratic circles Lost similar amounts.
=
nests and there were the pigeons often
and often the play begun on a Saturday
night would be cont!nged right through
the day q resz by Hen whose palBa faces
and shaking fingers oH Monday morning
would show the frightened effects q a
vigil prolonged Tor thlrsy-zix hours %
continuous play
The Inevitable happened There were
designations % commissions ~ crack reg
ineuts by young men no longer able 60
pay thei- expenses ia them There were
disnissals II others. The train q SIX
suicides Began.
When g. vas known that the late Pine
Alfred % Cobarz grandson % Queen
Victoria was one - the victims, aasa
& vas more than hia,ed that tbe strain
OF rustness which runz 81 tire blood ~
me Barsrfza kluzs had driven PTsuee
E-nslE son 81 Mad LgGwig ard her
e. RS throne. e. rll7 "a ths hsers =
the ~Harmlasea- the authorities tards.y
actef Eg8sSslsl1 ard o-hevs we-e a.
rested n Jangary, bat wsla. wse rad
been n prison long erosEh 70 cat his
eye t@eth s1riaz his preEsozs shady *
psrisace. eizarrzar@d
ne noss remarkas,e psrt - thls re-
ma-kaale story has ges % ~ taid
Il wa az srsf supposed fast fae Kaiser
-. ------a. = 49, - 49, :.