New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-26
INFLUENTIAL BARRIERS OF ROYALTY.

INFLUENTIAL BARRIERS OF ROYALTY
rather rernarlxa BILE man has just died az Munich
who in spite of his having be IN only mere oaroer'
,,e,,er+beIess plaved at one moment an important
role in Bavarian history. For Joseph Maschmalil
that was his name-during the greater part of the
reign of the I'll fated King Louis II acted as ms
bsrher and YVES wont every day shave him ana
to shampoo and curl the hair OF the monarch. OF
which the latter was inordinatey proud. KING
Louis got into the habit OF discussing all sortS OF
matters with him It began win the gossip OF TIE
capital and of the court which the barner was
won't to retail to his royal master ana IN course
of time the King ended by consulting nm aoou'
household financial and political affairs.
Maschmann is credited with having In his day
made and unmade not merely court dignitaries. but
likewise ministers of state. and year before the
tragic death of the King was engaged IN endeaVoT-
ing To raise loans him for the prosecution OF MS
costly palace building operations and likewise was
commissioned TO md for him good and ehclent
private secretary.
His disgrace came about in odd and yet char
acterisfic way He married wonderfully oeautiIui
woman and hoping that If the monarch set eyes
,o her he might become infatuated by her charms
and succurnh To her influence in such way az
10 place the highest honors OF the state within her
grasp and his own. he caused her TO encounter
the monarch as If by chance. in that particular
norton Of the gardens and park Of the Castle OF
Berg from which all strangers were excluded ana
which even court officials and domestics were not
allowed to enter when the King was about.
Louis II WAS an intensely suspicious man. He
could never forget that his entire life had been
ruined by the disgraceful court intrigue which
caused the breaking of OF his engagement TO his
cousin Princess Sophia Of Bavaria (afterward
Duchess of Alenconl to whom he so deeply
attached and who was quite rs much in love with
rim and the moment he Maschmann's wife
and discovered her identity he AT once OWNED the
object which the couple had in view. and from that
time forth dispensed with the services OF his barber
Afaschnann was by no the only instance
Of barber obtaining an influence over a monarch.
and there is at the present moment one Of the
greatest houses OF the Russian nobility which owes
its prfnceIy and IT'S riches the fact that it's
founder was the barber OF Emperor Paul. A shrewd
and clever man. he wont entertain his i'm
perial master TO such extent with the gossip of
the capital while occupied in shaving him that Paul
became convinced that KutusoT was far better
fitted TO act as Of his advisers and confidnnts
than any Of the statesmen In his service Accord
ingy he promoted him from dignity to another
until the ex-Fgaro became prince of the empire.
a minister Of state a general in the army. and
possessed OF vast estates
After the assassination Of Paul Kutusof was
forced to turn his steps in the direction of Siberia
Emperor Alexander was however, the whole. a
humane man. and. finding that the prince had done
nothing very wrong and that his sole offence in
eyes OF the court and aristocracy consisted IN
his astonishing elevation from barber prince,
permitted him to return TO Russia, and restored to
him his estates which had been taken from him
at the time OF his Punishment