Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-06

out stain on his character he receives no
compensation for the injustice done to him.
If domestic servants harbor feelings of
resentment against their masters they can
easily wreak an effective revenge by de-
nouncing their employers to the police for
the preparation of lese majestic. Many
other opportunities of denunciation and re-
venge. which are supplied by the laws Of
lese majestic could be cited. The German
newspapers are fun Vt reports of cases of
this kind. No foreigner can be long in Ger
many without noticing the reluctance of all
Germans to discuss the emperor and his
dongs in the presence of strangers When
the name of the emperor is mentioned it is
even possible to see those present glance
furtively round as If to convince themselves
that no malicious informer is present
At dinner parties where domestics are
serving at table all discussion of politics
which would involve mentioning the en-
peror's name IS cautiously tabooed. Lese
majestic thus introduces the poison of mis-
trust and suspicion into German social life.
The authorities do not necessarily wait for
the receipt of definite information support
ed by the name of the informer before TAX
Ing action against person suspected of
lese majestic In anonymous denunciation
suftices to bring about the arrest sus-
picion Of the person denounced. The num-
Der of anonymous denuncations of this
kind which the German police receive is
enormous Naturally, in the majority of
cases of this kind, where no evidence is
forthcoming, the persons arrested are re-
leased after a short period of detention;
nevertheless, owing to the anonymous de-
nunciation they have been submitted TO tie
indign:tY of arrest and the inconvenience
of compulsory detention at the police sta
ton.
X
The following cases OF convictions for lese
majestic have been selected from the official
re cords of the year 1904:
In February at Stettin, a boy named
Gustav Eberstein. aged fifteen, denounced
his father to the police for committing the
crime of lese majestic. The father was ar
rested and detained for eight weeks before
his trial came on. AT the trial his son
Gustav was the only witness against him.
Other evidence called TO show that
deep-rOoted enmity had existed for several
years between father and son. The faith
er'S discipline was severe, and the son re
scented the methods used to check his youth
full folies. 1t was proved that the had
once raised his hand against his own father.
The preparation of leSe majestic on the
part of the father consisted in single
mark to the effect that one of the German
enperor'S speeches contained many false
and insincere sentences. This remark was
uttered in the privacy of his own dining
room in tie presence of no one but his wife
and his son. The wife refused to give evil
dence against her husband After denounc-
ing his father the boy carried his revenge
to a logical conclusion by giving evidence
against him on oath in court EberStein
senior was found guilty of lese majestic and
sentenced to three months imprisonment.
Altogether, reckoning the preliminary period
OF detention during the official investiga-
ton of the case Herr Eberstein was de-
prived of his liberty for five months.
A month later, at Magdeburg, a woman
named Clara Meyerstein denounced her hus-
band to the police for perpetrating the
line of lese ajeste. The husband was
the trial took place. At the trial evidence
was given that husband and wife had lived
unhappily together for at least year. and
that violent disputes had been frequent.
The husband, moreover, denied that he had
uttered the words which his wife attributed
to him. The court, however considered
the accusation of lese majestic proved, and
sentenced the husband to one years i'm
pr!sonment.
Another striking case occurred some years
ago al Breslau, where Sigmund Steinitz.
man of independent means, dismissed his
man servant for repeated disotedience to his
orders. The servant thereupon went to the
police and accused his former master of
having uttered insulting remarks about the
German emperor on several occasions Al
though 1t was clear that the servant had
reasons for desiring to wreak revenge on
his former employer. the court accepted his
evidence, and Herr SteinitZ was sentenced
TO two years imprisonment, owing to the
unusually insulting nature OF the rema, ks
He serTed two years imprisonment AMI
emerged broken down in health and spirits
In December, 1904, the servant who had
brought about the conviction OF his former
employer confessed on his deathbed that he
had committed perjury, and that there
ground wha for the accusation of
Herr SteinitZ. His deathbed confession was
taken down m the presence of a notary and
duly witnessed, after which Herr Steinitz