The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-04-28
KING ALFONSO MAY
Be GOING DAFFY
If INDEED HE is NOT THAT WAY
BY NATURE.
All Madrid Is Talking of His Foolish
Pranks-One of Them Caused
Fall Of Cabinet.

Pranks-One of Them Caused
Fall Of Cabinet.
Madrid, April 24.-Spanish court of
ficials are worried over the strange
conduct of King Alfonso While they
do not believe his intellect is impair
ed, they think his character is showing
signs of such weakness as to indi.
cate q constitutional infirmity. AL
fonso will be 10 years old next month
but almost every day he gives evil
dence of such irresponsibility as is
seldom seen in a schoolboy. The fol-
lowing typical instances of his be-
havior reach our correspondent from
a reliable source:
Recently, Alfonso in passing
through an ante room in the Madrid
palace, met Admiral Chacon, a vener-
able sailor who was formerly aide-de-
camp to the king. Alfonso approach
ed the admiral and said to him:
What Office are you now filling?'
The admiral replied that he was at
tached to one OF the bureaus of the
navy department, whereupon Alfonso
answered in a loud voice:
rs that so? Well, my dear Chacon
suppose you idle your time away
there Just as you did when you were
at court" The king then raised his
hand ami slapped the face of the old
sailor after which be. walked off
laughing b6isterouslydtc 80 .a E.a.
Chacon, in relating the incident later
said: "When felt his majesty's
hand hit my face it was all could do
to restrain myself from disgracing my
self and my uniform"
On another occasion as Alfonso was
going to his private apartments in the
palace he noticed for the first time,
outside his door, small bell button
fixed to the wall and covered with
glass case. The king inquired what
the button was fer and was told that
it connected with a bell in the guard
room OF the palace and was to pc
used only in the event of grave dan
ger to the king. Before any one could
interfere Alfonso broke the glass and
pushed the button vigorously, and
then ran into his apartments.
Instantly there was a frightful rack
ct in the palace Cries of assassin"
were raised and the palace became
full of soldiers. A company of halber-
diers and cuirassiers dashed up the
stairs with loaded carbines and drawn
swords and precipitated themselves
into the kings suite of rooms. There
Alfonso met them almost in Mysteries
from his laughter. The soldiers re-
tirel and expressed themselves as un.
appreciative of the joke
During the visit of the Duke of
Connaught to Madrid last month, AL
fonso gave banquet in honor of his
royal guest. During the dinner the
halberdier band, the most famous in
Spain played selection. At one
point in the dinner the band was play
ing a soft Andalusian air, and owing
to the loud conversation at the table
Alfonso was unable to hear the low
n.usic He hit the table with his hand
and exclaimed
What has happened? Why isn't
the band playing?"
One OF the lords of the bed chamber
informed his majesty that the partic-
ular part of the piece then being play
ed required soft music. Alfonso re-
piled: What nonsense! | pay that
band in order to hear it. Tell the
leader to play his pieces loudly. so |
can know he is working"
From then until the banquet ended
the diners were compelled to carry
on their conversation in shouts owing
to the literal Interpretation given to
the kings orders by the band leader
Alfonso's reckless speeding through
the streets of Madrid in his automo-
bile has been repeatedly commented
upon in the Madrid papers. and it
has just become known that the at.
tempt of the late Maura government
to compel the king to stop his break
peck speeding was the real reason
why the cabinet fell. Premier Maura,
during an audience with the kine
pointed out the danger of using the
streets Of Madrid as race-course and
the fact that the municipal laws were
being broken by his majesty. Alfonso
was greatly angered over the remarks
of the premier and at once demanded
the governments resignation for i'm.
pertinence. The designations were
handed In and new government was
formed under Senor Villaverde. which
has made no attempt to interfere with
the kings automobiling.