The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-12
Large Ranch Laid Out in Wild
 Part of Africa
STRANGE CASE AT BERLIN
Man Accused of Robbing His Daueh- ter's Tomb-Looking Forward to Prof. Richards Lecture.
 Steel Trust Continued.
BY MALCOLM CLARKE.

Special Cable to The AgeHerald. Copy
 right 19O7 by w. R. Hearst)
 Berlin, May 1.-The Kaiser has added yet another to his numerous occupations, and has become a rival of Carl Hagen beck, the famors5 animal dealer of Ham, burg.
 With the wild beasts of Africa rapidly disappearing and nearing extinction, the Kaiser has laid out large ranch in one of the widest parts of Africa, where all kinds of ferocious and rare animals are to be bred. It is not admitted that his majesty has his eye on the commercial value of the undertaking, on the con- trary, he Is said to be moved solely by his interest in the preservation of the species; but those who know how much l money he is making out of his German farms and factories do not doubt that in time the zoos of the world will be SUD- ] piled from the African farm. Major Rathwehr, for years connected with the Berlin zoo, is at present or ganizing d corps of trappers who are to SCOUT the African continent in search of young specimens of giraffes, gnus and other rare beasts for breeding purposes. An extraordinary case has just come be- l fore the courts of Berlin when a man, named Ernest Boier was accused of rob ping his daughters tomb.
 Testifying in his own defense, the ac- cused said that he did not open his daughters grave to rob the body of the few trinkets buried with it, but simply to convince himself that she was resting peacefully:
 He claimed that about a year before she died he had promised his daughter that she should never be covered with earth. as she said she would then never be able to rest in peace
 Not being able to pay for the greater expense of a cremation, he had had to bury her, but only few nights after her funeral her spirit began to appear to him complaining that 1t could find no rest nor gain admittance to heaven.
 rI stood this as long as I could he said, but at last, when l began to fear that l must lose my reason, l went at night to the tomb of my child, accom- panied by two women friends, in order to see if she was touched by the earth she hated so much, and found that she was in the last stages of decomposition. I took away all her teeth, as l have heard that the teeth of a dead person are lucky charms, and gave them all away with the exception of one which l kept for | myself I treasure this tooth, which
 
 and precious, and I have never lost in l any games of chance since 1t has been | in my possession
 A woman who was then called as wit ness testified that she had lost the tooth given her by Beier, and since then she had had nothing but bad luck. Before she left the stand she was se- verely lectured by the judge, who said it was disgraceful that in the twentieth century there were still people who could | believe such things, and who besides being ignorant and superstitious, did not respect the sancty of the grave. The father was found to be suffering from a softening of the brain, and was, therefore, dismissed with a sharp repri- mand from the judge.
 In college circles in the first lecture by Professor Richards of Harvard, at the | University of Berlin, is being looked for ward to with great interest, and will be | attended by a very representative audience. The lecture will be gwen on Saturday, June l. and will be accompanied by prac tical experiments.
 Professor Richards, who has been in Berlin since March 21, has been received with open arms by society, and is exceed | ingly popular. though he cares little for social pleasures
 To enable the American scientists to | carry on his chemical researches a private 1 laboratory where he may work undis- turbed, has been fitted up for him, the money for the purpose having been do- mated by wealthy Berliners.
 It is generally hoped that the professor may be induced to stay in Germany per- manently-a hope that was frustrated once before in 1901, when he declined a chair as professor of chemistry at the University of Goettingen.
 
 The concerns forming the so-called Ger man Steel Trust have just decided to re- new the agreement which binds them to | do business under one central manage ment This means that the existence of the trust as such is assured until 1912.
 It seems beyond all doubt that the re- 1 cent visit of the Austrian minister of foreign affairs, Freiherr Lexa von Aeh- | renthal, has been crowned with success. l It was never officially denied that the | Austrian diplomats came to Berlin to pave the way for a friendly understand | ing between Germany and Great Britain, whose relations have been strained almost | to the breaking point because of the Kaiser's jealousy of King Edwards sue cess i'm lining up the Latin countries of | Europe on the side of Great Britain.
 As visible sign of the patched-up | friendship between the two countries a | British squadron, with the famous battle- | ship Dreadnaught as flagship, will soon | visit German waters
 | It is evident that the Kaiser will only l give up the idea of worlds fair in this city in 1913 if it proves absolutely impos- | sible to arrange it. He sees no other way | of celebrating his twentyfifth anniversary | as German emperor in a way that will at | tract the attention of the whole world, | and although he has been prudent enough | not to champion the plain personally, any one can see his hand pulling all wires to l brirg about the exposition
 | In spite of the fact that only a few days ago practically all the manufacture | CTS of the western part of the empire put themselves on record as opposed to the plan, for the reason that they fear it will not he possible to arrange fair with any hope of eclpsing or even com parlng ravorabiy with the recent exposi- | tions in France and the United States, the standing committee has just sent out | an appeal to manufacturers in all parts of the country. asking them to lend their | support but the consensus of opinion Is that all efforts will fair, Kaiser or no | Kaiser behind them.