The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-23
STRANGE CAREER OF MAD KING
Ludwig Of Bavaria Dressed in Skins. Sailed in Golden Boat

| palaces, the description of which
reads like chapter from THE Ara
! bian Nights" One of these castles
! Neuschwanstein-is perched on ~
rocky eminence over 800 feet above
the tumbling water in the ravine of
the POllat.
No sooner had this castle been built.
regardless of cost than the king be-
gan TO erect another called Iinderhof
on a scale of still more prodigal mag
| nificence. Built of white marble
after the style of the famous TrianOn,
| crowded from basement to roof with
almost priceless objects Of art and
virtu, and placed in terraced gardens
| full of exquisite statuary, the castle
Of LinderhOf is a dream of beauty and
| a miracle of costliness. Attached to
it was a grottO in imitation of that at
Capri, in which the waters assumed
in turn the cOlors Of the rainbow.
while Ludwig dressed as Lohengrin
sat in a boat drawn by a swan"
Some distance away, in the heart OF
/ a dense forest, was a rude hut, sug-
gested by one of the scenes Of Wag-
ner'S ''WalkuTe," in which Ludwig
would spend hours, dressed in skins
| and playing on a reed.
Still not satisfied with his more than
! regal pleasure houses. Ludwig set to
work to rear another and far more
/ splendid palace among the woods Of
! the island of Herrenworth, where an
immense encircling lake would effec-
! tually seclude him from the world.
This latest folly, which was never
completed, was to surpass even the
palace of Versailles in magnificence
and to be the wonder of the world.
Even as it stands today" says
Mr.. Molloy, this superb structure
deties description; its hall Of mirrors,
with it's thiTty-thTee crystal chandel-
iers and its bronze eandelabra, hold
ing $500 candies, being sufficient TO
give it the appearance OF an enchanted
palace"
Fooled by lack of money in this
CTOwning architectural ambition,
Ludwig set his heart on founding a
kingdom in India or Arabia: and
when this project equally failed he
sought distraction by DOMINIC Turk
tsh dress and sQuatting for hours in
kiosk; by smoking opium and
drinking Rhenish wine from a crys-
tai bowl, the surface of the wine
being covered with red rose leaves
and purple viOlets."
He would drive through the dark
night hours in a sleigh or carriage,
shaped like a swan, with outspread
electricity, which slowed on cushions
of sapphire velvet, on which the king
lay back, his haggard face pale as
the dead. his wild. black hair covered
by a cap ornamented by a diamond
aigrette, looking neither to the right
nor the. left as his equipage flashed
through the darkness, like a spectral
flame; and not until his horses were
spent with fatigue and until the
dawn broke would he return to his
palace, to spend the rest Of the day
in bed. In every room, too, which
he occupied, were statues and pictures
of Louis XIV, Louis XIV and Marie
Antoinette. before which he would
PROSTATE himself I'm homage. and
with which he would converse for
hours.
The concluding chapter of this
mOnaTCh's lige is stepped in tragedy.
HIS brother Otto had been pro-
nounced insane, and had been confined
in the castle OF NymphenbOuTg, an
event which had a crushing effect on
Ludwig, who feared the same tragedy
for himself With pale, Quivering face
the poor king would scan his features
in the looking glass, murmuring pitt
fully, y could swear that 1 am not
mad"
But his madness had long been pain
fully recognized by his subjects. Ev-
erything they heard of his dOings-for
they rarely saw him-strengthened the
dences given, he would spit in the faces
of his servants, and assaulted them so
violently that at least one died from
his blows.
He called his ministers insects
and constantly spoke of sending them
to America to be placed under police
supervision. He punished one attend
ant by making him ride a donkey in
public dressed as a clown; another was
condemned to wear a black mask for
year for merely looking him in the
face as he was seen taking the air in
a carriage drawn by peacOcks.
q could endure to have the govern
ment taken from me-" Ludwig ex-
claimed bitterly when the news reached
his ears; "but 10 be declared insane.
that 1 cannot outlive." A few days
later he was taken by a ruse and con-
Quoted to the castle Of Berg, where he
was placed under the custody of keep
erS.
On the second day Of his confinement,
as Ludwig appeared calm and resigned
to his fate, he was taken for a walk in
the castle grounds by his medical at
tendant, DR.. Gudden. Hours passed;
the night closed dark and stormy, and,
as his majesty and the doctor did not
return, it began to be feared that a
tragedy had occurred. Bands Of
searchers with lanterns were dis
patched in all directions to look for
the missing men, but not a trace OF
them was to be seen until a servant
discovered the kings hat and coat on
the bank of the lake.
DIR. Muller ran down to the lake,
woke up a fireman named Huber, and
with him rOwed slowly and silently
over the dull waters that reflected the
searching CLEAN of a lantern. Before
long Huber gave a sudden cry and.
jumping into the lake, ciutchsd az
something half seen that was drifting
past them. A glance showed that it
was the king; but before attention
could be given him, a second object
passed, as if pursuing that other figure.
when it was also seized and pulled into
the boat"
Thus tragically had closed the cloud
ed life of the unhappy Ludwig, and
that of the brave doctor who. doubt
less, persisted in trying to save his SOW
ereign from self-destruction.
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