The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-23
A WISE HISTORIAN.
SECRETS OF MAD LUDWIG
Special Correspondence of the New York

Special Correspondence of the New York
 World.
 KN UNIcH. Bavaria--The Neue NpE Freie voll1szeitung of this city has been intrusted with the publishing of a series of articles concern ing the sad life of the late Mad Mon- arch" of Bavaria, King Ludwig IT., which is arousing widespread pity and interest throughout the country. The revelations are taken from a confidential report which the Bavarian ministry made to the diet at the time of Ludwig's death in 1886.
 It would appear that Ludwig's brain was diseased almost from the hour of his birth. The first manifestation of his madness was observed in his desire to be left alone As early as 1864 he formed disinclination to receive even princes, dip- lomats and the greatest personages of the realm, who had the right to demand aud fences. This nervousness progressed in a short time to the point where the mon arch refused absolutely to see strangers. After this there were nothing but dark days. The King would not go to any churches where other persons wor- shipped, so he caused chapel to be built to which only he and the celebrant had access Although he was devotee of the drama. this abhorrence of society drove hom from attending playhouses, and soon he caused a theatre to be built where i only he and his body servant formed the audience.
 1 The development of this spirit of lone liness led to Ludwig's believing that the
 only place he could live was in the conn-
 try, and so 1t came to pass that great
 hatred for Munich grew in him, and
 when he was compelled to come back to
 the city he would say that it was like 1 going to prison He would not sit at the
 court dinner table in those days. The
 table, he used to say, suggested a scaf- | fold to him.
 When the obsession concerning the table ] first made it's appearance efforts. were ! made to hide the scaffold" by a scheme l of magnificent floral decorations, but, al-
 though the King was fond of flowers, i there was no breaking the spell. <, Music in the dining hall had to be of the : loudest character, with brasses and ! double brasses laundering all the while i the King was present so as to prevent i his hearing the voices of those present. ! Voices, he said, suggested the screech- { ing of owls.
 , The King was the early patron of Rich i ard Wagner, and it was for him that the ! great composer wrote most of his earlier ! operas.
 i tolerate near him were his young private 1 secretaries, Ziegler and Muller. In the | presence of others he would go into par 1 oxysms of anger, but he was accustomed 1 to address the two secretaries in words 1 of tenderness and love.
 It was not long, however, before the I King turned against the secretaries and 1 sought the companionship of his grooms
 and stabemen. He liked to play games 1 with them, a favorite pastime being to | dance with them in ring with hands ! clasped. He established a gorgeous Turk
 ish room in Iinderhof Castle, and here ! he used to entertain the stablemen, wait ! ing on them himself and serving them
 usually with sherbet. When he was not
 entertaining his strange Companions he
 woum sit cross-legged in a corner. garbed
 like an Oriental, and puff on a chibouk.
 The King had now practically cut him
 self off from all communication with the state and the outside world. Chaos