Evening star., 1908-12-22
MILLIONS FOR CASTLES
Constant Demands for Increases in
in the Civil List.
FREQUENT LOANS NECESSARY
New Details of the Eccentricities
That Led to His Majestys
Dethronement

Special CahIegram to The Star.
BERLIN. December 22,-To justify tie
Incarceration of King Ludwig II Of Ba-
varia a madman in June. 1885. three
DAYS before he drowned himself in the
Lake of Starnbers. publication has been
begun in Munich of a remarkable report
made by the Bavarian cabinet to secret
session of the diet This report gives new
details of the eccentricities which led to
his majestys dethronement.
King Ludwig. the report states, desired
to exchange his kingdom OF Bavaria for
the Island of Cyprus. He had given
orders to find a country where absolutist
government was possible. The orders
We're carried out and the king caused a
letter to be written to the Turkish sultan
Offering to exchange Bavaria for Cyprus
From his earliest childhood the king
evinced signs OF insanity, did his
brother. the still siving and insane King
Otto. Ludwig began to arouse comment
in 1864 through his disinclnation to re-
| ceive foreign rulers or diplomats. His
ma jesty was so obsessed by his literary
studies that he would interrupt audiences
with ministers with quotations from
Schiller.
Became a Recluse.
Later he developed dislike of meeting
people. declined to attend church. and
built himself luxurious private chapel
The presence Of the public in theaters also
disturbed him. and he commanded operas
and plays to be performed to him alone.
Between 1879 and 1881 the king insisted
on living in seclusion in his country houses
FOR months at time. and when he re-
turned to the Munich castle regarded it a s
prison.
At court banuuets the king believed he
was on his way to the scaffold and in
sisted upon being hidden behind banks of
flowers. The music had to be of thun-
derous character, and when it was not
loud enough the king would strike the
floor violently with his sword. He was.
by the way. a great patron OF Richard
Wagner
fancy for giving entertainments to sta
BILE boys. with whom he played the most
childish games. He once feasted the boys
in the Turkish rooms OF his superb pa ace
of Linderhof built on the model of Ver-
sailles in the time OF Louis NV, who,
| the king declared was his ideal.
Associated Only With Servants.
Finally. the mad ruler declined to as
sociate with anybody except servants. In
the last years of his reign he gave no
court dinners and no audiences. and aban-
doned all direct intercourse with the cab
met. Commands and messages had to be
! transmitted through servants. Finally.
royal DEGREES were issued through locked
DOORS the servants being required to in
dictate that they understood by scratching
the door.
Anybody who entered the kings pres
ence had to keep his head bowed so low
that he could not see the king, while mo-
body was permitted to address him. and
cnII6 no icaf 81 only h\-
gestures.
Once the king drove out clad in golden
and purple Louis XIV costume and sur
rounded by an enormous guard Of mount
ed gendarmes ito shield him from as
sasSnatioD."
1t was his majesty's unparalleled ex-
travagance which caused his dethrone-
ment. He spent millions of dollars in
building gorgeous castles and embellish-
ing them in the most costly style. He
constantly demanded increases in the
civil list and dismissed or ordered the ar
rest of ministers who declined to carry
out his wishes. Frequent loans were
made to cover the deficits caused by the
kings habits.