Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-26
Grave Illness Makes Resump-
ton of Trial Unlikely.
COLLAPSE IN COURTROOM
Prosecution, Judge and Jury Unite
to Drop Case.
CHARGES OF DISCRIMINATION
Withdrawn When Condition Of Ac-
cused Became Evident-Heart
Disease Dangerous.

Special Cabiesram to The Star
BERLIN, July a6-Once again the aged
Prince Gutenberg, formerly the intimate
friend and confidant of the kaiser and at
one time welding influence superior TO
that of any other man in Germany. has
had to face the ordeal of appearing be-
fore criminal court to answer the charge
Of perjury arising out of the proceedings
taken against Herr Harden, the Journalist
whose revelations concerning the alleged
infamous private lives of the prince and
some of his distinguished associates
caused such a tremendous sensation
The first trial of the prince opened last
year and was continued till the court With
all it's paraphernalia had to follow him
into the sick room in which he lay
bedridden. Grounds for the resumption of
the proceedings were found an medical
certificate by three of the most eminent
doctors of Berlin. and in the accused
nobleman's VISIT to Gastein in the spring
of this year.
Gutenberg Carried Into Court.
On the occasion of the resumption OF
the trial last week Prince Gutenberg ar
rived by motor car from his castle at
I.iekenberg. He has been there for some
been accepted.
Prince Eulenbergs own motor car was
fitted up as an ambulance car and two
liveried servants carried him downstairs
and placed him in the car while the
police forced back the onlookers, some
of whom hooted. The prince was driven
TO the side door of the law courts build
ing to escape observation. and was car
ried into the court
His wife, who is sti.. beautiful
age, which Is verging toward sixty, and
his two sons, both handsome young men.
accompanied the prince, and comforted
him during the terrible ordeal.
two. looked completely broken. He was
pale and feeble. and half sat. half re-
clined, on his invalid chair, with a rug
over his legs. He did not take his place
in the dock as an ordinary prisoner. but
was allowed to remain reclining In the
middle of the court close to his two
counsel.
He kept his face turned away from
those who crowded the court. His voice
was thin and feeble, though he answered
the questions put to him clearly and
with some emphasis.
No sooner had the proceedings been
opened than he informed the bench that
he was suffering from attacks of heart
weakness, that he had had one that very
morning and that in consequence. ardent
~ as he desired to have the trial finished
one way or another. it would be impoS-
Sble for him TO follow the evidence in
such a way as was consistent with the
safeguarding of his own interests as de-
PENDANT.
This statement was the signal for a long
and searching discussion as to the state
of the princes health. Prosecuting coun-
sci declared roundly that the prince was
Stimulating. and asked that he should be
taken into custody to prevent him from
using drugs which might produce morbid
INT <NYVrC nc tor .{yarr
with witnesses.
A swarm of doctors was in attendance
and gave as many different opinions as
to the probable consequences of imprison-
defendants health. Finally the bench de-
cided to have the prince medically ex-
amined in the presence of the jury. and
the court was cleared to enable this to be
done.
Collapses Under Examination.
When the public was readmitted it was
evident that something unexpected had
happened. The prince lay back, pale and
exhausted. in his chair. and by his side
stood table covered with medicine bot
ties and glasses.
1t soon became known that during the
examination he had been seized by a
heart attack. which all the doctors agreed
in describing as very serious indeed and
had swooned away.
In fact so grave view had been taken
of his condition that the princess and
their son had been hurriedly brought in
from the corridor. One OF the doctors
had counted 1873 pulse beats in a minute,
and another 14S
The whole court had come completely
under the influence of this dramatic de-
movement. The doctors FASTENED to re-
wise their diagnoses for the worse, prose-
cutting counsel withdrew both his charges
OF discrimination and his demand for the
defendants arrest. and the president, re-
marking that even judges We're men, and
that to try any one who was in the
princes condition would be inhuman, an
nounced the indefinite adjournment of the
case.
Even a member of the jury rose in his
seat and. in d trembling voice. declared
that on entering the court he had been
30 struck by the obvious illness of the ac-
cused that he had resolved to refuse to
serve on the panel. AS the prince suf-
fers chronically from govt, arterial cal
cification and neuritis, at his advanced
age II is practically out of the question
that he should ever be brought into court
again.