Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1911-05-12

He Oldest ruler IN EUROPE mas
Just celebrated his ninetieth
birthday. And he Is no dod-
dering. slippered pantaloon. but
vigorous man who loves moth
ing better than to hunt barelegged IN
the forests and to swim in cold lakes.
The prince regent Of Bavaria Is this
grand old man.
Prince Luitpold has been regent Of
Bavaria for Is years because two sue
cessive kings have been mad. Otto,
the present nominal ruler. was In
sane when he came to the throne on
the death of his brother in 1886.
Should he die. Prince Luitpold, his
uncle and next Of kin, would inherit
the throne. But Otto Is only sixty-two
years old and at latest reports was in
the best Of physical condition, so In
the nature of things he should out
live his nonagenarian uncle.
After the regent the next heir to
the throne is the latter's eldest son,
prince Louis. sixty-six years old;
after him comes the latter's son,
prince Rupert, forty-two years old.
and fourth in the line of succession Is
'Rupert's ten-year-old son Luitpold. q
handsome, jolly-looking little lad.
Thus Bavaria has the unusual dis
tinction Of having four heirs-presump-
tive to the throne in direct line OF
succession.
King Otto, who resides usually in
the wonderful castle of Neuschwan-
stein which his mad brother built on
Ia crag of the Bavarian Alps, spends
his time smoking cigarettes. talking
to the wallpaper. shooting at peas
ANTS from his windows with rifles that
are carefully loaded by his attendants
with harmless bullets. His beard Is
long, and they say that he is filthy
in his habits, which is no uncommon
thing with maniacs.
Prince Luitpold's life has been one
of the most extraordinary in modern
history, not only for its length but
for the strange romance and tragedy
with which it has been filed.
The son of q king. the brother of
two kings and the uncle Of two kings.
he has never been a king himself. and
yet he has ruled Bavaria for quar-
tor Of century. He might have been
q king had he so desired at any time
In the last twenty years. for the par
lament Of his land has over and over
again besought him to assume the
name that goes with the duties he
has performed SO long, and the Ger
man and Austrian emperors have re-
peatedly urged the step upon him.
But so conscientious is he that he has
always refused; and he has also re-
fused in all this time to take for him.
self q penny Of the taxpayers money.
Again, he may almost be said to
have made an emperor, for 1t was he
who handed the imperial crown to
William I. of Prussia at Versailles
in 1870, and without him Bismarck's
schemes to create the German en-
pire must have come to naught.
Prince Luitpold IL a stockily built
man Of medium height, with full
white beard and mustache that still
shows streaks Of auburn, the rosy
complexion that comes Of exposure to
wind and weather. and clear blue
eyes behind large spectacles under
Nbushy brows. His head is still
crowned with rather bristly hair that
has grown a bit thin on top. but that
falls straight over bull neck be-
hind. His nose turns up slightly, its
nostrils are wide and generous and
It is big at the tip.
Unlike the German emperor, who
respects him almost like father.
Prince Luitpold rarely dons a mill
tary uniform. He goes about In
tweeds or the frock coat of civilian
and wears his many orders only on
state occasions. He Is happiest In
the short kits Of the Bavarian peas.
antry. with a soft hat ornamented by
q pheasant's or cocks feather. with
thick stockings ending below hia
knees. In this costume he tramps thu