Evening star., 1911-01-08
THE KAISER'S SHOOTING LODGES
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and Chicago Record Herald

an ancient town, which was the seat
of the celebrated TeutOnic order OF
knights founded in 1892 to undertake the
conquest and conversion Of the heather
of Prussia Each knight was granted g.
conquered piece of land. protected by q
castle, upon which he settled the barba-
rians and taught them the arts OF peace
as well as the arts Of war. The Schloss,
the headquarters and the fortress of the
Teutonic knights. is considered the grand
est medieval secular edifice in Germany,
and was the residence of the grand mas
ter of the order. The building has been
of several sieges through which 1t has
passed. The emperor's stock farm Is
about five miles distant, and was for
merly a monastery, surrounded by
His majesty has surrounded his chateau
at Cadinen with q village in which the
peasants are employed in manufacturing
brick and a majolica ware, known as Ca
dinen tiles. They are used extensively by
the builders of Berlin. both private and
public.
All the stations OF the underground
railway in that city are lined with por
celain bricks from the kaiser's factory,
and 1t Is said that he is very keen in push
an important building being planned he
invariably sends an agent with his card
to the contractors. Last year, when he
attended an important gathering Of archi-
honor he amused himself by taking or
ders for tiles and bricks and booking
them on his shirt cuff. He has a forge
and an alcohol factory on the estate, both
Of which are looked after with the en-
terprfse of a hustling business man.
He Is very proud Of his thoroughbred
hogs and cattle and his stables and 9TH
er outhouses. which are fitted up with
all the modern fads and conveniences.
The chateau itself is not imposing, but
oYCpod3nplv pOn1fnrtahlo Over fha main
entrance is q horseshoe with this ex-
planatory inscription:
Found by her majesty the empress
September 20, 1907.
The castle Of Letzlingen, one of the
seven imperial hunting boxes, IS consider
ed by many the most attrac-
KalSer'S tive Of all these sporting re-
c-.-4 sorts Of the kaiser. After the
military maneuvers, that usu.
ally occur In September. are over he
begins the sporting season by going. to
Rominton. where he invites a large party
Of friends. 1t is an unattractive place
on the northern coast Of East Prussia, in
the midst Of barren and dreary tract
of land like Scotch moor, and sur
rounded by a dense forest OF pine trees
covering between seventy and eighty
square miles. The woods are well stock
than 10000 acres, which belong to the
lodge and which are inclosed with a high
fence, contain the most perfect speci-
mems of stays and deer to be found in
his record shots and his record bags of
birds. He once killed a stag with forty
four points in his antlers by single
well directed shot at a range of 12O
PAGES. Sportsmen will understand what
that means.
The house is roomy and comfortable
Swiss chalet of logs. in the midst of a
grove Of larches and beech trees. with
several plain cottages in the neighbor-
hood for the accommodation of guests.
Nearby is a quaint little chapel dedi-
Gated to st. Hubert, patron of the chase,
where a court chaplain always conducts
religious services on Sundays during the
hunting season. The emperor is consist
ent In his observance of the Sabbath.
No shot is ever fired between sunset Sat
urday and sunrise Monday.
When the kaiser is shooting he always
wears q distinctive hunting dress. with
suspended from his neck by a broad
green ribbon. 1t represents racing stag
exquisitely wrought In enamel, surmount-
ed by royal crown and cluster OF
acorns.
Tho emperor is a dead shot. like Col.
Roosevelt, and II he should fail to bring
down his stag he would be
Dead mortified beyond consolation.
GIL He has killed elk In Sweden,
0AVt' reindeer in Norway, bears in
Russia, chamois In the Tyrol, Wild
cattle. In Hungary and wolves in the
Urals, not to mention wild boars and all
other kinds Of game. He has even har-
pooned three whales. =
Another Of his favorite shooting boxes
is named in nonor Of st. Hubert, a plain
wooden structure about twenty-eight
miles north Of Berlin, called Huberstock.
He usually goes there in November, and
invites often from 100 to $50 people to
join him in st. Hubert's hunt, which oc-
ours the first week of that month. The
lodge is one OF the most ancient in
Europe, having been built by Crown
Prince Johann George Won Brandenburg
in 1850. Everything is very plain and
than any other of his shooting boxes.
None of the rooms are plastered, but they
are ceiled with wood:
The main room is nearly q hundred
feet long and thirty feet wide. with ap
enormous fireplace at either end. and IS
lighted by chandeliers and sconces made
Of the antlers Of stays killed on the
place. The chairs, settees and other fur
nituro are also made Of antlers and the
horns of wild cattle.
-
At Let5lingen Is a curious old goblet Of
hammered gold, set between the points
Of antlers in such way
Famous that it Is very difficult to
n.l1.& drink from 1t. None but a
~0Aos' man with a narrow face can
reach the rim Of the goblet with his
lips Tho emperor has q good deal Of
fun with it, as his ancestors have done
for several centuries. I believe the cup
is nearly 500 years old. At tho banquet
which closes the opening day of st. HUI
bert's hunt this goblet, filled with cham
payne. IL passed from hand to hand
down the table. for each guest to drink
the health Of his imperial host. and the
desperate efforts of the hroad-faced
members of the party to perform that
duty are greeted with shouts Of laughter.
The preserve at Hubertstock includes
06,0O0 acres, in which three or four
thousand stays and kinds are grazing.
At Saupark. near Hanover, is a pre-
serve OF 10000 acres, with more than
a thousand wild boars kept for the
kaiser and his guests. At Gohrde, near
Hamburg, is another preserve of wild
boars which formerly belonged to King
George OF England.
The kaiser learned to shoot In Wild
Park. near Potsdam. as his father did
before him. It is q picturesque little
preserve. especially intended as a kin
dergarden for imperial sportsmen. At
ovle h. a.