Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1912-11-15
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Had been treated 30 by my father
y would have blown my brains out, but
this fellow has no honor"
Frederick William Of Hohenzollern,
elector Of Brandenburg. was the speak
er. The fellow" who had mo honor
was his son, whose face he had Just
slapped In the presence Of the king
OF Saxony and his troops. This son is
famous in history as Frederick the
Great.
+ In the house of Hohenzollern history
repeats itself. The present heir to
the throne Of Prussia and the German
empire. Grown Prince Frederick viii
liam, is having the same kind Of ex-
perience with his father that Fred
eric the Great as heir to the throne
had with his, but with this difference:
the Kaiser Wilhelm dares not disci-
pline his son with the stern methods
Elector Frederick William employed
upon his. Times have changed.
The present crown prince thinks for
himSelf Fatal mistake, when ones
fathu Is head Of the house of Hohen-
zollern! Frederick the Great also
thought for himself He. too, was q
bit wayward; he hated dismal ped
antry, drunken swashbucklers and
coarse buftoonery: the German Ian
guage sounded harsh in his ears.
His father, who loved all these things,
tried to discipline him with blows
and deprivation of all that he loved.
Frederick determined to flee to France
His dearest friend, Lieutenant Won
Katie, aided and abetted him in his
design. Elector Frederick William
discovered It, locked the two youths
I'm a fortress dungeon, threatened to
have his son shot If he refused to alb
dictate his right to the throne, had
him tried by court martial. The o.
ficers Of the court commended tfe
prince to his fathers mercy, but cor
demned Katie to lifelong imprisolf-
ment. The angry elector ordered that
Won Katte's head be cut off and that
the crown prince be compelled to Wit
ness the execution.
Prince Used Diplomacy.
Prince Frederick almost went out
OF his mind after the CHASTITY sight,
but within two weeks he had begun
to beguile his father into believing
that his spirit was conquered.
That was how Frederick William,
elector of Brandenburg in 1870, treat
ed his son he considered rebellious.
Kaiser Wilhelm II. in 1912 has not
imprisoned the crown prince, nor cat
OF the heads OF any OF his friends,
but he has kept him in virtual OK
lie, doing tedious military duty at
dreary .fortresses far away from the
joyous life of Berlin.
The great kaiser of today Is con-
fronted with the same problem as
the petty king Of $50 years ago; he
is powerless to deprive his eldest son
of the right to succeed to the throne.
The trouble dates from about
year ago. The exact origin of it Is
something of mystery. Politicians
tell us that 1t began when the kaiser
angrily rebuked the crown prince for
his actions in the reichstag on the oc-
casion of fiery lingo anti-British
speech OF Dr. Won Heydebrand. 1t will
be remembered that the crown prince,
sitting in the royal gallery, applauded
the most rabid Anglophobia Of the
speech, Shaping his brother on the
back. OF course this was indiscreet.
Even the German newspapers, reticent
and timorous as they arc in comment
ing upon the actions of their royalty,
chided the young man. Nevertheless
his outburst was popular, and the re-
Dukes only added to the hold he had
upon his future subjects hearts.
Has Thought for Himself.
This incident may have been. prob
ably was, the actual dividing point.
but the little rift within the lutte"
started many years further back
Those who are old enough to remem-
Der and had the opportunity to OBJ
serve say that when the crown prince
was still a little kiddie in knickerbock-
ers he was not amenable to parental
discipline. Self-willed, high-spirited.
not particularly companionable, he
was in a constant condition of quasi
. revolt against his fathers attempts to
mold his character into a miniature
OF his own. He thought for himself.
He had his own ideas, and he did not
hesitate to express his dislike for
many of the things his father loved,
and his liking for things his father
loathed. But he was still too young
for open breach to be possible.
In his college days at Bonn the
crown prince incurred his royal IA
theirs displeasure more than once The
kaiser kept sharp eye on the youths
behavior. The imperial eagle soar
ed over the roosting places Of its
chicken, with an eye especially watch
full for dangerous prey In the form
of girls that might lure the fledgling
too far away from the parental eyrie.
And when he learned Of certain
prominent American singer, he swoop-
ed down to take hand in the chase.
Berlin still smokers as it whispers
the story. AS gossip goes. the crown
prince was not bit bashful about
manifesting his admiration for the
charming American singer, and was
<,.iI,c1 of<or hor in a Way that made