The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-08-12
Chiefly Remembered as Author
of an Extremely Silly
Book.
BY LA MAKoUlsE DE rovrENoY.

by LA MARQUIS DE FONTENOE.
HOUNTESS HERMANN Won We
DEL. who is reported TO be dy-
ing In n sanatorium at Breslau.
where she has been confined for some
years past. suffering from incurabIe
mental iniirnity Is OF half american
and half Belgian parentaSe, and at
tracted some attention thirteen years
ago by the publication at Brussels OF
an extremely silly book entitled. MY
relations with Emperor William H."
which she endcavored In vain to get
printed on this side OF the Atlantic.
Prior to her marriage she was
known as Emily Berard. and managed
TO inveigle into a wedding ceremony
the late Count Hermann Wedel. elder
brother OF Count Charles Wedel. who
is the Governor and stakeholder OF
Alsace- Lorraine. The union was re-
garded as being to such an extent n
inesalliance by the counts family and
at the court of Berlin. that he found
1t difficult 70 remain in Germany was
forced to retire from the army, and
TO take up his residence in Switzer-
land.
The couple did rot remain very long
together. In fact, the count left her
after only a very few months, and
Immediately took steps to obtain a Iii
vorce reSretting, too late, the mistake
which he had made in giving "A name
so honorable as tRat OF his house to
be dragged in the gutter. and 70 bo
m!sused In the half-world In Berlin
ana Vienna. He secured his freedom
from her several years before chc ac-
cession of Emperor william to TIE
throne; and at the time when the
present Kaiser commenced his reign
had already been married for at least
eighteen months to his second wife,
now his widow.
In spite of the divorce, II was found
impossible u prevent the woman from
styling herself the Countess Hermann
Won Wcdel and thanks to this. she
every now and again managed 10 get
men who were ignorant Of her his
tory and devoid of brains and OF
knowledge OF the world. entangIed in
her tolls. being repeatedly on this ac-
count expelled from Germany and
from Austria
Although she had never been NOM
Der of the court of Berlin or indeed o,
any other court, her life in the Ger
man. Austrian and French capitals be-
ing that OF a demi mondaine. she was
like La Paiva at Paris during the
closing years OF the reign Of Napoleon
III. afflicted with "folies des grand
eurs. She was to such an extent
convinced that she was n parsonage
OF political Importance, and that the
men who freQuented her society. as
that OF a cocotte, were anxious to
nave her as their political EEeria,
that she really marred her career az
star of the half world.
Whether she ever met the present
Kaiser prior TO his accession is ex-
tremely doubtful But 10 Judge from
her book entitled, 'My Relations with
William H., one would be strongly
disposed to disbelieve It, For, in the
first place, William was barely eigh-
teen when she married Count Her
mann Wedel; and the Wedcls are to
such an extent identified with Berlin
court society, and with the encourage
OF the reiening house of HohenzoI-
Tern. that Count Hcrmunns mesalli-
nnce. which forced him to eXpatriatc
himself, must have been known to
Prince William, as the Emperor was
then. as we'll as to every one else at
court. Nor is ii likely that after leav-
Ing her husband. and being divorced
by him. Prince William would have
cared to hold any communication with
woman who had brought so much
trouble on his intimate friends and
associates the Wedels.
Her book. indeed. is the most extra
ordinary conglomcration of fairy tales
which contradict one another, and
winch indicate not only her ignorance
of facts, but even of the persons about
whom she profcssed TO write She
claims III the book to have played the
role OF mediator in the quarrels be-
tween William II. and his father. the
late Emperor Frederick to have suS-
Eested to the Kaiserin to take undes
her patronage Institutes for the cure
of tuberculosis; 10 have initiated the
circular Of Count liouraricff. the Rus
sian Foreign Minister. proposing the
first peace conference: to have been
courted by the late Prince Frederick
of Hohenzcllern: to have been the fav-
orite-to use no harsher word--of the
Kaiser during couple ot years, and
after that OF the venerable and emf
nently respectable Archduke Charles
Salvador of Austria: and TO have been
subsequently, employed by the latter
as a spy and secret agent for Aus
tria In Berlin. She charges Field
Marshal Count Waldersee with having
been the most bitter enemy OF the
present Kaiserin, and a traducer of
her character, although the Intimacy
the American Countess Wuldersee, and
the latter's husband. until the day OF
his death. an intimacy which stiil ex-
lists 10 this day between tho Kaiserin
and the countess is well known.
Finally, the book processes to cX-
plain the inside story OF the Dreyfus
scandals imputing the real guilt to
the notorious Russian adventurer and
swindler, Tcherniadieff, who was in
Jail Mt the time, and had nothing what