The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1914-04-07
IN THE FATHERLAND
INTERESTING BITS OF NEWS
FROM THE GREAT GERMAN
EMPIRE.
WHAT'S DOING IN OLD HOME
Summary of the Most Important Hap
penlngs in the Land of the Kaiser
Timely Items for the GermaR
Readers.

| CudnSK, Russia, since EeDruary lU, on
suspicion of espionage. Berliner and
two companions landed at Kirgis-
chansk in the Ural mountains, after
a voyage of AZ hours from Bitterfeld,
Germany, setting a new distance rec
ord of 1868 miles for spherical bal
looms. The Germans we're immediate
ly arrested and in spite of official in
tercession have been detained there
ever since by the Russian police. Ber-
liner is anxious to enter the race for
the Gordon Bennett international
aeronautical trophy to be held in the
United States in October. He fears,
however, that he may not be released
in time to make his entry for the
elimination contests for the selection
Of German representatives.
The systematical effort to spread
German propaganda throughout South
America was extended when 1t was
announced that party of German ag-
ricultural experts would leave for that
continent in the autumn on a study
the German agricultural society and
will be under the leadership of Prof.
Alexander Backhaus of the University
Of Goettingen, who formerly was di-
rector Of the agricultural high school
at Montevideo. The party will pay
particular attention to conditions in
Argentina, but also will visit Chile,
Brazil, Uruguay ard Paraguay. The
scheme is a sequel to the voyage of
Prince Heinrich of Prussia, now on
the way to South America.
The arrest of the Russian naval
commander Poliakoff during the carn1-
val in Koln several weeks ago, which
the German press assumed was due to
police blunder, now appears Of more
serious import than at first thought.
| According to the Kolnische Zeitung,
the testimony of three reputable wit
nesses before the examining judge,
condrmatory Of the charge of attempt
ed theft against Commander Poliakoff.
was so strong that the judge could
! not do otherwise than hold him for
trial. Commander Poliakoff protested
| his innocence, but was unable to con-
| trovert the testimony.
Kaiser Wilhelm laid the last stone
of the new royal library in the i'm
posing dedication ceremonies to which
the court and the leading educators
had been invited. The kaiser made
the principal address and was fol-
lowed by the secretary Of education
and Prof. Adolph Harnack the royal
librarian. The library, which stands
in Inter den Linden adjoining the
University of Berlin, has been in
course of construction eleven years
and has cost $3,750,OOO.
The activities of the Germans in the
! Balkans and in Turkey are what is
really behind the talk Of war between
| Russia and this nation. While the
danger is not acute, it Is feared there
will be serious crisis before another
five years goes by. The military
classes in Russia and Germany believe
few months, while the Socialist and
allied classes declare they will prevent
such a disastrous conflict from ever
occurring.
German astronomers are already
eclipse Of the sun that occurs August
Fl. The city Of Hamburg is fitting out
an expedition at it's own expense and
Prussia will give assistance to an ex-
petition headed by Professor Miethe
of the archaeological institute in Char
lottenDurg. A number of German
astronomers will attach themselves TO
American expeditions.
Berlin.-The conference of the
transatlantic shipping companies
broke up without reaching any set
tlement The representatives of the
British and continental steamship
companies decided to adjourn until
May 1, when they will meet again
in Koln.
An unidentified three-masted schoon-
er was sunk and its crew drowned
through a collision in the North sea
with the North German Lloyd liner
Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse.
Kaiser Wilhelm will see the kaiser
of Austria and the king of Italy in
few days. 1t is probable that the
future plans of the triple alliance will
be fully considered.
To the development of athletic
sports in Germany is traced in large
measure the great reduction in beer
consumption. Thousands of young
men in and out of the army who are
training for the Olympic games to be
held In Berlin in 1915 with the hope
of eclipsing American prestige in
these classic contests have found that
the first demand Of their physical in
structors is less beer drinking, and
athletic enthusiasm is such that the
instructions are followed. Many have
given up beer drinking altogether.
According to the National Zeitung
the crown prosecutor has begun the
prosecution of several faith healers in
conn ection with the death recently Of
two prominent actresses, Frau Nascha
Butte and Frau Won Arnauld PIERRE