The Ordway new era., 1917-07-27
- KlNEp TIFF OF KAISER AND CROWN PRl77CE ~



81 went out quickly. and I-well, I
don't know what happened he told
me soon after dawn, as he lay In bed.
Strangely enough, he made no mention
of the man. Karl krnhl.
Later on he summoned the Countess
Won KIenitz, and for twenty minutes
or so he had nm animated discussion
with her. Being outside the room, how
ever, | was unable to hear distinctly.
We'll, l succeeded, by bribes md
threats, in hushing up the whole affnir
and keeping 1t out of the papers. while
by those who knew of the incident 1t
was soon forgotten.
Karl krahI Again.
I suppose 1t must have been fully
three months later when one evening,
having taken some documents over to
the emperor for signature ut the Berlin
schloss, returned to the princes pri-
vate room in the palace, when, to my
great surprise, found the man Karl
krahl seated there. He looked very
pale and worn. quite unlike the rather
athletic figure he presented at the for.
cster's house.
.If you still refuse to tell me the
TRUTH then l shall take my own meas.
ures to find out-severe measures! SO
give you full warming" the crown
prince was declaring angrily, as en-.
tered SO Unexpectedly.
did not withdraw. pretending not
10 notice the presence of visitor,
therefore his highncss himself beck
oned the young man, who followed him
down the corridor to another room.
The whole affair was most puzzling
What had happened on that afternoon
In the Harz mountains l could not nj
nll imagine. By what means hnd his
highness been rendered unconscious,
and what part could the little old
countess have played in the curious
affair?
In about half an hour the crown
prince returned in palpably bad hu.
NOR and. flinging himself into his.
chair, wrote n long letter, which he
addressed to Countess Won Kienitz.
This he sealed carefully and ordered
me to take 1t at once to the Stuler.
strasse and deliver 1t to her person.
| ally.
"The countess left for Stockholm
this morning." was Informed by the
bearded manservant. "She left by the
left Sassnitz by now."
when do you expect her to re.
turn?"
| The man did not know.
On going back to his highness and
telling him of the countess departure,
he bit his lip and then smiled grimly
'Thnt Internal old woman has left
Germany and will never again put her
foot upon our soil, Heltzendorff," he
said. You may open that letter. II
will explain something which l know
must have mystified you"
l did so. And as ] read what he had
written ! held my breath. Truly II
did explain much.
What the Crown Prince Told Me.
Imposing the strictest silence upon
me, the crown prince then revealed
how utterly he and the crown princess
had been misled, and how very narrow.
ly he had escaped being the victim OF
cunning plot to effect his death.
The little old Countess Won Kienitz
had, 1t seemed. sworn to avenge the
degradation and dismissal of her son.
who had been In the famous Deaths
Head Hussars. She had secretly
traced the crown prince as author of q
conspiracy against him, the underlying
motive being jealousy. With that end
In view she had slowly wormed her
way into his highness' confidence, and
introduced to him Karl Krahl, neu.
rotic young Saxon who lived in Lon.
don. and who pretended he had un-
earthed plot against the kaiser him.
} self.
1T was to tell me the truth concern.
Ing the conspiracy that Krahl came to
me In secret at Ballenstedt. He re-
, manned with me for half an hour,
when. to my great surprise, we were
Joined by the countess. The story they
told me of the plot against the EN-.
!, peror was very alarming one, and
: intended to return at once to Berlin.
The countess had left to walk back to
the schloss when presently we heard
woman's scream-her voice-and we
both went forth to discover what was
In progress. As I ran along little dis
tance behind Krahl, suddenly what
|. seemed like thin glass globe struck
me In the chest and burst before my
face. 1t had been thrown by an un.
known hand and, on breaking, must
nave emitted some poisonous Eas
which was intended to kill me, but
which happily failed. Until yesterday
the whole amir was complete mys-
terry, but Krahl has now confessed that
tne countess conceived the plot, and
that the hand that had thrown thn