Williams news., 1917-08-30
I VON F1ELTZENDORFF TO WILLIAM LEQUEUX

Dresden, because of Won Fritsch's sug- gestion. This course, saw, would be unfortunate for our plans, therefore I urge the king to induce Louisa to re- quest him to remain. She has done so, but to no avail, and Giron left for Brussels tonight. May I be permitted to come to discuss with your majesty further elaboration of the plans?- Von Metzsch."
 The emperor read the secret mes. sage twice.
 We go to Erfurt tomorrow. do we not?' he said. Telegraph in cipher to Yon Metzsch to meet us there to- morrow evening at seven. And de. stroy that message" he added.
 l obeyed his orders, and afterward continued to deal with the state pa pers, much enlightened by the news transmitted by the emperor's creature
 confess that felt the deepest sympathy for the helpless victim. At the Schloss, high above the old-world town of Erfurt, Won Metzsch had g long conference with the emperor, but I was unable to overhear any word of it. All I know is that the controller of the Saxon household left Erfurt fol Dresden by special train at midnight.
 Poor, defenseless Louisa! You, my dear LeQueux, to whom the princess 8 few months afterward fled for advice, know well how sterling, how womanly and honest she was; how she was one victim of many of the unscrupulous %v,sr h., .sal, lord of Germany has until the present managed to retain his throne.
 The Crisis.
 We'll, I watched the course On events; watched eagerly and daily. Twice had received letters from her imperial highness, short notes in hef firm, bold handwriting.
 From Von Metzsch came severa. cipher messages to the emperor after we had returned to Potsdam, but Zorr von Bulach, my colleague, deciphered all of them, and, as he was not my friend, I did not inquire as to theil purport. I knew, however, that mat, ters in Dresden were fast approaching a crisis, and that the unfortunate Hapsburg princess could no longer sus tain the cruel and unjust pressure be ing put upon her undoing. That hun. dred of Germany's spies and agents provocateurs were busy I realized from the many messages by telephone and telegraph passing between Berlin and Dresden, and I felt certain that the ruin of poor Princess Louisa was nigh.
 A significant message came to Pots dam late one December night-a mes sage which, when I deciphered 1t and handed it to the emperor, caused him to smile.
 The princess had left DresdenI
 Three days later, on December g, a further cipher telegram came from Won Metzsch, in Dresden, which read: Louisa has learned of the Sonnen stein project, and has left Salzburs for Zurich, her brother accompanying. Won Metzsch."
 Sonnenstein! That was a private lunatic asylum!
 In a few moments the kaiser had summoned, by his private telephone Koehler, then chief of the Berlin se- cret police, and given orders that the princess be watched in Switzerland Half an hour later three police agents were on their way to Zurich to follow the poor, distracted woman, even be yond the confines of the empire.
 She was, no doubt, in deadly fear of being sent to living tomb, so that her mouth should be closed forever And seeing herself surrounded by enc mics and spies on, every hand-for even her brother Leopold, with whom she had travelled to Switzerland, now refused to assist her-she adopted'th only method of further escape that at the moment presented itself.
 Alone and without anyone to advise her, she, as you know, took a desper- ate resolve, one alas! fraught with disastrous consequences.
 The iron had indeed entered the poor princess soul.
 Note by William LeQueux.
 The denouement of this base in- trigue will be best related in her inn perial highness' own words. In one of her letters, which I have on my table as write, she says:
 q saw before me in those never-to- be-forgotten days all the horrors of a 'Maison de Sante.' What could I do? was friendless in a strange hotel. Even Leopold seemed diSinclined to be further troubled by runaway sis ter. knew Frau von Fritsch had ac- cused me falsely of having secret love affairs, and that the emperor had di- rected the whole plot which was to eliminate in my confinement in an asylum. Suddenly solution occurred to me. I remembered Monsieur Giron, who had already suffered great ly through his friendship with me. If he joined me, then my flight from Dresden would be considered as an elopement, and I should escape liv- ng death in a madhouse! Monsieur