Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-09-06
ERNST Won FELTZENDORFF TO WILLIAM LEQUEJX

l
cess visit to the Berlin court was due
to end, at about six o'clock in the eve
| ming, | passed the Sentries and ascend
ed to the emperor's study with some
| papers | had been going through re-
| garding the reorganization of the Stet-
| tin garrison. | was one of the very
| few persons ever admitted to that
wing of the palace.
AS l approached the door, treading
.noiselessly upon the soft carpet, l
heard voices raised excitedly, the door
being slightly ajar.
| Naturally | halted. In my position I
was able to hear great deal of palace
intrigue, but never had 1 listened to a
| conversation that held me more
| breathless than at that moment.
| woman" cried the emperor, "dO
you, then, openly defy my authority?"
"What that crafty sycophant, Won
Metzsch, has told you is, l repeat,
foul and abominable lie," was the re-
ply.
| And l knew that the unfortunate
princess was defending her reputation,
which her enemies at the court of
Saxony had torn to shreds.
mo woman ever admits the truth,
| of course" sneered the emperor. Il
| consider you disgrace to the Dresden
| court
$50 this is the manner in which you
! openly insult your guests!" was the
| princess retOrt. you, who believe
| yourself the idol of your people, now
| exhibit yourself in your true light as
| the traducer of a defenseless woman! ~
How dare you utter those words to
mel" cried the all-highest one, in fury.
Il dare defend myself-even though
you may be emperor" replied Louisa,
| in cold, hard tone of defiance. II
repeat that your allegations are I'M
| true, and that you have no right to
make them. Surely you can see that
nay enemies, headed by the king of
| Saxony, are all conspiring to effect my
downfall. / know it! I have written
proof of it,"
"Bosh! You say that because you
know that the statements are true!"
You lie !" she cried fiercely. 'They
| are not true. You cannot prove them"
very WE'LL" answered the emperor
in that tone Of cold determination that
I knew too well. II will prove the
| charges to my entire satisfaction"
Words That the Kaiser Would Never
Forgive.
/ was startled at the manner in
which the princess had dared to call
the emperor a liar. Surely nobody
had ever done so before.
I drew long breath, for as crept
away unseen | recoll ected the kaiser's
unrelenting vindictiveness.
i Poor princess! l knew that the red
talons of the HOhenzOllern eagle would
sooner or later be laid heavily upon
her.
She left Berlin two hours later, but
half an hour before her departure 1
found a hurriedly scrubbed note upon
my table explaining that she had had
ga few unpleasant words with the en-
peror," and that she was leaving for
Dresden a day earlier than had been
arranged.
A fortnight passed. Twice Baron
Won MetZsch came to Potsdam, and
was on each occasion closely closeted
with the emperor, as well as having
frequent consultations with Judicial
Councillor LOhlein. | had strong sus-
piciOn that the conspiracy against the
lively daughter Of the Hapsburgs was
still in progress for l felt assured that
the kaiser would never forgive those
words of defiance from wOman's lips,
and that his vengeance, slow and sub
tie, would assuredly fall upon her.
I did not know at the time-not, in
deed, until fully three years later
how the actions of Won Metzsch, who
was a creature of the kaiser, had from
the first been inStigated by the all
highest, who, from the very day of the
princess marriage, had, notwithstand-
ing his apparent graci0usness toward
her, determined that a Hapsburg
should never become queen of SaXOny.
For that reason, namely, because
the emperor in his Overweening vanity
believed himself to be the heaven-Sent
ruler of the destinies of the German en-
pire, was much opposed to an Austrian
| princess as q potential queen at Ores
den, and had set himself the task to ruin
the poor Woman's life and love and to
arouse such a scandal concerning her
that she could not remain in Saxony
with every finger pointing at her In
opprobrium and scorn.
! Decipher a Message for the Kaiser.
A fresh light, however, was thrown
upon what | afterward realized to be
an astounding conspiracy by the re-
ceipt of a cipher message late one No
vember night at Potsdam. / was at
| work alone with the emperor in the
pale green upstairs room, reading ana
placing before him a number Of state
| documents to which he scraWled his
scribbly signature, when the telegram
was brought.
"Decipher that, HeltzendOrff,' he
| commanded, and went on with the
work of reading and signing the docu-
| ments, while I sat down with the red
leather-covered code book, and pres
| emily found that the message, which
| was from Dresden, read:
Frau Won Fritsch today had an In
| terview with Giron, the French tutor
| to the crown princess children, but
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