The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-08-10


gestion. This course, / saw, would be
unfortunate for our plans, therefore
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 be permitted
to come to discuss with your majesty
a further elaboration of the plans p
Won Metzsch"
The emperor read the secret mes
sage twice.
''We go to Erfurt tomorrow, do we
not?" he said. Telegraph in cipher
to Won Metzsch to meet us there to-
morrow evening at seven. And de-
stroy that message" he added.
obeyed his orders, and afterward
continued to deal with the state pa
pers, much enlightened by the news
transmitted by the emperor's creature.
1 confess that felt the deepest
sympathy for the helpless victim. At
the Schloss, high above the old-worId
town of Erfurt, Won Metzsch had a
long conference with the emperor, but
| was unable to overhear any word of
it. All know is that the controller
of the Saxon household left Erfurt for
Dresden by special train at midnight
Poor, defenseless Louisa You, my
dear LeQueux, to whom the princess a
few months afterward fled for advice,
know well how sterling, how womanIy
and honest she was; how she was one
victim of many of the INSCRIPTIONS
intrigues by which the arrogant war
lord of Germany has until the present
managed to retain his throne.
The Crisis.
Well, / watched the course of
events; watched eagerly and daily.
Twice | had received letters from her
imperial highness, short notes in her
firm, bold handwriting.
From Won Metzsch came several
cipher messages to the emperor after
we had returned to Potsdam, but Zorn
Won Bulach, my colleague, deciphered
all of them, and as he was not nv
friend, | did not inquire as to their
purport. / knew, however, that mat
tiers in Dresden were fast approaching
crisis, and that the unfortunate
Hapsburg princess could no longer sus-
tain the cruel and unjust pressure be-
ing put upon her undoing That d hun
dred of Germany's spies and agents
proyocateurs We're busy | realized
from the many messages by telephone
and telegraph passing between Berlin
and Dresden, and | felt certain that
the ruin of poor Princess Louisa was
nigh
significant message came to Pots
dam late one December night-a mes
sage which, when / deciphered it and
handed it to the emperor, caused him
to smile.
The princess had left Dresden!
Three days later, on December 8,
further cipher telegram came from
Won Metzsch, in Dresden, which read:
Louisa has learned of the Sonnen-
stein project, and has left Salzburg
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 Sc
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 a 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 the
only method of further escape that at
the moment presented itself.
Alone and without anyone to advise
her, she, as you know, took d desper-
ate resolve, one alas fraught with
disastrous consequences.
The iron had indeed entered the
poor princess soul.
Note by William LeQueux.
Inc denouement of this base in
-rigue will be best related in her inn
perial highness' own words. In one
of her letters, which have on NV
able as write, she says:
Il saw before me in those neyer-to-
oe-forgotten days all the horrors Of !
Maison de Sante.' What could do9
was friendless in strange hote,
sven Leopold seemed disinellned to
'e further troubled by a runaway sis
er. knew Frau Won Fritsch had ac-
used me falsely Of having secret love
lHairs, and that the emperor had d.
ected the whole plot which was to
Eliminate in my confinement in On
lsylum. Suddenly solution occurred
Q me. remembered Monsieur Giron
vho had already suffered greats
through his friendship with me. 70
le Joined me, then my flight from
Dresden would be considered as ara
lopement, and should escape q llv-
ng death in madhousei Monsieur
iron was at that moment my ONLY
riend; and it was for that reason tb.t