American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-07-17


In a somewhat curious manner
I CHANGED to be l~unching at the Es-
planade In Berlin, chatting with La
rogue of the French embassy. Our
hostess was Frau Breitenbach, a
wealthy Jewess-a woman who came
from Dortmund-and who vas spend
ing money like water in order to
, wriggle into Berlin society. As per-
sonal adjutant Of the row prince, l
was. Of course. one of the principal
guests, and I suspected that she was
angling for a card of invitation to the
next ball at the Marmor palace.
Frau Breitenbach was lunching with
sixteen guests at one big, round table,
her daughter Elise, a very smartly
dressed girl of nineteen, seated oppo-
site to her. 1t was a merry party, In
Guiding. as it did, some Of the most
renowned persons in the empire, among
them being the imperial chancellor,
Bethmann-HOllweg, and hat grand
~seigneur, who was a favorite at court,
the multimillionaire serene highness,
Prince Macmillan Egon zu Fuersten-
berg. Of the latter it may be said that
no man rivaled his influence with the
emperor. What he said was law In
Germany.
Fuerstenberg was head Of the ia
nous princes trust" now dissolved,
but at that time, with its capital of
S60O,000,0O0, It was a great force In the
German commercial world. Indeed,
such a boon companion was he Of the
kaiser's that an august but purely dec
orative and ceremonial place was actu-
ally invented for him as colonel mar
shall Of the Prussian court, an excuse
to wear a gay uniform and gorgeous
decorations, as befitted a man who,
possessing a hundred millions, was an
important asset to the emperor In his
deep-laid scheme for world power.
Young Man Across the Room.
That merry luncheon party was the
prologue of a very curious drama. A:
we chatted I noticed that far acros:
the crowded room, at a table set in {
window, there sat alone a dark-haired
sallow, ~good-looking young civilian
who was eating his lunch in a rather
bored manner, yet his eyes were lxeC
straight upon Elise Breitenbach, a.
though she exercised over him SOM
strange fascination.
Half a dozen times I glanced across
and on each occasion saw that tn
young man had 10 eyes for the no
tables around the table, his gaze beini
fixed upon the daughter of the grea
1nancier.
Somehow I felt a distinct belief tina
y tie young civilians face was familla
to me. It was not the first time I hat
seer him. vet I could not recall the cir
cumstances in which we had met.
Two nights later I dined with tn
B%reitenbachs at their fine house in tn
Alsenstrasse. The only guest beside
myself was the Countess Won Basse
WITT, and after dinner Frau Breiter
bach took the countess aside to tall
while I wandered with her daughte
into the winter garden, with its hig
palms and gorgeous exotics, that Ovel
looked the gardens of the Austrian en-
bassy.
When the man had brought us col
fee, the pretty Elise commenced I
question me about life at the crow
princes court.
How intensely interesting 1t mu:
be to be personal adjutant to tn
crown prince Mother Is dying to e
a command 10 one of the receptions 6
Potsdam,' the girl said. "Only toda
she was wondering-well. whether 20
could possibly use your influence
that direction"
In an instant I saw why I had bee
invited to dinners and luncheons {
often.