Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-08-09
MT ERNST Won t1ELTZENDORFF TO WILLIAM LEQUEJW

so often been addreSSed-the kaiser
broke off short in his conversation.
Turning to me as he still sat at his
Uttered table, he said In that quick,
impetuous way of his:
"Count Heltzendorff, the crown
prince has Informed me of what has oc-
Cured this evening in the Lenne-
strasse. [ wish you to convey this at
once to Count Won Leutenberg and to
give 1t into his own hand. There is no
reply"
And his majesty handed me rather
bulky envelope addressed In his own
bold handwriting, and bearing his own
private cipher impressed in black wax.
Thus commanded, I bowed, with
drew, and took taxicab straight to
the Lennestrasse, being ushered by Jo-
SET into the presence Of husband and
wife in that same room I had quilted
couple of hours before.
l handed the count the packet the
emperor had given me, and with trem-
bling fingers he tore 1t open.
From within he drew three letters,
those same letters which his wife had
written to London, and which had been
intercepted by the secret service-the
letters which I had read In his high
ness room.
AS he scanned the lines which the
emperor had penned his face blanched
A loud cry of dismay escaped his wife
as she recognized her own letters, and
she snatched the note from her bus
bands hand and also read 1t.
"TeII His Majesty His Command Shall
Be Obeyed."
The light died instantly from her
beautiful countenance. Then, turning
to me, she said in a hoarse, hopeless
tone:
THANK you, Count Won Heltzen-
dorff. Tell his majesty the emperor,
that his command shall be-yes, II
shall be obeyed."
Those last words she spoke In o
deep, hoarse whisper, a strange, wild
look of desperation in her blue eyes.
An hour later I reported again at
the imperial palace, was granted au.
dience Of the emperor, and gave him
the verbal reply.
His majesty uttered no word. mere
~ nodding his head slowly In approval
Next afternoon a painful sensation
was caused throughout Berlin when
the "Abendpost" published the news
that Count Won Leutenberg, the man
so recently promoted by the emperor
and his pretty wife had both been
found dead in their room. During the
night they had evidently burned some
papers, for the finder was found In the
stove, and having agreed to die to-
gether, they being so much attached
during life, they had both taken prus
sic acid in some wine, the bottle and
half-emptied glasses being still upon
the table.
The romantic affair, the truth OF
which [ here reveal for the first time
was regarded by all Berlin as an in.
applicable tragedy. The public are
still unaware Of how those intercepted
letters contained serious warnings to
the British government of the EN-.
perOrs hostile intentions towards Brit.
ain, and the probable date of the out.
break Of war. Indeed, they recounted
a private conversation which the coun.
tess had overheard between the kaiser
and Count Zeppelin, repeating certain
opprObrious epithets which the all.
highest had bestowed upon one or two
British statesmen, and she also point.
ed out the great danger Of a pending
rupture between the two powers, as
we'll as explaining some details, re-
garding the improved Zeppelins In
course of construction secretly or
Lake Constance, and certain scandals
regarding the private life of the crown
prince.
Thus the well meant warnings OF
an honest Englishwoman never
reached the unsuspicious address tc
which they were sent, and thus die
"Willie"-who, as 1 afterward discov
cred, devised that subtle vengeance
act as the emperor's catspaw.
copyright, 1917, by William LeQueux)