Williams news., 1917-08-23
AND CROWN PRINCE AS


what had occurred.
 T went out quickly, and well, I don't know what happened" he told me soon after dawn, as he lay in bed. Strangely enough, he made no mention of the man, Karl Krahl.
 Later on he summoned the Countess von kienitz, and for twenty minutes or so he had an animated discussion With her. Being outside the room, how ever, l was unable to hear distinctly. Well, l succeeded, by bribes and threats, in flushing up the whole affair and keeping it out of the papers, while by those who knew of the incident it was soon forgotten.
 Karl KrahI Again.
 I suppose it must have been fully three months later when one evening, having taken some documents over to the emperor for signature at the Berlin schloss, l returned to the princes pri- vate room in the palace, when, to my great surprise, I found the man Karl krahl seated there. He looked very pale and worn, quite unlike the rather athletic figure he presented at the for
 
 If you still refuse to tell me the truth, then I shall take my own meas ureS to find Out-severe measures! So give you full warning" the crown prince was declaring angrily, as I en. tered so unexpectedly.
 I did not withdraw, pretending not to notice the presence of a visitor, therefore his highness himself beck oned the young man, who followed him down the corridor to another room.
 The whole affair was most puzzling. What had happened on that afternoon in the Harz mountains could not at all imagine. By what means had his highnesS been rendered unconscious, and what part could the little old countess have played in the curious affair?
 In about half an hour the crown prince returned in palpably bad hu. nor and, finging himself into his chair, wrote a long letter, which he addressed to Countess von Kienitz This he sealed carefully and ordered me to take 1t at once to the Stuler- StrasSe and deliver it to her person. ally.
 '"The countess left for Stockholm this morning." I was informed by the bearded manservant. "She left by the eight o'clock train and has already left Sassnitz by now."
 "When do you expect her to re. turn?"
 The man did not know.
 On going back to his highness and telling him of the countess departure, he bit his lip and then smiled grimly
 'That internal old woman has left Germany and will never again put her foot upon our soil, Heltzendorff," he said. "You may open that letter. Ii will explain something which I know must have mystified you.''
 did so. And as read what he had written I held my breath. Truly it did explain nuch.
 What the Crown Prince Told Me.
 Imposing the strictest silence upon me, the crown prince then revealed how utterly he and the crown princess had been misled, and how very narrow ly he had escaped being the victim of a cunning plot to effect his death.
 The little old Countess von Kemtz had, it seemed, sworn to avenge the degradation and dismissal of her son, who had been in the famous Deaths Head Hussars. She had secretly traced the crown prince as author of against him, the underlying motive being jealousy. With that end in view she had slowly wormed her way into his highness' confidence, and to him Karl Krahl, a neu. rotic young Saxon who lived in Lon don, and who pretended he had un- earthed plot against the kaiser him. self.
 'It was to tell me the truth concern ing the conspiracy that Krahl came to me in secret at Ballenstedt. He re mained with me for half an hour, when, to my great surprise, we were joined by the countess. The story they told me of the plot against the en- peror was a very alarming one, and l intended to return at once to Berlin. The countess had left to walk back to he schloss, when presently we heard l woman's scream-her voice-and we both went forth to discover what was n progress. As ran along little dis ance behind Krahl, suddenly what like thin glass globe struck ne in the chest and burst before my ace. It had been thrown by an un- nown hand and, on breaking, must lave emitted some poisonous gas which was intended to kill me, but which happily failed. Until yesterday he whole affair was a complete mys- cry, but Krahl has now confessed that he countess conceived the plot, and hat the hand that had thrown the lass bomb was that of her son, who ad concealed himself in the bushes or the purpose"
 Though, of course, I hastened co ongratulate his highness upon his for