The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-03-18

10 be the rule Ill HIuSSld.
My growing disgust at the whole
business was brought to a point by
a characteristic jeer of the Crown
Prince himself, who pleasantly COM
plimented me on the emptiness of my
rooms, and the vanity of my ambl-
htion.
The Kaiser Mortified
Want to introduce boxing among
army officers, do you. Slim :" he
Knocked. Don't you know that papa
was Disguised by that film and says
boxing is only fit for Englishmen and
niggers."
L discovered that at private eXhi-
bition of the film of the Johnson
Jefiries match the Kaiser damned the
show by leaving long before it was
finished, expressing himself as horrl-
fled at the presentation of the victory
of a, black man over a white one.
1 decided to take the quickest way
of getting out of the Hof Sporting
Club. with it's collection Of swagger-
ing. impecunious Prussian officers.
did so. and the club ceased to exist
was afterwards told that it had
come under the ban of the Kaiser
himself because he had been told
that in it were arranged the prelim'
inaries of a fatal duel by two army
officers concerning the Countess Ina
Won Bassewitz, the very beautiful
court lady who was then something OF
a notoriety in Berlin. That, was OF
course, quite untrue, since such a
thing as the arrangement of a due
could not have taken place there very
without NV knowing it.
Such al duel was fought, I believe
and the participant credited by Der
lin gossip with emerging victorious
was a member of the club. Counties
Won Bassewitz was sister of one o
the most prominent members of tn
club, and was well-known to be thu
object OF Prince Oscars intense ad
miration. Later, he contracted {
rnorganatic marriage with her. and
suppose this set of condolences, o,
circumstances caused the club to b.
connected with the gossip about thu
duel
If any covert meaning lay behint
the jeer of the Crown Prince whicl
I did not believe at the time and still
find very hard to credit may hav
been very free talk was held on tn
manager was an Englishman.
Driving to a War"
Perhaps the freest discussion tina
ever took place there was due to tn
outspoken words of Prince Won Beu
low, who came in with the Italia
Diplomat, Count Lambertenghi, whor
/ have already mentioned, and talke
over the agadir crisis with Cour
Montgelas, Count Bassewitz, and 9th
ers.
"Slim is an Englishman, and under
stands German we'll" said Count Bat
dessin, noticing me standing.
'Englishmen will yet have to hea
and mark what 1 am saying" reptile
the Prince, with a genial nod to m
and pursued his argument. He sait
"Our present Kaiser may be able I
restrain himself under these provocs
tions from the French and the Ems
lish, but in the next reign there wi
not be so much restraint show
Events are surely driving to war
the West"
He was reminded by one of h
hearers. all OF whom heard him wit
restrained respect, that the Kais,
had often expressed himself as mo
friendly to England and unwilling
quarrel with our country.
''Who should remember that bett
than II" asked Won Beulow, alludir
to the well-known fact that his fa
from the Chancellorship was the q
rect outcome of the famous 1nrervle
given by the Kaiser to the LondC
Daily Telegraph.
''The danger of these ebuIlitions
the Emperor in search of Engli
friendship" he went on, sis that tn
represent neither his Majesty's CO
slant attitude of mind nor the Sen
= Of the rule of the German Empil
They are dangerous excursions
amiability out of which territ
misunderstanding must one d
arise
But the greatest Englishmen a
equally friendly to Germany" t
Italian put in.
''They say So" replied the Prince
but we should be gravely mistak
if we did not look deeper than t
surface of their words. Mere amiab
ity cannot hope to contend foreN
against so gigantic clash of intere,
as that developing between that
Germany and Great Britain
This was the substance OF a 10
conversation carried on openly in
presence, which produced more eff,
upon me than the usual tire;
against England, to which I had ]
come thoroughly accustomed. Prir
Won Bulow, though no longer Cha
cellor, was frequently spoken of
my hearing as the greatest livi
German statesman, so that his wol
Rad an entirely different sgnifical
from these of the monocled young
ficers who so constantly boosted
what would happen to England WI
'the Day" should com
Prince Henry and King George
Another conversation 1 rememt
because the subject was the strC
friendship which was supposed to
list between our own King George g
Prince Henry of Prussia One of