South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-01-13
BEHIND THE SCENES
With Rulers and Leaders of Wartime Europe
By the Princess RddziWill
Copyright
Az INDEPENDEN T HoHENzoLLERN.
Copyright 1918

care. The history of France. together
with French literature. What he
learned from these researches filed
him with intense disgust for Prus-
sian arrogance. and he openly ex-
pressed has intention Of shaking
Prussian dust from his feet and Of
settling in France, where he used
90 make frequent visits under the
veil of a strict incognito. and where
ae meant TO buy a country estate
having already begun negotiations
70 that end when the present war
broke out.
or course. the fact that his cousin
was about 10 settle ia France had
been kept q profound secret from
Emperor VILLAIN though it seems
that Prince Frederick Leopold had
been made aware of his youngest
sons intention and had if not dis
approved Of it. at least not raised
any objections in regard TO its eXecu-
ton To tell the truth, he preferred
his boy TO be in a foreign country
rather than to idle his time in Ber-
lin. whose atmosphere ne did not
consider entirely wholesome for
young people blessed with a plethora
Of wealth. Perhaps he was never
made aware of the extent to which
his son had become imbued with
French sympathies, nor of the dis
approval with which he had come
20 regard German ways and German
kultur. But when the war broke
out things had TO change. and
young Leopold's plan crumbled into
dust, much TO his disgust.
Leopold openly expressed his con-
viction that the war had been
brought about by the ambition of
William H.. and that he alone was
I. responsible for its horrors In his
conversations with his friends in
Munich he has related that he has
seen with his own eyes instructions
written by the kaiser TO his generals.
in which were ordered the different
atrocities that have accompanied the
/ invasion Of Belgium by the German
armies. and he has even gone so far
as to say that there would never be
any peace in Germany, nor in
Europe, so long as the kaiser re-
NAMED on the throne. with the
power to plunge, according to his
francies, the whole of the world into
misery and distress.
The purpOrt of the different con-
versatiOns which he had held had
Of course, been duly reported to
Berlin, and the kaiser became furi-
Gus. He sent for Prince Leopold's
father and told him that he had to
| recall Immediately his son to Berlin
/ whence he would be dispatched to
/ the front But for once William IL
/ found his master, for his cousin
fatty refused to follow the direc-
| tons given TO him, replying that he
/ considered his son was doing very
well in Munich and that there ex-
\ listed no reason whatever for his
\ being compelled to choose another
4 residence.
Bafhed in his intentions, the
\ kaiser turned in another direction
and. having discovered the negotia-
tions which had, previous TO the
war, had been entered into by the
young Prince Leopold for the pur-
chase of property in France. he com.
manded his minister of the house
hold, Count Gutenberg, to declare
his young cousin incompetent L
manage his own property and q
put him under guardianship. Blu
here again things did not go a!
smoothly as had been expected. For
one thing. Prince Frederick Leopold
interfered, this time in earnest, say
ing that he recognized in no one tn,
right of saying how much money h,
ought or ought not 10 give his son
and the latter, aided ny a very cleve
lawyer DESTROYS of wininng for him
self the notoriety sure to attacl
itself 20 a man bold enough 4
bring a lawsuit AGAINST the sover
eigu. brought action against Coun
Eulenburg. TO whom he denied tn
right 10 mix himself up in purel.
private matters of the Prussial
royal family. He denied the re
proach of having shown himself ex
travagant in money matters, and h
said further that ne had spent on
million and n half as first paymen
on the estate which ne had intende,
TO buy in France; il had been don
previous to the war and at a tim
when no one could have suspects
that the kaiser would be ma
enough and criminal enough [
; plunge the whole of the world int
conflict whose issue no one coul
r predict. He further threatened I
disclose what he knew concernin
. the subject, and limited that the ex
tent OF his knowledge might com
? 10 stagEer the world and To furnis
the enemies of Germany with proof
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