The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-07-19
KA|SER'S
SON IS
. SUICIDE
= yce Joachim Sends Bullet
Ito His Breast at End of
a Drunken De-
bauch.
WIFE DESERTED HIM
Friends Say Love AFFAIR is Reason,
While Brother Calls It
Psychic Disturb
WIFE DESERTED HIM
-
Him
by Carl d. Groat, United Press Stafr
Correspondent

BY Carl d. Groat, United Press Stafr
/ Correspondent
! BERLIN, July 19.-Prince Joachim,
sixth and youngest of the ex-kaiser's
sons, committed suicide by shooting
himself in the breast as he lay in bed
tat the Villa Liegnitz, in Sansouci
park, Saturday, as result of brood
ling over his wife's desertion and ef-
! fects of drunken debauch on Friday
night, according to belief here today.
| Joachim died at one o'clock Sunday
morning
| Prince Eitel Fried ich, the only one
of the ex-kaiser's sons now in Berlin,
| issued a formal statement declaring
! lsoachiiG i sGicide was the festiit OF
| psychic disturbance caused by the
pressure of events and personal diff
culties."
Friends of the dead prince declared
ithe suicide to be a. love tragedy. They
omitted to mention that he had re-
turned to his villa from Berlin Friday
night, staggering into a second class
waiting room at the Potsdam railway
station where he called loudly for
beer He introduced himself to the
waiter as Prince Joachim, of Prussia,
and said he had no railway ticket and
no money He was allowed to leave
the restaurant by the entrance in
stead of the turnstile at the exit
where he would have lad to pay for
his meal and beer.
There was persistent and appar-
entity well founded rumor that he had
contracted heavy gambling debts.
Joachim will be buried Tuesday
from the F,riedrichskirche at Potsdam.
Eitel Friedrich refused to comment
on his brothers death, blrt his aide,
Colonel Won Steuben, declared moth
ling but the bare announcement Of
Joachim's death could be made as
the rest was family secret. Colonel
Won Steuben wept as he discussed the
suicide
A servant al the villa I.iegnitz,
where the prince had been staying.
said:
ut was truly love tragedy. Els
wife left him for an unknown rea son.
He was also worried about his
mothers health"
Joachim died in the arms of hos
lpital doctors. At first every effort
was made to cover up the cireum-
stances of his suicide. The doctor in
charge told even high officials who
inquired that it was an "autoraobile
case"
The prince was born December II,
1890, in the imperial palace at Berlin
and was educated at the princes
school at Plon and later at Heidel-
berg university. When the war broke
out, he was an officer of frontier
guards on the French border
Shortly after outbreak of hostfi.
tics, It was reported that he had been
wounded His mother personally
nursed him back to health and
pinned the iron cross on his breast.
When revolt followed defeat Of the
German armies in Novemger, 1913, it
was reported Joachim might succeed
his father as emperor. Most members
of the imperial family fed Berlin, but
Joachim stayed During the revolu-
ton in February 1919, led by Won
Kapp, Joachim was thrown into Jail
in connection with certain intri-
gues- and held until March Is.
Joachim was married March II,
1916, to Princess Marie Augustine Of
Anhalt, daughter of Prince Edward
of Anhalt, one of the chief principal
ties. The princess was then only
seventeen years old and the prince
twenty-five. The couples first child,
son, was born December Is, 1916.
The prince and princess were d.
vorced early this year.
Joachim recently brought a libel
suit against book publisher who
brought out pamphlet entitled "The
Married Life of a Prince which
Joachim declared exposed his private
life
Hard work may not bring you
1roa1th nor h rnirass- or r,,nr but