Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-04-14
TEMPER WRECKS
DOMESTIC BLISS
Of FORMER KAISER
Princess Hermine Leaves
Doom Castle for SiIesia,
Change in ExiIed German
Comes Suddenly
BY GEORGE WITTE

Especial Cable to The Atlanta Journal and
Chicago Daily News-Copyright 1921
BERLIN, April 12.-The matri-
monial bliss of ex-Kaiser Wilhelm
and Princess Hermine lasted exact.
ly one month. Three months of do
nestle guerilla warfare followed,
then three weeks of separation under
the same roof. and now five hun
Z dred miles are between William II
and his bride of five months ago.
THANK God 1 am rid of her!"
the eX-kaiser cried out in front Of
the servants at the house at Doom,
when a month ago Hermine locked
herself up in her apartments, which
she never left until she packed her
trunks and went to her Silesian cas-
tie ten days ago.
These facts. became known today
when Baron Hans Henning Won
Stechow, an intimate friend of the
former crown princess. tore asundeT
the veil of lies and legends with
which the former monarchs exile
wedding last November.
THE roots Of the rupture at
Doom may be found in the rejuve-
nation treatment to which the ex-
kaiser subjected himself during the
weeks preceding the wedding" the
baron said in an interview
According to what the ex-crown
princess and the physician of the
former kaiser say, certain kind
Of medicine which he took in the
form of pills completely undermined
the kaiser's health. Either William
partook too freely of these pills or
their effect was just the opposite
OF what he desired. At any rate,
scarcely one month had passed after
the ex-kaiser's second marriage
when he became irritable, nervous
jumpy and shaky.
Change Is Sudden
After while it got so bad that
the whole household was in fear
and trembling all the time. Within
few weeks William had changed
from pink-cheeked,4 mild-mannered,
/ gray-haired sexagenarian into a
! haggard, hot.ten1pered octogenarian.
Now deep burrows line the ex-
kaiser's face; his eyes have become
hollow and restless and his hair has
turned snow-white. Apparently he
has lost all self-control. He goes UP
in the air for no reason whatever.
1t has happened time and again for
instance that. in the course of a
meal he would pick up a piece of
bread and throw it in the face of a
servant without any excuse for it.
1T was the ex-kaiser's complete
disregard for her self-respect and
/. his growing dislike of her three chill.
dren that finally caused Hermine to
/, keep away from him.
when she first brought her chill
dren to Doom their stepfather took
kindly interest in them or at least
pretended to do so. After his ner-
Vous breakdown he began to show
an intense dislike for them and this
now appears to have turned into out
right hatred. He could not bear to
have them within sight and they
became so frightened of him that
naturally. they kept away. During
the last week of their stay at DoorK
they used to play in the yard be-
tween the hunting lodge at the en-
trance to the castle and the castle
itself, never daring to go near the
big garden which lies back of the
castle.
The Separation
MANY scenes resulted from the
ex-kaiser's unreasonable behavior,
often in front of the servants. much
to Hermine's disgust. Early in
March this unhappy situation came
to d head. Both the ex-kaiser's and
Hermine's health had suffered so
greatly under the continual strain
that the doctors insisted that they
must separate. For three weeks
Hermine stayed in her rooms. She
sent the following note to the ex.
kaiser in accordance with the tradi-
tional ceremony which is still in ex.
istence in Doom:
account of her poor health and act
ing on medical advice will be pre-
vented for considerable time from
seeing her illustrious husband
"Hermine left Doom about two
weeks ago, supposedly on an eight
weeks trip to her estates in Silesia
as agreed on in her marriage con-
tract with the ex-kaiser. Just what
will happen next it is hard to say.
Divorce proceedings are considered
to be out of the question. Hermine.
who has put up a brave front right
along, may even return to Doom
after her eight weeks are up just
to keep up appearances and avoid
scandal. But so far as a harmoni-
GUS MARI ed life is concerned that is
ali oVsr,"
Pastor Vogel, of Potsdam who
performed the wedding ceremony at
Doom last November, and recently
who returned from a trip to Hol-
land, confirms this story.
1.-The ex-kaiser," he says, has suf-
fered nervous breakdown end has
aged perceptibly. At present he is
working on book about the Bible"
D1,e+,no Do,,Jou