Evening star., 1926-12-14
EX-KA|SER MAY
/ LIVE IN L0cARNO
Informed Profess to Know
! William Is Negotiating for
|. Purchase of Castle.
Correspondence of The Star and New York


ex-Kafser of Germany will eventually
make his home in this beautiful cor
ner of Italian Switzerland, where the
skies are always blue and the sun
most always shines, is the conviction
of people who ought to be ''in the
know" despite the denials which are
issued regularly from Berlin and Hol
land TO recurrent reports.
From, absolutely reliable sources II
Is learned that negotiations are in prog
ress for the purchase of beautifui
villa i'll the Rocabella vicinity, where
the crown prince has his estate. and
that it is intended to be the future
home of William of Doorn. The Ger
man negotiations have not disclosed
The identity of the prospective pur-
Chasers except to admit that they be-
longed to the HohenZollern family. 1t
has never been denied at Doom that
William woult prefer to live in Swift
Herland, provided consent could be
procured.
Another interesting deve'npment Is
the continued influx Of Ge mans into
the TeSSin, against which the Italians
so bitterly protested some time ago.
This denomination" has been going
oa ever since the crown prince took
mp his temporary abode at Villa Roca-
bella two years ago. Many OF the
Germans investing in Locarno prop
erty are eX-junkerS and monarchiStS,
profiteers and now refugees.
Locarno FOresees Growth.
That the cx-Kaiser should select
the scene of the Locarno treaties as
his future home is considered as
ironical Attempts have been made To
make Locaino a shrine" and "A rival
resort to Geneva for foreigners who
come to Switzerland. With its famous
Madonna del Sazzo. to which tEou-
sands of devout Catholics from Italy,
Germany. Austria and Switzerland
make pilgrimageS yearly. and the his
Torical Significa nces of the Locarn0 |
peace treaties. the municipality an
ticipates rapid growth in the near
future.
The climate is one of Locarno's |
greatest assets. 1t has year-round |
season, although the Fall and Spring /
are regarded as high season" The |
Winters are Venetian, and the sum |
ners are much coioer than the |
Riviera The beautiful Lake Mag /,
giore, half in Italy, half in Switzer- /!
land. with StreSa. Bayeno and the |
historic Rorromi Islands at the other |
end, furnishes direct line Of COM |
nlunication with the Simplon route, |
while the ST. Gothayd at the other
extremity Of the Canton of Tessin |
opens ur an artery for traffic from !
Germany. Austria. the Balkans and
the Near East
Hermine Fayors Change.
should the Kaiser establish his
entogra@e III Locarno. his court"
would faa n1usss1 more elaborate than
that maintained AZ Doorn. If Is s1ii.
The kaiseFin Efernaine. as his second
wife inS lets VI In teing addI egsszeI, Is
reported 10 be de1iniGely N favor OF
the move, and she eAercissas a power
ful influence upon her eX-resal spouse. |
The excrown prince recently had |
his fortune read three times in sue !
cession by an Italian woman, who is !
regarded here an infalliDle ex- |
ponent of black magic While a |
French woman seer recently foretoid |
that the ex-Kaiser would die OF in |
sanity and he ex-crown prince woulc |
be assa assinated SO that his son would 1
come TO the throne in Potsdam, the |
Italian reader Of palms Informed the |
scion Of the Hohenzollerns that he
himself would some day sit in the seat
of the almighty.
The ex-crown prince it was said
did not give any credence to the scoth-
sayer's predictions bur remarked that
her insight into his private pat was
almost miraculous. Local resi- ients OF
I4ocarno have implicit faith in the pre-
dictions of the fortune teller, how
ever.
Haven of Oppressed.
Inquiries at Berne thus far have
failed to divulge any definite informa-
ton as to the authenticity of the ex-
Kaiser's plans 1t was said that theirs
was no way by which he could be pre-
vented from acquiring property in
Switzerland ii he conformed with
existing laws. He is regarded as any
"a .ft nf N a.
sionality. So far as his status as
political refugee" is concerned, tha+
would benefit rather than hinder him,
since Switzerland is jealous of her ira
ditional reputation as haven for the
politically oppressed of all countries.
Should he enter Switzerland secretly
as one who has fed from exile in
Holland an extremely delicate inter
national problem would arise. He GER
tainIy would not be deported, 1t is
said.
On the other hand, it is reported
from Paris that the future OF the ex-
war lord will be made the subject of
discussions in the supreme council OF
ambassadors shortly. New pledges. 1t
is believed. will be procured from Hol-
land and Germany; from the former,
a spromise to prevent w liam from
fleeing Doom, since he was to have
pIedged his word to the Dutch gov
eminent that he will not leave the
country without informing it or his
Intended departure, and from Ger
many that it win not permit him to
set foot on the soil of the fatherland.
Reports Are Annoying.
considerable mystery surrounds the
report of Dutch gendarmes charged
with guarding Williams estate, that
should he wish TO depart they have
nd instructions TO prevent him. Also
!ts is rumored that the Dutch gov
? ernn1ent has said that he is bound by
no pledges TO it-and intimated that
they would be glad To rid themselves
of his presence. Should he once
leave it is said that he would not be
permitted to return except at the ex-
press request of the allies.
1lrom Berlin it is learned that Ger
man officials are distinctly annoyed"
whh the reports. SO far as the
Stfesemann government is concerned,
tlRg will have nothing to do with the
HGhenzollerns The exile OF the
10 i$er was Nelf-imposed.
The .ex-war veterans organizations,
inREtding the monarchists. have pub
liGyI branded their former commander
,n4chief as Il "deserter," a stigma
that even time cannot wash away
during the present generation. To
thu Dlea that Holland Winters are too
rigofous for his ex.majesty's health,
they reply that the Winters of the
WESTERN front have not been for
gotten.
Nevertheless, if the Tessinois gam
bled. the odds would be that Wilhelm
Will shortly be seen meath the
shadows of old Madonna del Sazzo.
HI ------~---s---~-----~----~-