BERLIN COURT SCANDAL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1265, 28 May 1896, Page 9

BERLIN COURT SCANDAL.

oTHE STORY OF THE FAMOUS KOTZE CASE. FATAL DUEL. From Our Special Correspondent. London, April IS. The Kotze scandal, which has just terminated in a fatal encounter between two officers of high rank, created nearly as big a stir in the “dear Fatherland” as the famous Osborne case did in Great Britain a few years ago, and for the time being everyono is denouncing the barbarous custom of duelling. But the agitation is middle-class and only skin-deep, whereas tho laws of honour of which the duel is an outcome are mediaeval, aristocratic and above all hereditary. You might as well try and prevent young Britons from using their fists as young Germans from duelling. The papers call for an Imperial pronouncement against the practice. They are very unlikely to get it, and precious little good would it be to them if they did. The ingrained habit of centuries couldn’t be stamped out by a word even though that word wero tho Kaiser’s. All the parties concerned in this unhappy business are of high rank and attached to the Court circle of Berlin. In the winter of 1892 a leader of fashion in the German capital gave a sleighing party, followed by a dance. Next day many ladies who had been present received grossly insulting anonymous letters charging them with misbehaviour on tho occasion. Each person, believing herself alone concerned, told her husband or father, as the case might be. Presently, however, it transpired that epistles of the sort wero pouring into Court circles, and that the names of numerous grandes dames of first rank were taken in vain. The Emperor was furious, and police spies set to work to unearth tho slanderous scoundrel. Eventually, with tho aid of Freiherr von Schrader, who producod important corroborative evidence, Her von Kotze, a distinguished officer and Minister of tho Crown, was implicated. Tho Kaiser, on hearing the charge, declared Kotze, if guilty, should be punished like an ordinary criminal, and lie was forthwith arrested as he was preparing to attond in his official capacity the ceremony of laying tho foundation stono of the Berlin Evangolhin Cathedral. After being socially boycotted for nine months, and having during a part of that period suffered imprisonment, the official was acquitted by the Military Court, the enquiry having been held with closed doors. On the morning of the publication of the acquittal, as ho was socially bound to do, according to the code of honour in Germany, ho challenged his chief calumniator, Baron von Reischach, a member of the household of tho Empress Frederick. The duel took placo on Easter Eve, and Herr von Kotze was slightly wounded and taken to the hospital. The next morning ho received the congratulations of the Kaiser and an Easter egg, composed of flowers, as a social whitewashing, together with the felicitations of the Hereditary Princess of Saxe Meiningen, His Majesty’s sister. The other nine duels which German honour required Herr von lvotzo to fight wero happily prohibited, so that his certain death was avoided. Subsequently, however, he committed the offence, unpardonable for a Prussian officer, of bringing an action of law before a Civil Court for calumny against Herr von Schrader, and tho Military Court appointed to consider this outrageous infringement of military etiquette decided, after lengthy proceedings, that ho should havo his uniform takenjfrom him, and thus be declasse. The Kaiser, however, would not confirm the decision and merely gave Kotze a “warning.” The civil case against Schrader never came off, but it has long been known that Herr von Kotze would bo forced to challenge Schrader. The conditions under which the duel was fought wore exceptionally severe, namely, ten paces distant, both combatants to fire together at tho word of command of the umpire, and the duel to continue until one of the combatants should be totally disabled. All efforts made to effect a reconciliation beforo the duel proved of course futile, as did an endeavour to moderato tho conditions. The duel took place at 7.30 in the morning. Only one shot was exchanged, and the wounded man was removed unconscious from the scene of action. Major-General von Bissing, the Commander of the 4th Cavalry Brigade, was Schrader’s second. Von Schrader died after long hours of pain on Saturday night. He was all the time fully aware of his state, and declared repeatedly that he was ready to die. He took heart-rending leave of his wife and children, and hound his son once more by promise not to acet pt a challenge from Herr von Kotze. Piom the moment lie knew that he was to fight Herr von Kotz, the deceased was filled with forebodings of death, and when a friend remarked that chance played a great part in duels ho replied—“ We both fall, or I alone.” Tho inner voice did not deceive him. He fell the victim of a mysterious affair which is to-day still as dark as over. THE DUELLING QUESTION. Another correspondent writes under date Berlin April IS : The party of the Centre in tho Reichstag have decided to put some questions to Chancellor von Hohenloho in regard to tho recent German duels, and ask' to be informed what measures the Government proposes to take to prevent similar encounters in tho future. The question will also be raised in the Prussian Landtag. This movement of the Centrists finds support in the highest social quarters, and is also championed by all of the leading Berlin and provincial newspapers. It is significant that a journal of the character of the Cologne Gazette, in a series of articles on the subject, deplores the injury to its prestige which tho court continues to suffer from its supposed symjpatbj 7 with

duelling, and appeals to the Emperor to intervene and rigorously put a stop to the practice. The increasing public agitation against duelling has prevented a series of duels which were expected to arise out of the Kotze-Schrader affair. The meeting which was arranged between Barons Lancken and Hahn has been stopped, and several other impending encounters are off. Lieberecht von Kotze and bis family have left Berlin for the south of Europe. Their exact destination is kept secret. A majority of those who are fully informed as to the inner side of the quarrel between Yon Kotze and Von Schrader consider the death of the latter as a kind of Gottesgericht (judgment of God). When the scandal was first bruited, in the summer of 1594, Schrader was designated in the United Press despatches as the orginator of tho trouble which resulted in Kotze’s long string of misfortunes, bis unjust imprisonment under the order of the Emperor, and his subsequent private trial and release with a tainted name, amounting to social and official death. Schrader was Kotze’s accuser, and remained his bitter enemy even when the latter’s innocence had been proved. The newspapers allege that Schrader addressed a letter to the Emperor prior to the duel, endeavouring to clear himself of any share in the scandal, but it cannot be learned that any such letter exists.

There has also been a complete change in tho attitude of the Emperor. For a long time His Majesty placed the greatest reliance upon Schrader, but latterly ho turned against him, and his studied contempt for him was shown by his omission to send a wreath to his funeral, and his refusal to permit tho use of the Friedrichskirche or the Garrisonkirchc at Potsdam for the deceased Master of Ceremonies. In spite of the stand which tho Emperor had taken, however, a largo contingent of court society testified their respect for tho dead duellist. Tho Empress Frederick, though very strong in her condemnation of the practice of duelling, sent to the family of Baron von Schrader a message of sympathy and condolence, and also sent a wreath of roses to bo placed upon tho coffin. Empress Frederick was lampooned in the alleged Kotze letters, and still looked upon Schrader as a sort of champion. Wreaths were also sent by Duke Ernest Gunther of Schleswig-Holstein, brother of tho Empress ; Prince and Princess Aribert cf Anhalt, Prince and Princess Albert of Sachsen-Altenburg, Prince and Princess Frederick of Ilolienzollern, tho Grand Duke of Oldenburg, and other members of tho court circle. Tho body of Baron von Schrader was taken on Thursday to Ratzburg, the family seat. Tho parish clergyman refused to give the body a Christian burial, and Court Chaplain Wendlandt officiated in his place. The Ratzenburg veterans fired a volley over his grave. The delay in taking any action against Von Kotze for tho killing of Von Schrader has created a widespread suspicion that the authorities are desirous that the popular feeding against duelling shall abato before any application is made to the law, not wishing to brand tho custom as an absolute offence. In support of this idea it is observed that tho Hamburger Nachrichten, Prince Bismarck’s organ, in an article on tho subject, indicates a certain reaction in favour of tho practice, contending that the higher classes cannot wholly abandon tho usage, which has a distinctive social value.

It begins to appear possiblo that the power of public opinion in Germany may, after all, accomplish something toward the suppression of duelling. Even tho Conservative press, which, with a few exceptions, failed at first to condemn tho KotzeSchrader duel, is beginning to change ground. It has been decided to bring tiie matter before the Reichstag either in the form of an interpellation addressed to tho Imperial Chancellor, or of a resolution of the Centro Party, which, always on Christian Catholic grounds, has sot its face against duelling. If this is unsatisfactory the Freiiinnigo Union will move a resolution calling on tho Governments of tho German States to use every means in their power to crush duelling, especially among officers of tho army. Action in the Reichstag will probably bo taken next week. It is believed that an attack will also be made on the recent exercise of clemency by the Crown in cases were duellists were punished by imprisonment in a fortress.