“KING EVER-MERRY.”

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1685, 15 June 1904, Page 37 (Supplement)

“KING EVER-MERRY.”

A' visiT TO H.M.S. PSYCHE, WHILE LYING IN WELLINGTON HARBOUR

Berlin has been startled by the tragic death of Herr Kammsetzer, of the Winter Garden, the largest German music hall. He was well-known to all English and American artists and in the theatrical world generally He took his life by shooting himself last Sunday at his home in Berlin. As he had lived, so he

died—“ever-merry.” This peculiarity of always looking on the bright side of life and other qualities less commendable had earned for him the nickname of “Konig limner Lustig” (“King Evermerry”), la name originally invented for Jerome Bonaparte, who once ruled the kingdom of Westphalia. When he became a director of the Winter Garden, Herr Kammsetzer began a wild life. The papers which look after the interests of actors and actresses soon found it necessary to p-otest against his me-

thods. They accused him of making a wrong use of his authority as director of the largest German variety theatre. It was particularly alleged against him that pretty performers were compelled to appear at orgies which “Konig Immer Lustig” used to provide for his admirers and friends among the gilded youth. Two English dancers finally complained to the proprietors of the Winter Garden of the manager’s conduct, and charges against him began to accumulate rapidly. One day last

month Kammsetzer’s wife was to have arrived from Dresden, and her husband sent a servant to meet her at the station. As soon as he was alone he opened a bottle of old burgundy and took one last long drink. Then he placed a revolver against his temple and fired. As he fell he overturned the bottle, and when his wife entered the room a few minutes later “King Elver-merry” lay dead on the floor his blood mingling with the red wine.