COURT BANK SCANDAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8120, 20 September 1904, Page 2

COURT BANK SCANDAL.

9 KAISERIFS BROTHER CALLS FOR IJN VESICATION. "What has become of the £17,500 ere-' dited to the account of 'X' in, the books of the defunct Pomeranian Bank?" This is the question which was being discuffied in every German, newspaper at the beginning of last month. It will be remembered that Herren Schultz and Romeicke. the directors , of that institution, were recently sentenced to several years' imprisonment, having been convicted of ruining the bank by fraudulent practices. It was elicited during the trial that the sums credited to the accou.it of "K" were the bank'a contributions to the Kaiserin'-s church building funds.' In return for this beneficence Schultz had been awarded the title of Privy Councillor, while the title of Court Bank was specially created for tbe now bankrupt conoern. Very large sums were thus paid over to Count Mirbach, her Majesty's Court Chamberlain, for all of which ho gave receipts.- The £17,500, however, the Count testified at the trial, he had never drawn from the bank, though his receipt was there. Herren Schultz and Romeicke assumed I an air of suggestive mystery which influ- ! enced the presiding Judge so much that he refrained from probing this extraordinary affair to the bottom. After the trial was ovei. all kinds of strange rumours regarding the missing money, involving exalted personages, reached the Press and were printed. . « Finally the scandal became so great that .tlie Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, the Empress's brother, sent a letter to the " Tageblatt," threatening proceedings against those papers which had . mentioned hi. name in connection with the mysterious payments by the Pomeranian Bank. The Duke also states' that he long ago warned Count Mirbach against the bank and the directors, whom he had always mistrusted. He concluded by saying that it is the im- | pei'ative duty of the authorities to clear up the mystery of the £17,500. M-->a-----anß-a->«i