PRINCE MAX.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12568, 4 March 1919, Page 4

PRINCE MAX.

EX-KAISER’S NEPHEW. A SECRET WORTH A MILLION. AVhen the Alayor of Caestra, a small town in the north-east of France, was asked to allow the remains of Prince Alas of Hesse to be removed from where they were buried to Germany, he demanded the payment of £1,000,600 as compensation tor tho damage the Germans had done to the district. The demand was not acceded to, aud the bones of tbe young nephew of tbe former Kaiser remain where the Alayor interred them secretly. An interesting arid grimly amusing story of the negotiations (says the A 1 elbourne “ Herald”) was told by Dr Charles Littlejohn, who. returned recently to Alelbounro after having served tor more than four years with the British Army. Dr Littlejohn joined the Royal Army Aledical Corps early in August, 1914, and immediately wont to Franco with the Second Cavalry Field Ambulance. In October that year there was a little cavalry fight at Mont des Cates, near Hazebrouck, in the north of France. The cavalry stormed Mont des Cates', -which was defended bv the Gorman Second Dragoons under Prince Max. Tho Prince was shot through the abdomen. He was carried to a Trappist monastery on the top of the hill near by, and was found there when the BriL ish secured possession of the hill. THE PRINCE’S DEATH. Dr Littlejohn did all he could for tho Prince, who was only nineteen years of age, and a .fine soldier, whoso noble bearing greatly impressed the doctor. Prince AI. ax died three hours after Dr Littlejohn first saw him. The doctor carried the body down to Caestre, at the foot of tbe biff, and handed it over to the. cure of the village to be buried. Subsequently the Queen of Greece, aunt of Prince Alax, communicated with Dr Littlejohn through the British War Office, and expressed great anxiety to know what had become of her nephewTiro doctor wrote to the Queen and gave her all the particulars. AIAYOR REAIOA r ES BODY. Sonic time after Dr Littlejohn left the Caestre district, permission was given for tho remains'of Prince Max to bo taken back to Germany. A deputation went to Caestre and asked the cure where the body of the Prince had been buried. The cure told thorn, but added that the Alayor of the town had had tlr 0 remains disinterred secretly and removed to a place known only to the Alayor and those who assisted in the removal. When the deputation waited on the Alayor, he told them that they could have the Prince’s bones if they paid 25,000.000 francs (fl,000,0110) as compensation for the damage the Gormans had done to tho village- The unexpected demand astonished trie deputation, tho members of which retired in confusionWhen Dr Littlejohn left Franco at the end of the war, he had not heard of the. Prince’s remains having been removed. Caestre was practically blotted out in later fighting, and the probabilities wore that the Mayor’s secret was still undisclosed,