Royalty Implicated, Oakes Times (Article, January 1908)
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ROYALTY IMPLICATED
Name of Kaiser's Sister Brought Into Harden Libel Case.
TOLD OF COURT CAMARILLA
Princess Charlotte von Saxe-Meningen Gave the Accused Editor Information Concerning "the Group Near the Person of the Emperor."
Berlin, Dec. 31.--The name of Princess Charlotte von Saxe-Meningen, the eldest sister of Emperor William, was brought into the Harden-Von Moltke libel case as the person who had supplied Maximilian Harden with the information concerning the Zu Eulenburg "group" near the person of the emperor, upon which Harden based his campaign against the so-called camarilla.
Harden had two meetings with the princess, seemingly at her request. Professor Schweninger, who was present at these interviews, gave a brief account of them in a deposition. General Count Wilhelm von Hohenau was mentioned at these meetings, but no reference was made to Count Kuno von Moltke.
Princess Charlotte and the emperor have been on cool terms for several years. The late Prince Bernhard, husband of the princess, was long opposed to the influence of Prince Philip [zu?] Eulenburg at court. It is apparent that the princess did not forget this feud and that she has been instrumental in ruining Zu Eulenburg's reputation and his consequent loss of favor with the emperor.
When court resumed Harden appeared to be very weak, while Count Kuno von Moltke was exceedingly cheerful and keenly interested in the proceedings. The evidence of Professor Schweninger, who was physician to the late Prince von Bismarck, was read to the court. The professor declared that he had no ill feeling against Von Moltke in spite of the coolness existing between the count and Mrs. Schweninger. Harden, the professor set forth, had met the hereditary Princess of Saxe-Meiningen twice in his presence in the course of visits at Schweneck. On one of these occasions the princess talked about General Count Wilhelm von Hohenau and expressed her sorrow that "such degeneracy should occur in high circles."
Of Political Significance Only.
Professor Schweninger deposed that he was very much astonished when, following the appearance of the articles in Die Zukunft, the excitement against Harden broke out. He could not understand the reason, as the articles were not intended to have a personal, but only a political significance.
Continuing, Professor Schweninger says he considered Mrs. von Elbe, the divorced wife of Count von Moltke, to be mentally sound and not likely to suffer illusions. He consequently believed her original assertions. She had related many incidents of the count's violence in which he appeared to be blameable.
The state then introduced witnesses whose testimony tended to discredit Mrs. von Elbe. Baroness Swassen gave testimony to the effect that Mrs. von Elbe, during her first marriage with Von Kruse, acted dissolutely; she mentioned various details.
Countess Dancelmann swore to circumstances detrimental to Mrs. von Elbe and to Count von Moltke's enthusiastic admiration of his fiancee during their engagement.
Count Kuno von Moltke himsel then took the stand. He declared that he had hardly slept for two months. He rejected the statement that he habitually used cosmetics to beautify his appearance, but said he was in the habit of using smelling salts. He explained the notorious handkerchief incident by declaring that owing to the jealousy of his wife he refrained for several weeks from visiting Zu Eulenburg's house, although his office was in the building. After a scene with his wife one day he picked up a handerkerchief belonging to Zu Eulenburg and kissed it in an affectionate manner to see whether or not this would provoke an outbreak of jealousy from the countess.
Mr. Magnus Hirschfeld, who at the last trial swore that Von Moltke was abnormal, was severely cross-examined and withdrew his previous statements.
