BLACKMAILERS' ROYAL VICTIMS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 69, 17 April 1909, Page 3

BLACKMAILERS' R O YAL VICTIMS.

I 1N mW CASKS THEY HAVE TO : hi spite of all precautions (says a Home paper) no one more readily All* « victim to the blackmailer's ZZ 11 a member 0 f a. ISoyal House f hj, , J ' s to fight it out

! .The German Crown Prince is the latest v.et ; ni. When he was at Ploen ciuegt be st)uck up a friendship with a younJ German noble, Count Hochhe-rg, who w« «l-o a student at Ploen. TheMendsl," n™. 1 ' aft " r C0lle «" d «y w ere o>er, ami for some time letters were exchanged regularly.

Iho Count fell on evil davs, and had to emigrate to America, where he became chauffeur to a man named Barnes. After some time, he dropped his own name, and, having adopted that of Barnes, he vanished from the sight and' hearing of his friends.

hecentlv he has reappeared—with the Crown .Prince's letters. These be threatens to publish unless His Imperial Highness cares to buy them. The Prince's attitude resembles that of the Duke of Wellington in a similar situation: "Publish and be hanged!" He says there is nothing in the letters Jie wrote to Count Hochberg that is worth paying a penny lor.

UPSET HIS HORSE AND CART. Duke Francis Joseph of Bavaria had an unpleasant experience a short time ago •while out driving in his motor.

He was returning late one evening from Munich to Bamberg, where he is serving as a lieutenant in a Bavarian I'hlan regiment. As he drew near the village of Dorndorf, he saw, just ahead, a peasant's cart being driven along the wrong side of the road. He stopped the car and sounded the horn, but the peasant took no notice. Then, to the Prince's surprise, he doliberately forced his horse into the ditch and upset his cart. The Prince tried to pass the overturned cart, but the peasant stopped him, getting in the way of the ear, and sliouting out that the car had knocked his horse and cart into the ditch.

His Highness ordered the man to get out of the 'way, but he refused to move, and stood shouting for help. In a few minutes a crowd of people came running from the village, and the man volubly explained his version of what had happened. The Prince's protests were unheeded, and he and his chauffeur were dragged from the car and considerably mauled. The crowd became so threatening that the Prince promised to send them £3 if they would let him proceed. BROUGHT AN ACTION FOR BLACKMAIL. The ringleader, however, compelled the Prince to write, 'by the light of the car lamps,.a promise that he would send .tli within three days for the damage sustained by the cart. Still, the peasants were unsatisfied and clamored fo! more. "If you don't give more," one of them shouted, "you can sit there all night." The Prince tried to start the car, but it was useless, and it was only after he had distributed several pounds amongst the obstructionists that he was allowed to go, after having been kept there nearly tliree hours. He brought an action for blackmail against four of the peasants,-and they were each sentenced to two years' imprisonment.

Recently King Leopold of Belgium received an anonymous letter from Liege saying that the writer was an accomplice in a plot to blow up the Royal Palace at Brussels and to kill the entire Royal Family. He demanded a thou* sand pounds, which was to be placed at the foot of a certain tree in the Kinkempois Wood, near Liege. In return he would reveal what he knew about the plot. The King sent messengers to the place named, with ordnrs to place an envelope at the foot of the tree and then watch what happened. The watchers had not long to wait. A man, who had evidently been keeping an eye on them, was seen to take the envelope. "'The messengers promptly closed with him, ami he has had an opportunity of thinking out fresh schemes in prison. BULGARIA'S TSAR LOST POME DOCUMENTS. The "Tsar" of Bulgaria had once to pay dearly to recover certain compromising documents. He had left some important papers on his desk, and one of the palace officials, glancing through them, discovered their marketable value.

From the Austrian capital be wrote demanding to he "squared." Ferdinand set the Austrian police on his track, but the blackmailer, evidently expecting this, bad already left for Russia. In the end, the new ''tsar" Iliad to pay up and look pleasant, and vow to be more care T ful of his dangerous secrets iu future.