ALBANIA: The Man Who Was King

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Printed Proof. Intoxicated by his brief taste of glory, Witte went back to Germany, and after World War I formed a "Party of Artisans, Cafe Keepers and Circus Performers." He himself became its candidate for President of Germany, but withdrew from the race "to give Field Marshal von Hindenburg a chance." To any doubters among those who gathered daily around his house trailer in Sankt Pauli, Otto Witte would produce his official identity card issued by the Berlin police, stating that its holder was "a circus entertainer" and "onetime King of Albania." He refused to accept any mail that was not properly addressed to "Otto I, ex-King of Albania."

Last week Otto Witte, 87, onetime King, died of cirrhosis of the liver in a Hamburg home for the aged.