I dug up the 1731 pamphlet! It's very interesting. It has the execution taking place November 9. It has letters from Katte to his stepmother, FW, grandfather, and father. No brother-in-law. The stepmother's letter is separate, not a postscript to the father's letter, the language is very slightly different from Fontane's version, and it has a closing line that's not in Fontane! Namely, a reference to Genesis 17.1, "I am God Almighty, walk before me and be pious."
There's a two page summary of events that I would love some help with when you have time, selenak; I'm struggling with the poor quality scan, the font (which I'm getting better at!), and the Rococo German.
It's got yet another variant on Katte's last words! This is the only one to mention FW that I've ever seen. (I'm not 100% confident of all the spelling, so please correct any errors.)
Mein gnädigster Cron-prinz sie haben nicht Ursach mich um Verzeihung zu bitten, wenn ich zehen Leben zu verliehren hätte, so wollte ich gern darum geben, wann nur Eu. Königliche Hoheit mit Dero Herrn Vater dem König dadurch könten versöhn et werden.
My most gracious Crown Prince, you have nothing to ask me for forgiveness for; if I had ten lives to lose, I would gladly give them up, if only Your Royal Highness could be reconciled with your Lord Father the King.
Wooow. You said this was printed in the Prussian-hating region of Cologne, and I wonder if the point of this is to emphasize that FW is the problem here.
It's also, interestingly, not the variant that Wilhelmine (and Pöllnitz) has, which involves a thousand lives and no reconciliation. So though this may be where she's getting her letter to Katte's grandfather, it's not where she's not getting the last words to Fritz. The pamphlet account's also got a sand heap and no scaffold, but it has Fritz watching. I can't quite tell, but I think he faints after seeing Katte beheaded, not before. It's got Katte's body lying out there until 2 pm, after which some townspeople put it in a coffin of four planks and bury it (in the soldiers' cemetery?).
It's super useful to know what account was floating around at the time with no reference to the horse's mouth!
Also, it looks like the letters were translated into English by 1734, but I can't seem to get my hands on a copy of that online without being Australian, sigh. We need an Australian royal patron now. :P
Re: Katte!
There's a two page summary of events that I would love some help with when you have time,
It's got yet another variant on Katte's last words! This is the only one to mention FW that I've ever seen. (I'm not 100% confident of all the spelling, so please correct any errors.)
Mein gnädigster Cron-prinz sie haben nicht Ursach mich um Verzeihung zu bitten, wenn ich zehen Leben zu verliehren hätte, so wollte ich gern darum geben, wann nur Eu. Königliche Hoheit mit Dero Herrn Vater dem König dadurch könten versöhn et werden.
My most gracious Crown Prince, you have nothing to ask me for forgiveness for; if I had ten lives to lose, I would gladly give them up, if only Your Royal Highness could be reconciled with your Lord Father the King.
Wooow. You said this was printed in the Prussian-hating region of Cologne, and I wonder if the point of this is to emphasize that FW is the problem here.
It's also, interestingly, not the variant that Wilhelmine (and Pöllnitz) has, which involves a thousand lives and no reconciliation. So though this may be where she's getting her letter to Katte's grandfather, it's not where she's not getting the last words to Fritz. The pamphlet account's also got a sand heap and no scaffold, but it has Fritz watching. I can't quite tell, but I think he faints after seeing Katte beheaded, not before. It's got Katte's body lying out there until 2 pm, after which some townspeople put it in a coffin of four planks and bury it (in the soldiers' cemetery?).
It's super useful to know what account was floating around at the time with no reference to the horse's mouth!
Also, it looks like the letters were translated into English by 1734, but I can't seem to get my hands on a copy of that online without being Australian, sigh. We need an Australian royal patron now. :P