Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1872-01-25
THE GRRoLT ROMA

THE GEROLT ROMA
One of the remances ofWas< netou cit,
was recently enaessd in The 0ipIo~asi,
Corps. For nearly thirty y&1o Baror
Gerolt served the Interests e. snss;a 4
! Washington city, and be lived 4 = @aoa 81
to. rear native-born Amcric ckildres
under the shadow Of our ca one o,
whom married Mr.. Raneabe. he Greel
Minister. Gerclt owed his = bintmen,
to this country to Baron Hun ldt. who
bad been entertained by him u = Charge
in Mexico, aud who reconmen1 him Il
the King Of Prussia Gerolt Ia an af.
fable, republican sort Of a man s. society,
fond of the American psople. tEd his 50.
cial associates were men ike cfsfles Sam
ner- and others xhe inclined 81 toward
the Federal side in the war OF the rebel
lion. lie probably got considerable cred.
1t for original principle during the war,
/ when he was really subordinate to ac-
quaintances of stronger will, who impress
ed the claims of the North upon him. II
Is charged that at home be was somewha,
tyrannical with his family, as is the Ger
man custom, and that he and his wife
wished to assert too much authority over
their children, who had inhaled the breath
OF the Western hemisphere. Whatever
the interior side Of his life might have
been, Gerolt is. remembered enthusiastic
cally by some Of the best people in Wash
ington, Republicans and Democrats alike.
He resides at Ling. near Bonn, in Rheuish
Prussia, and is permanently out of the d.
plomatic service of Germany.
The Gerolts, although Prussians, are
Catholics, and the girls are strictly brought
mp under the tuition of the priests at George
town. Bertha, the youngest daughter of
the Baron, now twenty-three years o: age
and very rich and handsome type of
the young German girl, fell in love three
or four years ago with her fathers Secre-
tary of Legation. a tall, handsome, dash
ing aud somewhat reckless Prussiau, aud
connection or relative Of Bismarck. =
This young secretary belonged to fine
old Brandenburg Protestant family. which
had decided notions against forming Cath
Ollie alliances. The young gentleman would
have fallen heir, in time. to large estates
in North Prussia; but these were in some
manner, as it is stated, made conditional
upon his keeping up the ancestral Luther
an faith. This young Prussian chap you
may rccollect as being the adversary of
one Of our Ministers, Lawrence, OF Central
America, some two or three years ago.
when the two met on what is called the
field of honor, exchanged shots. and then
patched up the fight without blood shed
lie paid court to Bertha Gcrolt, and she
was intensely cnamorcd fhim. In order
to make the nuptials casyca bstn sides,
Gcrolt applied to the Catholic authorities
for an indulgence, or something, warrant
ing the marriage of this hereditary Protes-
tant with his Catholic daughter; but, as
1t was specified that the children issuing
from such marriage were to be brought
up Protcstants. the Roman dignitaries re-
fused. Gerolt. who appears sincerely to
have wished to please his child, had also
intentions upon the Pope; but. while these
ecclesiastical efforts were being made. the
domestic correspondence between the Sec
retary and his mother iE Germany, and
some ensuing letters from Madame Gerult.
to the other family, growing warmer and
more indignant from time to time, had the
effect of racking the poor girls feelings
and, in the end. the handsome Prussian
went off home. This is the end to the
matter up to the present. Bertha Gerolt
refused to accompany either her father or
mother To Germany, and has retired to
the Georgetown Convent. where, some say.
she will take the last veil: and others. that
she will repent after awhile, and rearpear
in the world.
Opinion is divided in this city as to why
Gerolt was remanded to his own country.
Some say that he suffered certain indigni-
ties at the hands of our State Department.
Others allege that he was inefficient, par
ticuIarly about the time that American
arms were shipped to France to be used
against the Prussians. Il is said that,
on that occasion. Bismarck asked Mr.. Ban
croft why our Government permitted such
things: and Bancroft. to make it easy for
himself. retorted that there was Baron &C.
rolt in Washington, and, if he had been
attending to his business, the arms would
have been detained. Others say that Cat
acszy drew Gerolt into the intrigue, and
got him 10 work against the late treaty
which we made about the Alabama claims.
Whatever the facts. the Baron has gone for
good. aud his admirers here are preparing
10 forward him an elaborate service of
silver. to show that what he did for the
country in its crisis is remembered at least
by its private citizens.