Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-07-25


Louisa Mublbach the German novelist, was at
the height of her popularity in the United
States. The English translations of her histori=
cal novels were published by a leading publish
ing firm of New York, in the most rapid success
sion, and yet the American reading public
seemed never to tire of perusing the works of
the fertile and entertaining German authoress.
Of one her novels, Joseph the Second and his
Court" no fewer than $4,000 copies were sold.
This unprecedented success, which will seem
very strange to our readers now that the popu-
larity of Nine. MuhibaCh has almost entirely
died away, encouraged the German authoress
so much that she requested one of our literati
to act as her agent in this country, and to nego-
tate the sale OF her new manuscripts with
American publishers. She correspondent with
her agent in the United States by almost every
steamer, and in her letters frequently gave him
bits of social and political Berlin gossip, which
were the more welcome TO him as he was
| regular contributor to one of the leading west
ern dailies
In one of her letters to her American agent
she mentioned the interesting fact that the
Hon. George Bancroft, the ambassador of the
United States to the Court of Berlin, was dead
in love with Mile, Ida Mcycrbeer, the youngest
daughter of the illustriOus composer of Robert
LIE Diable;" that they were engaged TO be mar
ried, and that their wedding was to be sol
emnized at an early day. This was certainly
interesting news, and Nine. Muhlbach'S agent
| lost no time in communicating it to his news
| paper. The item soon made the rounds of the
| American press. A fortnight afterward it
reached Germany, and was extensively copied
| by the newspapers of the Fatherand. The Ger
| man illustrated periodicals even went so far as
to publish Mile. Meyerbeer's portrait, and to
mention in the biographical sketch accompany
ing the engraving that she was engaged to be
married to the Hon. George Bancroft, the Amer
lean minister to the Court of Berlin.
Unfortunately there was no foundation what
fnr Mile Ida Mavarbaar hoe
been betrothed a year before to a young Aus
tridn officer, Baron Won Teller. When she first
read the rumor about herself and Mr.. Bancroft
she was both puzzled and amused; for she had
never met Mr.. Bancroft, and she did not know
whether he was old or young, ugly or hand
some. This frame of her mind, however, gave
way to a feeling of intense veXation, when let
tiers of congratulation upon her impending
union with an American ambassador came
pouring in. And when she could not ride out
in the Berlin Tbeirgdrten without being stopped
by friends and even casual acquaintance who
congratulated her. and inquired about the health
of her supposed fdnce. Her modification rose
to the highest point when her real betrothed,
Baron Teller, seemed distracted and threatened
to wrcak vengeance upon the head of the mis-
chievous persoTwhO had started the story.
The Hon. George Bancroft was hardly less
excited. He did not know anything about it.
He had never seen Mile. Meyer beer. He did
not know whether she was homely or pretty,
dull or accomplished. He was at q loss to know
what TO do under the circumstances. But one
day Baron Teller called upon him, and then the
two wfonged gentlemen resolved to sift the
question to the bottom. They called upon the
editor of one of the Berlin journals who had
published it. The editor said he had taken the
item from New York newspaper Mr.. Ban
croft thereupon ascertained through his friends
in New York that the item had originated in a
western daily newspaper, and the editor thereof,
after consulting his correspondent, gave the
name of Miss Muhlbach as the author of the
mischief
When Mr.. Bancroft and Baron Teller had OBJ
tanned this information, they sent a note to
Nine. Muhlbach, who lived at II Behren
Krasse, Berlin, Inquiringi when it would suit
her convenience to recevelthem. Now, Nine.
Muhlbach has weakness for the great of this
world, and a visit from an ambassador of a
great power fills her with delight. Sol she
wrote back that il would afford her unbounded
pleasure 10 see Mr.. Bancroft and the Baron
Teller on the following day. AT the appointed
time the two gentlemen were conducted into
her sumptuous parlors, where the popular au.
thoress received them in the most ,fatteriug
manner. Her smiling face heightened when
she found out what had brought them to her
house. In answer TO their inquiries, she adj
mitted that she had written all about the en-
gagement of Mr.. Bancroft to Mile Meyerbeer
to her agent in the United States. She then
said:
In June, 1867, she had been at the fashionable
watering place of Pyrmont, and one day when
she had been in her room with Berthold Auer-
bach and the venerable Prince Puckler- Muskan,
a stranger had sent up card bearing the in
scription:
.'''''''''