The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-07-05
A DISCARDED EMPRESS.

The Lady who Claims to be the Legal Wife Of
Kaiser Wilhelm.
From the New York Mercuty.
An elderly lady recently arrive in
this city, and took rooms at a fashion,
able uptown hotel, where she register
ed as Nine. Brandenburg, from Ger
many. Her bearing was so aristocrat-
ic, and her manners so polished, that
she attracted considerable attention.
Her face contained traces of former
beauty, she was noticed to have plenty
of money, and her diamonds excited
the envy of the other ladies in the
house. After a weeks sojourn she
took the entire floor Of a large house
on Lexington avenue, which she furn-
ished sumptuOusly.
1t nows turns out she has come to
New York for a very peculiar purpose,
which bodies no good to the domestic
peace of the Emperor William of Ger
many. Her real name is said to be
Anna Countess Donna Bradenburg,
and she claims to have been. lawfully
marris d to William as far back 1925,
when he was known as Prince of
Prussia. This fact has long been one
of the skeletons in the household of
the Hohenzollern family. 1t has been
suppressed for long time, hut mat
tiers have now taken such turnsxthat
the lady, who claims to have indisputa-
BILE rights to the hand of the Emperor,
will make Il determined public effort
to vindicate her rights. = b.
She first met the Prince during the
great review which his father, King
Frederick William the Third, held
over the Silesian troops on the famous
battle field of the Katzbach, in Septem-
Der, 1925. The father of the Countess
Anna, Count Frederick Donna, owned
at that time a splendid country:seat
near Liegnitz, and he entertained the
King and his second son, Prince Will
liam, in truly princely style. She was
but sixteen years old at the time. The
Prince sat by her side at the dinner
table, and she noticed that he fell al
most at sight in love with her. Dur.
ing the afternoon he had a clandestine
interview with her. declared his love
to her, and asked her to become his
wife.
Dazzled by the offer. she was unable
to give him a reply then and there.
But he urged her so energetically to
yield, that she at last said she would
marry him if his royal father would
give his consent. This condition
caused the enam0red Prince to frown;
and to tell her a long story about the
unnecessary harshness with which his
father had treated him in regard to
matrimonial matters. II don't believe
that my father wants me to marry at
all. | had several chances to get mar
ried well, but he invariably thwarted
my schemes-fOr what reason am at
a loss to know. But I am tired of it.
and l will now vindicate the same
right which no king dares to withhold
from the humblest of his Subjects
After several days. secret conferen-
ces, they were married late one night
by young country parson, who did
not know the Prince. The latter gave
his name as William Count Brandon
burg, and his occupation us that of an
officer in the royal guards. The mar
riage certificate was duly made out.
and then her husband told her that it
would be expedient to keep their I'M
ion secret for time, inasmuch as he
would tell his father about it only
when he found him in particularly
good humor. To this she had assented
The Prince had sent her to Berlin,
where he had installed her in new
house in the finest part of the suburbs,
and visited her regularly. But on
those occasions he had daily cores
pondenee with her, addressing her in
those letters as his wife. She: bore
him, until 1929, three sons, all of whom
are still alive. Two of them are su.
perior officers in the Prussian army.
while the third holds prominent DO.
sition in the diplomatic service They
know that they are the EMPEROR
sons, and so do a great many people in
Prussia, but they have been generally
looked upon as his illegitimate off
spring. 10 remove this unjust stigma
from her children the Countess has
striven long and hard. u = 4. : !
When her third child was born she
implored her husband to reveal their
marriage at least to his father. He
agreed to do, so. Now, it happened at
that time that King Frederick William
the Third, in order to please the EN-.
peror of Russia, had promised that his
second son, William, should marry the
Princess Augusta, of Saxe-W eimar,
who was closely related to the Russian
Court. He aew*intD q terrible rage
when William told him he could not
become the husband of that Princess,