The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-06-07
An Historic Scandal.
Chicago Times ].

Hohenzollerns touched but lightly by his
torians, is revived in a recent publication by
an English author, entitled, "Recollections
! of the Countess "von Voss." The volumes
are interesting to general readers only SO
far "a they furnish the true story of biga-
nous proceeding on the part of Prussian
king, and the scandal itself would be but
idle reading if it were not that besides I'M
folding curious information of a by-gone
time it serves to show how recently in the
worlds history it was held by pious and re-
spectacle people, almost as an article of re-
ligion, that the king can do no wrong.
The subject of the memoir, whose diary,
written for no other eye than her own, fur
nishes the bulk of the material for the work,
was born in 1929 and died in 1914, at the
age of eighty-five She was mistress of the
household of Queen Louisa, of Prussia, and,
during the successive reigns she witnessed
those of King Frederick William, of his
son, Frederick the Great, of Frederick Will
liam IL. and Frederick William III-she
was either an intimate member ofthe court
circle at Berlin, or leading official of the
royal household. While still of tender
years she attracted the attention and won
without seeking the ardent love of the
prince ofPrussia, the heir apparent of the
Great Frederick. She returned the affection
of the kings son but discouraged it, main
tanning that his love was either a dishonor
Z K.
The prince never faltered in his devotion,
carrying the love for her who was to Re
countess to the early grave into which the
reproaches of his stern father, who never
/ ceased to upbraid him with his failure
soldier, drove him. Fearing that the prince
might marry the young and amiable girl he
compelled her parents to give her hand to
Won Voss, diplomat in the Prussian SER
vice, to whom she was a faithful though
never devoted wife.
In 1876 niece of the countess, Julie Won
Voss was at court The author of the me-
mOir says of this young and charming but
weak-minded girl: "Her contemporaries de-
"pict her beauty in the style of Titan,
" of slender but rounded shape, beautiful
g form and delicate features, dazzlingy fair
" but entirely without color, her marble
"paleness relieved by rich reddish-yellow
hair At court she was nicknamed Ceres,
" on account of this luxuriant golden hair,
" adorned by which she is depicted in the
"pictures which still remain of her, and
(which all represent her in the first bloom
" of that youth which she was fated not to
survive" The crown prince, afterward
Frederick William II. was attracted by this
dazzling beauty. He was already married
and his relations with Fraulein Won Euke,
whom, after his accession, was made countess
of Lichteneau, were notorious. Julie re-
sisted his approaches notwithstanding that
he welded sceptre, but finally consented
to fall If she might be permitted to dictate
her terms, which are as extraordinary as
any recorded in the history of pseudo-Chris-
tian kings and their lemans. Her demand
was that she should be formally married to
| the king, that the queen should give her
written consent to the alliance, that it should
be celebrated in church with full religious
service as a left-handed marriage, and that
/ the countess of Lichteneau, the royal mis-
tress, should be banished from the vicinage
of the court. To all but the last demand
! the king assented, but as he made a siren
uous fight for his favorite, Julie withdrew
that portion of her stipulation. The appro-
val of the queen and the ecclesiastics was
! yet to be gained. Both yielded readily.
! The legitimate cOnsort gave her written
I consent to the extraordinary union, even say
/ ing to the young Julie that she twas glad to-
/ know that the king was in such noble and
| good hands" The consistorium, the SUI
/ preme synod of the Evangelical church of
/ Prussia, gave its consent to the marriage,
/ authorizing the court preacher to celebrate
| it publicly in the royal chapel at Chariot
! tenburg, and the ceremony was performed
| in 1887. Julie was raised to the rank of
countess, and sat with the king and queen at
/ dinner. Her place at table was opposite
/ the king, and the only distinction made
/ against her at court was the frivolous one
! tHdI DIS Stle WIS uOt Ol tie DlOOQ royal sH0
/ must not play at cards with the royal fam
lily, but only with members of the house
| hold.
Though, after fashion, a formal and
recognized wife, Julie was far from happy in
her domestic relations. The rival countess
crossed her path, and her conscience, though
the consistorium had endeavored to aIlay
it, was i'll at ease. The year after her mar
riage she bore the king child and died.
This, it may be said" remarks the Lon
don Spectator, sis merely scandal, such as
has occurred in most courts of Europe and
not worth repeating; and we should agree,
but for one feature in the tale. 1t is quite
evident that the reverence for the royal au-
thority in Prussia, fostered by the first
Frederick Williams strict government, and
developed by the unusual abilities of Fred
erick the Great, had risen to the most ex-
travagant height, until all classes recog-
nized that the king was above the ordinary
moral law. In no other country in the
world, not even in France under Louis XIV,
would it have been conceived even possible
that the queen should distinctly consent to
such an arrangement as the left-handed mar
rage, that the heads of the church should
assist it, that chaplain should perform the
ceremony, and that the prineesses of the
blood should encourage the connection by
direct countenance; yet all these things
were done, and done by people otherwise
not bad. The king himself was a low yo-
luptuary of the half-sentimental, haIfheart-
less sort; but the queen, though disagree
able, was good woman the mistress Julie
| Won Voss was heart-broken at her own
fault; the consistorium must have contained
many pious men; and the old Countess Won
Voss, whose utter grief over the whole af-
fair cannot be doubted, and who severely
condemned her niece, could not bring her
! self to regard the king as anything but an
excellent man, led away by a weakness in
his character"
| Hon IefEarsoa Davis urifa aud Aarohtor