The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-17

Alexandra Louise Alice of Hesse. The fact that
the Princess had begged for a divorce leaked out
last week. but the report was promptly met by
an official denial emanating from the court of st.
Petersburg. The denial, however, failed to
have the weight that was desired, for too many
details of the scandalous conduct of the BRIDE
groom, both before and since his marriage, had
already become public property. The Grand
Duke, who is the third son of the late Gar, and
the youngest but one of the imperial grand
dukes, is said to have a Cossack's love for fe-
male cOnquests. and to be reckless and I'M
scrunulouS with women, even if their rank is
equal to his own. A marriage was arranged for
him with the Princess Elizabeth of Hesse, who
is the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and q
daughter of the Grand Duke Louis " of Hesse
by his second wife, the late Princess Alice of
england, Sergius was twenty-six years old and
Elizabeth nineteen when he went to Darmstadt
to go through the formality of paving court to
the Princess. The wedding was arranged for
last April, bat the death Of Prince Leopold OF
England caused a postponenent of the cers-
mony, and it was not solemnized until June.
In the meantime, it is said. the Grand Duke
Sergius committed the objectionable impru-
dence OF bringing % very attractive French
woman to Darmstadt and maintaining her at a
hotel. His visits to her rooms were frequent,
and there seemed to be no attempt at conceal
ment OF the admiration which the Grand Duke
felt for the fair Parisienne. At last the
Darmstadt police felt hound to interfere. They
reasoned that "a Prince can do no wrong" and
49, van RAaAtlAC Ah2 NC L LlO MA
She was compelled to leave the Grand Duchy,
and she returned to Paris, where, it is said, she
was soon after reioined and consoled by Sergius.
The postponed wedding of the Grand Duke
and the Princess took place the 18TH of last
June in the Winter Palace at st. Petersburg.
The Princess came by railway from Germany
and was met at the ST. Petersburg
station the 18th of June by the Gar
and Czarina, the Grand Duke SERIOUS,
and other august personages. The streets from
the station to the palace were doubly lined with
troops, and every householder along the route
had been warned by the police to keep his doors
and windows closed and to admit no stranger
under and pretext. The marriage ceremony was
solemnized two days later with the customary
pomp. Two services were recited, according to
the orthodox and Lutheran rituals, and a salute
of 10l guns signalized the end of the ceremonies.
A state banquet was given in the evening, and
elaborate toasts were offered to the bride and
groom, the Car of Russia, the Queen of Eng
land, and the Grand Duke Louis of Hesse.
Now the Princess wants a divorce according to
Russian law. The only authority in the world
that can divorce the wife of a Romanoff is that
of the Gar. AS the temporal and spiritual
father of all Russians, he has power over all
marriages. and separations, but he possesses
special and unlimited powers in this case as the
head of the Romanoff family. Princess Eliza
beth accordingly has lain at the feet of the Gar
her humble petition for a divorce or separation
from his brother. The petition recites that the
Grand Duke still maintains his iiaison with the
Paris beauty who caused the scandal at
Darmstadt, and it charges him with various
specific acts of in6delity and cruelty. The main
facts in regard to this scandal have been received
in London society circles by letters and tele-
grams from st. Petersburg and Darmstadt. 1t
is learned from a confidential and trustworthy
source that the young Princess, who is a spir-
tied woman, tells her friends chat she does not
propose to play the part of a neglected wife or
to wear the willow" for any man as long as he
is alive.