The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-08-20
QUEEN NATLIE's ENEMY.
Her Keen Witticisms at the Expense of Ger
man PIeDipotentiary.

f1er neon Wlttfcisms at the Expense OF Ger
man PleDipotentiary.
Vienna Letter.
Queen Natalie, of Servia, has good grounds
for attributlng much of her husbands conduct
to the influence of her bitter enemy, Count de
Bray y-Steinburg. who for ten ysars past has held
the post of imperial German minister to the
court of Belgrade A Bavarisn by birth, the
Count caused himself to be naturalized Prus-
sian within few weeks after the defeat of the
South German armies by Emperor Williams
victorious troops. For thin act Of desertiou he
was rewarded by Prince Bismarck with the post
of secretary of the Prussian legation at Con-
stantnople. 1t was while there that the Count
and his wife became the heroes OF an adventure
which to this day provokes laughter and ridicule
whenever their names are mentioned in any IF
tho chsncelleries Of the European capitals.
1t appears that one evening the Count and
Countess were returning from tste-a-tete ex-
cursion 70 the beautiful woods on the Asiatic
shores opposite Coustsn tinopls when they were
suddenly assailed by band of rwenty-eight
brigands. The latter, after forcing them to sur
render all their valusbles were cruel enough to tie
their captives to separate trees and, after strip
ping them of their clothing, to submit both hus-
band and wife to namelsss outrages. It was only
on the following morning that some travellers on
their way from Scutari to Stamboul discovered
the Count and Countess more dead than alive
still tied to the trees. Or course, il was univer-
sally expected when the adventure became
known that the ill-treated couple would
leave Constsntinople at once and hide their
indignities elsewhere Far from this being the
case, they made no attempt to get transferred
TO any other post, and rather seemed to
enjoy the notoriety to which the adventure had
given RISE. Like true, practical Germans, they
determined to make the most of the incident
and caused the Prussian ambassador to demand
for them from the Porte an indemnity Of $50 coo
for the maltreatment to which they had been
subjected After a good deal Of negotiation as
to the monetary value o. the damage inflicted
the Sultan at length reluctantly gave orders for
the payment of the sum demanded. exclaiming
plaintively as he did so, by Allah! que cest
cher pour deux Prussiens endommager.n
OF course Queen Natalie, who is a Parisienne
TO the very tips or her hngers, and who has q
keen sense Of ridicnle has never tired of max
ing the fat Countess and the Count the butt Of
her best witticisms. 1t is needless to add that.
in such q small and scandal-loving community
as Belgrade. neither the German minister nor
ms wife were allowed to remain In Ignorance OF
Queen Natales remarks about them and it was
not surprising that they resented 1t in the bit
terest manner and conceived the most violent
hatred for her somewhat sarcastic Majesty For
years their entire efforts have been devoted to
representing the Queen at Berlin as being i'm.
bued with the most hostile feelings toward Ger
many. and no opportunity lost OF poisoning
the Kings mind against her. IL is well known
at Belgrade that Milan's conduct in forciby re-
moving the little crown prince from the Queens
custody was due to the sole instieaton OF the
Count and Countess de Bray -Steinbu-e. and
that it was strongly opposed by the Austrian
envoy. Baron Won Hengel Mueller. To what ex-
tent the former was the may be judged
from the fact that on the evening of the little
princes arrival At Belgrade last month be was
taken by the King straight from the railway
station to party at the German legation,
where Milan, as Is his won't, spent the whole
night. until an early hour in the morning, play
ing baccarat and drinking heavily.