Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-08-08
QUEEN NArAnIE-s TROUBLES.
4 Short History OF the Servian
Queens Quarrel With
King Milan

The marital troubles between King
Milan and his vile, Queen Natalie, and
the complications arising therefrom,
threaten to involve several European
nations in a rather unpleasant dispute.
Owing to the fact that the Queen
promptly fed to German territory,
Prince Bismarck finds himself already
involved. and there Is q possibility that
the Gar will be drawn in also Aus
tria. too, by virtue OF her geographical
interests and position, may have TO take
a hand in the game, which, 1t is easy TO
see, is merely bit Of political strategy,
having for its object the strengthening
Of the various lines. Thus the love
fairs OF an unhappily-mated couple
are made TO figure again in manner
calculated to disturb ultimately the
p.ace of Europe, the Queens notice
that she will resist all efforts TO take
her son from her having been followed
by an order To her household TO resist
by force any such action by the German
or Servian officials.
The sadness Of the present situation
is not Iessened by the fact that the mar
rage WIS purely = love affair. King
Milan was only Prince of SeTvia when,
in the early part of 1870, while on a
visit 10 Russia, he met and loved the
beautiful Natalie, Is years old, daught-
or of the Russian Colonel kecZko. The
match WAS a good one for the girl and
there were no parental objections TO the
marriage, which WAS celebrated in DC =
tober, 1919. In August of the follow
ing year q son WAS born, TO the great
delight of the Servians, who became ell
Enthusiastically devoted to the beautiful
Princess almost from the moment size
entered Belgrade. At the beginning of
1877 the Prince began TO neglect his
wife. and soon his shameless inhdelltie :
were the talk of Belgrade and Vienna
He Haunted his mistresseS IN the pres
ence of his wife, and commenced a
course of dissipdtiOns which have con-
tinued almost without intermiSsion
ever since. IL soon bee lme evident
that the Prince was fast losing what
ever hold he even had on the affections
of his people. 1t cannot be denied that
the Queen formed rival factions against
her husband, but it IS pleaded for her
that, deprived OF the affections of her
worthless husband. she became absorb
ell in her son and thought OF nothing
but his welfare.
In 1882 the Prince became King of
Seryia, and from that moment lie be-
gan To cherish dreams of AN alliance
with n princess Of some reigning family.
lie did his best TO place temptations III
the way of his wife's honor and TO goad
her into some overt political action
which would give him plausible pre-
text for divorce, but lie signally failed.
In 1885 the King thought TO purchase
cheap glory by making war on little
Bulgaria, but Prince Alexander sent
i'm, to Roll a Ttm
of his army, rs diSgraced and humillat-
ed a monarch as the world has ever
seen. lie then proposed TO abdIcate,
and the Queen approved with such
cheerful alacrity that the King disgust
edly decided 10 remain on the throne.
The Queen is rs sharp-witted as her
husband is slow and heavy. and it must
be admitted that she has not accepted
her lot without some violent ebullitiOns
of temper. One illustration of heT
keenness is told by one vino heard it.
Before leaving Servia early last year
she attended a reception after Easter
Mass, when il is customary for the
Queen To kiss the ladies forming the
court circle. Her Majesty omitted to
kiss the wife OF one of the foreign Min
isters, and when the King called her
attention to the omission she bowed
gracefully and said SO that every one
could hear:
II leave that agreeable duty to your
Majesty"
The keenneSs of the words of course
lay in the fact that the King had been
more attentive TO the wife OF the Minis
ter than TO the wife of the King.
Queen Natalie has no objection now
to Judicial separation, but she will not
consent to a divorce, and If the King
acts legally he cannot obtain one, be-
cause according to the law of SeTvia
DEGREES of divorce can only be pronounc-
ed by ecclesiastical authorities. When
a divorce has been petitiOned for, the
two contending parties must in the
first place be confronted with one an
other, in order that an effort may be
made 10 bring about a reconciliation.
Should these efforts prove frultleSs, the
petitioner alleges the grounds of accus-
alton, TO which the respondent replies.
Many attempts were made TO patch up
truce between the couple after the
Queen left Servia by her own free will,
but really on compulsion; but the King
had become gradually estranged from
Russian influence and year ago he
formally became an obedient vassal of
| the Austrian Empire. His Russian
wife is devoted To the Gar, to whom,
it is expected, she will make her final
appeal.