New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-17
PRINCE AND OPERA SINGER
arEx AMBER OF BATTENBERGs MARRIAGE
AMI THE GOSSIP 1T STARTED.

.n,s, ox,, CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNAL
pHoA ~ Brussels, March 2.
=. :. haretv two years ago that the tall and
,s... h,orae actress who has now become
Alexander Of Battenberg and first cousin
- 81 the Gar was Kissed oil the stage
c~.1,d (nera House OF Paris and forced by
:. - ~ the audience to cancel her engage
W LEY, the management The hostility dis
A,ons .s,.,ara her in the French me tropolis was
-. ,,artly due to the fact OF her being
-. ~ I'D imported directly from the berhn
d.. tb,s drawback would have been speed
s..,oome had she possessed voice sumeieneV
a.. ,o enable her to sing her way INTO ohe h.1iV
Ia tavor Of the public on the banks OF the oeine
r. from receiving any sympathy rom he, com
~..~,ots for the treatment to which she h''o Deen
r's,as,ea in Paris, she was bitterly rproacneo ia
Germany for her lack of patriotism IN accep',ns "
sr~srch engagement, and found the doors Oh 'n0
Berlin theatres closed against her on her f0VutA
Afr remaining for some time without employ
went. she at length by means Oh letVer VI ''0
ommendation to the late Prince AieNanuei "a
uasse sueceeded in obtaining an engagement "U
,bs opera at Darmstadt at yearly salary %
a. non The uerson who had furnished her VIVA
che letter TO the Prince Of Hesse was one OIL ms 0'
brother officers in the Austrian army oohoi"-
Martin Won Signorini in whose service 'iio piiin'
dopnn's father had lived for over t"suS S.~,'
first M groom and subsequently as Vale@
General based his plea in behalf OF Mlle' 1onauI"
Ieisinger ON the ground that she was hoC on'
the child of an old and valued servant ouU "A''
she was also his own god-daughter' Ihero "l,'
however many who assert that the olo So,uieA
relationship was of a closer nature DC On,s %
IL NAV. She was most kindly treated by 1le nV'10
court at Darmstadt, the Princess Juha OF DA.'en-
berg, now her noticr-ins law, being particularly
gracious to her.
Toward the end OF last year rumors began W
prevail in the Hessian capital to the eec' Ca' gu
intimacy of more than on ordinary nature eAiSvvN
between the Juno-like Hofsangerin' anu ln ,
ex.uIer Of Bulgaria. AS, however, it was well
known that the popular Sandro' was anl,'ii'e .N
nj the time to Princess Victoria of Prussia 70
whom he was 10 have been married last month
Mt Windsor Castle, no particular Importance
was attached to tie rumors by the easy-soins
Darmstadters In due course the news oil the
ENHANCEMENT became known at Berlin, ana halser
wilhelm. who since he assembled the throne mas
beoome the stcrnest moralisein the whole EMPIRE
expressed in the most forcible manner his opinion
rerarding the breach Of good taste eommINed ny
Prince Alexander in thus allowing his name
to be connected with that OF an actress AZ q
moment when he was about to Head fr1ncess
~ the House of Hohenzolern TO the altar Baron
Thielnan. who was formerly Secretary OF the
German Legation of Washington and who is now
the Prussian representative at Darmstadt, was
instructed TO inform Alexander that His Imperial
Majesty had withdrawn his consent to the former S
upion with his sister, and that In view OF the
insult TO which she had been 6ubected his reSlgna
ton of the commission Of Maior-General which he
held in the Prussian Army would be acceptable
Within few days after the death Of his
father Prince Alexander Of Hesse, in January
last, the ex-ruler of Bulgaria sent in his papers
to the Berlin War Office, and thereupon betook
himself to Vienna, in order TO apply for employ
mept in the Imperial Austrian army, in which he
holds the rank of Colonel Of Dragons. Mean
while, Mile. Leisinger had obtained leave OF
absence from Darmstadt for the purpose OF recruit
ing her health at Nice. and it was there that
thu Prince, jn accordance with o preeoncereed
arrangement reioined her on the termination OF
his visit to tho Austrian Emperor. The marriage
appears to have taken place az the Protestant
church at Mentone on or about the 9Th OF Feb
ruary. but At did not become known until ten
DAYS or n fortnight later Under the circum-
stances the news did not create much surprise
At the Court Of Berlin. while at Vienna IL is
universally believed that the Prince had been
encouraged to take the step by the late Archduke
Rudolf But at Windsor and at DarmstadtN1 1T
caused the most intense establishment ana as
pleasure especially in view Of the fact that the
arrangements for the meeting in the Riviera
must have been made at the moment when the
body of Alexanders father was still unburied
There are two points which require explanation
q; connection with this extraordinary desertion OF
an Imperial Princess the sister Of the Emperor OF
Germany and the granddaughter Of the Queen OF
Great Britain fo- On actress Of not altogether un-
blemished reputation and of more than humble orr
gin Many of the newspapers allude TO the marriage
rs The termination of Prince AexandcTs career as
a public man and assert that he has gwen up oil
homes of ever again becoming factor In either
pohticaI or military history. This is altogether
wrong Ii is impossible to conceive more ambi-
lions man than the ex-ruer of Bulgaria, and,
paradoxjcaI though IL may appear, his marriage
with Nile Leisinger is based far more on political
considerations than any mere romantic affection
for the daughter of humble peasant woman, >
90 POLITICALLY described by various Continental ana
English newspapers. Emperor William had only
given his consent to his sisters marriage with
Alexander on the distinct understanding tnat the
latter should retire into private life. keep away
from Berlin, and take no further interest in
sither political or military matters. 1t was OBJ
viously impossible that, as the husband, Oh
HohenzoIlern Princess. he could accept any active
command In either the Austrian or English service
snd since the attitude of the Young Kaiser put al
nrospects of q career in the German Army out o.
the question, Prince Alexander determined u
forceo the honcS of an alliance involving suct
operous conditions. At the same time, ne thor
oughly realized that as long as he remained un
married his name would always be banded about
10 his own detriment in connection with TINT o.
some marriageable Princess or other. As an In
stance thereof. 1t may be stated that the mer'
fact Of hs visit TO Vienna after his fathers death
was sufficient to give rise TO widespread rumol
that he was ABOUT TO lead an Austrian Archduches
10 the altar Married rs he is now. no further
obstacles remain 10 prevent his achieving success;