The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-01-04
A ROYAL MYSTERY.
The Romance which Seriously Menaees
the Ex-Reigniug Family of France.


The death of Lord Newborough three
weeks ago. at the advanced age of eighty
six. will. IL Is said. lead 10 revival hy
the present peer of the claims of the
family 10 the whole of the property of
fbepfincclv house of Orleans. The wife of
the first Lord Ncwborough and grand
mother of the present holder of the title
was "a certain Maria Stella, the adopted
daughter of one Chiappini, The jailer OF
the CITY prison OF N0dcna Proofs, how
ever. are said TO exist not only in the
Newborough family. but also in the inn
perial and royal archives at 81. Peters
burg and Amsterdam which c0nciu-iyely
prove that Maria Stella was the eldest
daughter of Philippe Egalite Duke of
Orleans and his wife, the duchess
n will Doc remembered that
King Louis Philippe was born at
Nlodena on exactly the same date as
Lady Newborough and the proofs above
mentioned show. without q doubt that
the infant son of the gaoler Chiappini
was substituted for the newborn daugh-
ter of Philippe Eralite and his wife; the
ulustrious pair were then Due and
Duchess de ChartTes, and, having no
male issue. the motives for the substitu-
tion were both obvious and Of a power
ful nature.
The little girl who was a victim of this
fraud grew mp into "a beautiful woman,
and made the conquest of the first Lord
Newborough. Not only did the gaoler
Chiappini make o confession on his
death-bed concerning the whole mat
ter. but al his own request 1T
was taken down in writing by the
procurator and by the head OF the
ecclesiastical tribunal at Modend.
Chiappinis wife confirmed the dying
statement of her husband, and related
how the substitution had been effected az
the time when the duchess was confined
i'm her house. The story was further
corroborated bv the registry of The par
ish i'm which Maria Stella was christened,
and i'm which she figures as the legitimali
daughter of their rOyal kighnesses the Due
and the Duchess de Chartres. On the de-
mand of the first Lord Marlborough, the
Supreme Court of MOdena issued judg-
ment fully confirming the claims OF his
wife TO public recognition as the legiii-
mate daughter of Philippe Egalite and
his wife. Copies of this judgment exist
10 this dav in many of the public libra
ries of France, and notably in that Of
ROuen
Fearing that the French m0narchial
government might possibly attempt to
rob her of the documents relating 10 her
claims. Lady Marlborough took the pre-
caution of addressing duly legalizcd cop
les thereof TO the Emperor OF Russia and
TO the King of Holland, with both Of
whom she was acquainted, and The fact
remains that not only the Dutch mon
archv. but also the Gar Nicholas pro-
fessed a firm belief in their authenticity,
absolutely declining 10 recognize King
Louis Philippe in any possible way.
During the whole of the citizen king
reign both Holland and Russia were
without diplomatic representation al
Paris
The whole story was well known forty
and fifty years ago, and the political
caricaturists of the day delighted 10 rep
resent King Louis Philippe in the garb
of a gaOler, with the subscription OF Bon
chien chaise de race underneath. Even
Thiers is reported TO have expressed
an opinion entirely favorable TO the
Newborough claims; il is true he was no
longer Louis Phillipe's minister az the
time As the citizen king inherited the
whole of Egalite's vast property, when
constitutes the basis of the immense Or
leans fortune, the recognition by the
French and English tribunals of the de-
cision Of the supreme court Of Modena rel
alive to Lady Newboroughs paren'age
would be Of extreme Importance. In
deed, il would inyalidate the preteniions
Of the Compie DO Paris, the Duo d'Au,
male and OF all the other members oil
Louis Philippe's family, to the throne OF
France, to royal blood, and even 20 the
very name and fortune which they no"
possess.
~ ,rI o. e.. D,4cborso coctoria