Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-11-08
TITLED CUPIDITY AND REPUBLE
CAN VIVA KNESS

TITLED CUPLDITY AND REPUBLI-
CAN WEAKNESS.
Perhaps there are no phases of social life
more totally incomprehensible to the aver
age American mind than the recent exhibit
lions of stolid cupidity on thepart of men,
bers of the European nobility, and feverish
eagerness of American women for title, now
being rehearsed in the newspapers of both
continents. The thickness of skin and the
vulgar insensibility of the titled Europeans
is well offset by the weakness of the female
American applicants for social elevation.
American women ,or their parents for them,
have purchased titled husbands, from
Counts up to Princes, before, but the two
cases now under the glare of general enqui-
ry are the first in which the bargaining and
haggling over the price have been made SO
public. Mrs. John w. Mackay who is now
suing an English newspaper for publishing
the statement that she was originally a
Washwoman at the mines in Nevada, bought
an italian Prince for her daughter quietly
and without much difficulty. He was eth
er reasonably cheap or she was SO unreason-
ably rich that she could pay spot cash in
the highest figures for a titled son-in-law.
The next successful purchase that was con-
Summated was that of Prince Fran
els Hatzfeldt of Germany. This titled
parsonage whose record is that he has new
Ell earned dollar in his life and has never
been out of debt since he was twenty-one
years of age, was bought by MI. G. ?.
Huntington of Chesapeake & Ohio Ry.
memory, for the use of his adopted daugh-
ter, Miss Clara Huntington. The terms
of sale made by this impecunious prince
were 100000 spot cash to be paid at the
London and Westminster Bank the day be-
fore the wedding; $150,00O spot cash to be
paid six weeks after the wedding, and
81, $50, 900 to be given the weddedpair. The
StipulationS were that the income from the
81, $50, 900 is to afford living to MI. and
Mrs. Hatzfeldt land the principal is at their
death to go to their children. but in the
meantime if they are divorced OF separate
each is to have one-half of the income dur
ing his or her life. On these exalted terms
Miss Huntington got her prince and qui-
city married him few days ago in Eng
land.
The third purchase Of Prince is not re-
corded as passing off so successfully. In
this case the goods at auction were labeled
the Prince Murat, French prince" in
the Republic of France. He is the descen-
dant OF, and acquired his title through, Mu-
rat the horse trainer who Napoleon, when
he knocked over the thrones of Europe, set
up on one of them as King. There is no
more noble" blood, as mobility" runs, in
his veins than there is in the veins of Miss
Caldwell, the granddaughter of the old
theatre manager at Fredericksburg, Va,
who is seeking to marry him. 1t seems
that Miss Gwendolyn Caldwell, who is an
admirable young woman in all respects,
save her weakness for title, is the posses
sor of life interest in 100000 the in
come of which only she can touch-the
principal going to her heirs at her death.
Her income is large, SO large that she put
by enough out of it to give 100000 to found
the Catholic University at Washington,
now about to be opened. But though large
itseems it was not sufficient to buya Prince.
The one she attempted to buy is forty-seven
years age, has grand children, has never
earned his living and is imam about
town" in Paris. He deceived himself with
regard to the price to be paid for him and
engaged himself to her. The wedding day
was fixed. The eXpectant bride had her
trousseau made and on each piece was
worked an imperial crown, an in
sigma to which she imagined the
wife Of her husband was entitled.
The Holy Father at Rome sent her hand
some present and special messenger with
his blessing. An Archbishop left Holland
to oficiate at the wedding in Paris. But
there all came to halt. 1t appears that
Miss Caldwell only offered to allow her
princely husband $4,000 a year for pin
money and could give him no fortune in
spot cash, asshe could not touch the prin-
cipal of her patrimony. Against this, to
use a vulgar phrase-not out of place in de-
scribing negotiations SO essentially vulgar
the Prince ''kicked.' His "royal" blood
rebeled and he said, II am no beggar."
In measure, what he said was true-while
he was beggar in trying to live upon the
income of a woman which he had had no
share in earning. still he was not the sort of
beggar Miss Caldwell supposed he was. She
took him for a beggar at moderate price.
He took himself for high-priced beggar
Mo- 4 /
count of the intended brides ''illness - her
imperial crowned trousSeau is still at
Worth S and the affair is, for the present at
all events, "Off." Further negotiations will
now have to be made and a board of social
appraisers will have to review this princely
beggar, and recast his value. The average
American would think that the man
prince or beggar, or both-WhO would so
expose a woman to the ridicule of the world,
ought to be so admonished that in the flu
ture his physical appearance would be a
drawback to upset bids, but as matter of
fact no American can understand how
those things are looked at, OF thought about,
in Europe. Indeed we see that some Of the
clubs to which the Prince belongs endorse
his conducts as proper show Of self-respect
AT any rate they do not think in Europe of
him as Americans think, for prominent men
in Church and State in France endorsed
him to Miss Caldwell, as high-toned man
of honor and an altogether desirable match
for a young woman. Perhaps they meant
for a young woman who could afford to
buy and keep him.
We shall not moralize at all over this as