New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-15
THE ARCHDUCAL MYSTERY.
REVELATIONS OF THE DOwAGER BARON
ESS VETSERA

IRON AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF TnE TRIBUNEl
Vienna Aug. 22-I write this letter on the Arch
duke Rudolf mystery under the dictatiOn OF Hun
garian friend better Informed than ! could De on
the cues ton since the VetseIas belong both to Hun
gary and Croatia. He happened 10 DO snghtIy ac-
quanted with the family of the young heroine OF
the tragedy in Meyerllng Castle, and, like all ihe
other sincere friends of it, he deeply regrets Tie
publshing of the aged BaTOness's Memoirs for II
does not clear her daughter from the shame OF having
been knowingly the mistress of a married man, Aich-
duke and Imperial heir though he be, ana u does
not disprove the extensively believed story 10 Inc
effect thai the Prince killed himself for some other
motive. The dssolue life led by Rudolf was known
TO everybody and not secret TO his vic, Arch
duchess Stephanie who did not care about 10 any
more than her mother.inlaw, Empress Elizabeth OF
Austria cared about the conjgal nfelcitles OF her
husband. Emperor Francis Joseph. No serious Cd
stacles existed TO prevent the continuation Of his
intimacy with the young Baroness Vetsera.
These adventures and caprces though tolerated,
or rather winked at have not been, however, Wlth-
out producing sometimes tragical results Thus, In
this case the people stick to the following explana-
ton Of the MeyeIlng mystery. Archduke Rudolf
had been surprised by Prince IN a compromising
situation with the laters Wife duel being I'M
possible with the heir 10 the throne, the Archduke
who was. anyhow, a brave and chvalrlc man. agreed
10 take his own life against guarantees furnished 10y
the injured HuSUduu anu MS WIG DIplHCi tHo ti'J
would not punish the Princess for her fdeliy. When
The day OF reckoning arrived Rudolf sent for his
latest love- and Mary Vetsera, hearing Of his sui
cidal resolve without suspecting the cause Of it, cX
ceptlng that IL might be her own account insisted
on leaving life at the time her lover chose TO
leave #. This is quite in keeping with the morbid
spirit displayed in The ,etters published In the
Memoir which the Dowager Baroness Vetsera has
caused to be printed aud privately circulated among
friends of the family.
1t If in that mys terious tragedy the char
acters had been intechanged and that the young,
foolish, poetical girl OF Werther than Of
Charlotte. She did not like Goethe's heroine,
vive her love and her lover to marry another man
and bring up many children-she wanted to die with
her Imperial Werther.
Their first interview took place the 9Th Of No
vember, 1883, thanks TO araD gements made by a
certain Countess. The latter friend Of Mary's
mother, and betrayed that friendship by playing a
disgracel role in the whole affair. she used TO take
out the young lady for drive for shopping. and
literally threw her into the~arms of the AIchduke
She explained away and quoted the suspicious Of
the MOTHER who discovered day in the possession
of her daughter an iron engagement ring bearing
the lame Rudolf and the letters I" l. l.. V. Il. l.
d. r." meaning in German in Lebe Verent bis
in den Tod" united by Love even TO Ieath The
Countess said that it had been given 10 herself by
Achduke Rudolf and presented by her to her dear
est friend, Mary, who was, like many NlenneSe
women. admirer Of the Prince.
Meanwhile, she had become u be more than an
adI3Iier of him. In Of the notes addressed by
her to another young lady, she wrote: Il Cannot
live without seeing aud talking TO him. .. oh, If we
could only live together in poor cottage, how happy
l would be! We often talk about it, and that makes
happy. But, alas, it not be SO. Could
give him my life for his happiness l would do it
cheerfully. for what Is life wOrhl'
Sba fr1ta 10 han, ~ou.I md hcfo dvr ~
wrote: Dear mother forgive me Tor what l Lave
done. cannot resist love. 1t has been under
stood with him, and want to be buried by his side
in the cemetery Of Alland. .. happier in death
than life. Your Nary She expressed the same
sentiments in notes addressed TO her sister aud 10
a friend which republiShed in the Memoir of
Baroness Vetsera.
For its second part, the Memoir relates the efforts
made in vain by the unfortunate mother to prevent
the catastrophe Her daughter had disappeared
suddenly. The Baroness whose suspicious were at
last thoroughly aroused and bent in the right direc-
tiOn asked for the assistance of tire police author-
ties The Director answered that in such cases police
Investigations ordered 10 proceed further as
soon they meet with the personality of the heir
to the throne The tragedy at the hunting lodge of
Meyefhng was therefore easily cOnsummatcd and
the mother had aferWard many diic ulties to over
come in order to eXhume the body OF her daughter
and give her proper burial in the family ground.
The = reasons of Stae,' as say In EIrope-that
is, political mOuYes-thanks 10 which. efforts were
made 10 hush up the whole sad affair much ~ los
sibie, uselessly added 10 the grief of the Netsera
family, and finally caused the publishing Of the
Memoir.