New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-17
A PRINCE IN BUSINESS
MR.. JOIN ORTIrS ENTERPRISE IN IhI
SNTPETRE MINES.


Johann Orth is the unpretending name poin'
bv n business card which is now to be io"hu ia
MANY of the chief country houses Throughout
Chill and the Argentine Republic. suppie-
mentary line indicates that the bearer OF IL II
member of n wealthy English company extensively
engaged in the nitrate of soda trace. MI oi''
HAS not been in South America long. lie c'''nc
from Europe to the Plate River In April i"e'
But he has already made hosts OF frienus ''
Huencs Ayres Santiago and elsewhere, anu eA-
presses himself as so much pleased with the co"H-
fry that he will make this continent Ills perhi'-
root home Those who meet him see rather
Handsome yolnQ man, with military air, puo
with frank. engaging and simple manners. he
6isplavs none of the insignia of rank, ana III ho
WAY can he he distinguished from any o'her
cultivated citizen of the Republic. ieC only "
rew months ago he the most admired he'ie
in Imperial courts prince OF one OF the ol".''
and proudest families of Europe, and one OF 'ne
most brilliant military officers Of the world
Mr.. Ortiz thcn is none other than that famous
rohoI uabsburr tbe Archduke John of Austria
aud Tuscany. son of the last reignng sovereign
90 rho Italian Duchy. lie came out hithcr last
snr,ng os second mate OF the bark Santa Mar
raretha. from London to the Plate And Soou
soilor no was in all senses Of the term lie ha"'
indecd before sailing passed with credit the
|
reoulor examination of a master mariner, ana hau
bcen pronounced capable Of sailing any SNIP VII
the voyage across ne was no gentleman S"cn''-
man. but as hard and thorough WORKER Us ANY
Jack tar before the mast. With all the ere" he
was great favortc, and when therc ""' n0
work in hand he would sit among them ana SPIN
warns about his army life. and sing songs III"
prove himself merry and hearty as any ilies'-
mate in the forecastle. When the oah'a MAI
inn
raretha reached port there was great Sehs'''o"
among the Austrian colony, which Is numerous
and influential. II was deemed proper thaC tNe
second mate should be received ashore VIII" foS"i
honers So committees were appointed 10 pre-
pare for prodigious public demonstration ana
n dcputation waited upon tie iilustrlous NiSluor
90 INQUIRE when it would suit his pleasure to
receive the homage of the city. They iound MN
ST his duties aboard ship. and were much taken
oboct when he greeted their rcycrcntial address
with n hearty peal Of laughter. why, gentle
mon. said lie. I'm not an Arcbduke any more
Tn, inst plain Johann Ortiz. You must not get
nm any public welcome 10 ne. could not think
Of accounting it, 40. no! All that is left behind
forcver.7 Iu this he persisted, and the whole
demonstration had 10 he abandoned
"I came across the ocean ms a sailor rather
than as a passenger says Mr.. Orth, because
/ thought il good way 10 get acquainted with
men whs work, and 20 accustom myself to work
This idea of work seems. indeed, 10 be the central
motive of his mind. Months before his iinat
ruptur, with his family. the burden of his cry
/ v.,s That lac wanted ~ work Il claim the right
10 DC a worker in the hive But the laws o.
the IIabsburgs forbade him TO work. and the
Emperor was deaf 10 his appeals for an cN-
ccrtion in his favor VERY well, then. b"
said AT last, If it is forbidden 10 liabShNfg
! 10 work. will no longer he a llahsburg Johanh
! Orh can work, If Johann liahShurg cannot.
| There was Of course, no need OF ms WORKING OF
coing into business Of any kind. lie had a con
siderable fortune already in hand, and he Sod
his Austrian estates for something better than
S25O,O 900. But he feels that it IS shameful for
a strong man TO bc an idlcr SO he has deter
mined 10 devote the rest Of his life 10 useful
toll. ON shpboard, in the mines. or in the count
! ing house In the saltpctre industry he secs an
opportunity for unlimited work. both of brain
and Of BODY and also for amasSing wealth by
millions Doubtless lac Will do the work well
and usc the wealth wisely.
Mr. Orth i, the youngest Of tho four sons of the
! Grand Duke Of Tuscany. Two Others have shown
| similar symptoms of rebellion against what Ouda
| would term "the traditions Of their order
! Charles Salvador has long lived chiefly in Baden.
I in democratic style declining q exercise any Of
|
also found the etiquette Of Vienna too oppressive.
! and long ago went away 10 the I'a'carc Islands
There he is quite lost to the world. But he leads
life of Arcalian liberty, enriched with all the
luxurics wealth can procure. These two. however,
| merely wanted to get away from social burdens
| John ON the contrary, wanted 10 get where he
could work lie was seven years old when tie
| family were driven ont of Tuscany. and ncariy
| ten when they went To live nj Vienna. In child
! hood hc had been restless ard inractabe under
| thc Florcntinc code Of court manners. As an
| immortal schooboy in Vienna he declared open
warfare against what he called iunmcry.' But
| lc must observe court etiquette, they told him.
| Why. il had been in force for hundreds of years
So ," said lie: was all this tunlmcry invented
before my grcat-grcat-grandfather was born?
| They told him yes. Ali. well, poor fellows.
lie replied; they probably didn't know any
| better then. But YOU don't catch me sticking
90 all their tomfoolcry. Not bit of lt!" Tho
poor OH unctionarics of tie court listened 10 such
| words from the twclvc-ycar-od Prince as t. high
treason and basphcmy combined, and probably
wondered why fire didn't descend from Heaven
10 consume the impious youth. But II didn't
II was Il happy day for him, Mr.. Orth says,
when he was commissioned an officer in the army,
for il pavc him chance TO work For war it.
self he did not care. But the scientific details
| of engineering and equipment were his delight
and he gave himself up 10 his work with bound
| less zeal The venerable fossils Of tie War Onicc
| and of the Stall looked upon him cniant
terrible, but consolcd themselves with the idea that
he would soon work himself tired But he did
not lie wrote a pamphlet in which he made the
| governmental hair stand on end by dcnouncins
! Tie Austrian military system as plan for OBJ
taininC tic least res!f NJ the greatest cost, and
also by drn0uucing Prussia as the arch-foe Of
| Austrin and The authc- OF all her ills. This
pamphlet made him the idol OF the people but
| il offended the Government so seriously that the
! young man Wis put in half-imprisOnment at Ora
| COW, and told tina. while he might write all he
pleased, he should not publish word without the
| Emperors consent In few years, however, he
! was recalled 10 Vienna, where he became great
! rsrsnnnl laNnrlie with the k.mnaEnr nd EmnrCss.