The morning call., 1891-07-07
PRINCE RUDOLPH'S DEATH.
The Current and Accepted Story of tho
Manner Thereof.

The Current and Accepted Story of tho
Manner Thereof.
met the other evening at a dinner party
a most charming old Austrian lady who had
come from Vienna to Paris to visit her
daughter, who is the wife Of French no.
blemaD, and had just presented her husband
with an heir to their joint estates. After
dinner the conversation turned upon mat
tiers and things in Austria, and l spoke of
the mysterious death of the unfortunate
Crown Prince Rudolph, and the secrecy
that had been observed concerning al the
details of that CHASTITY catastrophe. The
Countess Won X shrugged her shoul-
ders. 1T is a mystery for the outside
world and for the newspaper if you will, !"
she answered. ''but the true story of the
case is generally known among the upper
classes of Viennese society, and l have no
objection in relating it TO you.
briefly stated, the facts are as follows !:
A foreign oblemaD, the Prince de z, who
was widower and q connection by marri-
age with leading member Of the Austrian
royal family, was presented one evening at
ball to the radiantly beautiful Baroness
Marie de Vecsera, instantly fell madly in
love with her, and formed the resolution of
making her his wife. He was ON terms of
Intimate friendship with the Crown Prince,
and before proposing in due form for the
young lady's hand he consulted Prince
Rudolph on the advisabilty of the step he
was about 10 take. I must see the Baroness
Marie replied the Prince, to ascertain if
she is in all respects as charming as you
say, before give you my full APPRECIATION
The introduction took place. and the superb
beauty of the lovely girl impressed Prince
Rudolph no less than il had done his friend
before him.
THE passion thus Inspired was mutual,
and of uncomfortable vehemence. A liais0n
was formed which was conducted with the
utmost possible secrecy, but rumors of its
rise and progress did not fail to reach the
ears OF the unfortunate Prince de L. AT
last the Inflated expedition to Meyerling
took place, and the presence there of the
lovers was betrayed to. the unhappy wOoer
by one of the servants who was IN his pay.
He FASTENED to Meyerling, but was denied
admission to the house. He then made his
way 10 the back part of the ground, climbed
over the wall. scaled the balcony attached
TO the Princes room, ana, shatterlng the
windows, he leaped into the presence of his
false friend and his fafthless lady love. A
terrible hand TO hand encounter ensued b.
tween the two men, bath of great strength
and accustomed to all sorts OF athletic eXer-
c>eS. The furniture OF the room was liter
ally smashed to pieces in the conflict.
Finally the Prince de L ,natched up
an unopened bottle Of wine and deaf the
Crown Prince a furious blow on the head
with 1t, crushing in his adversary's skull
and killing him instantly. The Baroness de
Vecsera had, it seems, slways carried about
with her dose Of stry1hulne, with q pre-
moniton of some such catastrophe. On see
ing her lover fall corpse before her, she
swallowed the fatal drug, and death ensued
in very shoIt space Of time. One of the
young mobiles, who had been Prince Ru-
dolph's guest at MeyerIing. hastened 10 Vi
emma to bear the terrible tidings TO the En-
peror, while another one renamed to guard
the house wherein lay the bodies of the
lovers.
The Emperor" continued the Countess,
would permit no legal proceedings to be
taken against Prince de Z, declaring that
he only acted in self-defense; neither would
he consent to receive the Princes resisna-
ton of his position in the army. The facts
were huS he'd uD as much as possible All
discussion of the catastrophe was prohb-
tied to the journals of Austria. But the
story was known TO too mauy persons 10 be
kept close secret"
afterward met, at an evening reception,
Belgian physician who has been settled
for several years past al Vienna. BE fully
zorro borated all the details of the Crown
Princes death as impaired to me by the
Countess Won X.-Paris letter to Philadel-
phla Telegraph