The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-08-02
PRINCE RUDonPH's DEATH.
The Story of the Tragedy Now Accepted
in Vienna as True.

The Story of the Tragedy Now Accepted
in Vienna as True.
Philadelphia Telegraph Paris Letter.
/ met the other evening at a dinner party
most charming old Austrian lady who had
come from Vienna to Paris to visit her
daughter, who is the wife OF French noble
man, and had Just presented her husband with
an heir to their Joint estates. After dinner
the conversation turned upon matters and
things In Austria, and spoke of the mysterf-
Gus death of the unfortunate Crown Prince
Rudolph, and the secrecy that had been OBJ
served concerning all the details OF that
ghastly catastrophe. The Countess Won Y
shrugged her shoulders. at is mystery for
the outside world and for the newspaper, IL
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
"Briefy stated the facts are as follows
A foreign nobleman, the Prince de z, who
was a widower and a connection by mar
riage with leading member of the Austrian
royal family, was presented one evening at
a ball to the radiantly beautiful Baroness
Marie de Vecsers, 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 advisability of the step he
was about to take. i must see the Baroness
Marie replied the prince, 'to ascertain II
she is in all respects as charming as you
say, before l give you my full approbation.'
The introduction took place, and the superb
beauty of the lovely girl impressed Prince
Rudolph no less than it had done his friend
before him.
''The passion thus inspired was mutual. and
of uncomfortable vehemence. A lidison was
formed, which was conducted with the ut
most possible secrecy, but rumors of its rise
and progress did not fail to reach the ears Of
the unfortunate Prince de Z. At last the
Inflated expedition to Meyerling took place,
and the presence there of the lovers was be-
trayed 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 to the back
part of the ground, climbed over the wall
scaled the balcony attached to the Princes
room, and, shattering the windows, he leaped
into the presence of his false friend and his
faithless lady love. a terrible hand to hand
encounter ensued between the two men, both
of great strength and accustomed to all sorts
of athletic exercises. The furniture of the
room was literally smashed to pieces in the
conflict.
"Finally the Prince de Z snatched up
an unopened bottle of wine and dealt the
Crown Prince furious blow on the head with
it, crushing in his adversary's skull and kill
ing him instantly. The Baroness de Vecsera
had, it seems, always carried about with her q
dose of strychnine, with premonition of
some such catastrophe. On seeing her lover
fall corpse before her, she swallowed the fatal
drug, and death ensued in very short space
of time One of the young mobiles, who had
been Prince Rudolph's guest at Meyerling,
hastened to Vienna to bear the terrible tidings
to the Emperor, while another one remained
to guard the house wherein lay the bodies OF
the lovers.
'sThe Emperor continued the Countess
t'would permit no legal proceedings to bt
taken against Prince de z, declaring that HI
only acted in self defense; neither would h
consent to receive the Princes resignation o
his position in the army. The facts wer
hushed up as much as possible. All discus
sion Of the catastrophe was prohibited to tn
journals of Austria. But the story was know
to too many persons to be kept close secret.
/ afterward met, at an evening reception,
Belgian physician who has been settled 70
several years in Vienna. He fully corroborate
all the details of the Crown Princes death a
impaired to me by the Countess Won Y.