The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-05-21
A NEW MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.

To understand the plots and uprisings and
internal connections which have occurred
in the DanUbian municipalities during the
past twenty years, one should read Daudet'S
" Kings in Exile" 1t may be enough here
to say that these States have occupied a
position SO incOngTuous that it is unique.
Seryia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Herzegovina,
R0umela and ROumania are independent,
and yet not Independent They deny the
authority Of both Russia and Austria, yet
the two great powers are necessarily con-
tending for supremacy over them, and one
or the other is always dominant from Bel
grade to the mouth Of the Danube. They
are pieces OF chess with which the two EN-
pres play an endless game, In 1854, Aus
tria played her SeTyian Queen, and COM
PEELED Russia to TeoroSS the Pruih. In 1878,
Russia moved her Ruumanian rock and held
Austria in check, while she crossed the Bal
kaHs. Turmoil and disorder are the normal
state Of these communities. as first one and
next the other Of the great powers become
dominant IN Slay councils, aud the pTinci-
palItieS are distracted by popular demand
for independence checked by Turkish re-
luclance to acQUiesce in the complete over
throw Of the ancient sovereignty of the
Porte.
Sixteen years ago, a woman, young, beau
tiful, gifted and masculine in spirit, ap-
peared upon the scene. This was the
daughter OF a Russian Colonel, 4 SlaY by
her mother, and imbaed with the fanatical
desire Of the Saws for separate nationality.
Her name was Natalie kcschko; in the first
bloom Of her WUmanLOod, she married
Milan Obrenovtch, q boy Of y, who. three
years previously, had been crowned King of
SeryIa. lie was a poor wit'ess creature,
swayed by every wind that blew, and lie
speedily became a puppet IN his Wife's
hands. She made herself the head of the
Siay faction, and reused the Seryians to
such a pitch Of enthusiasm that in the
troubl0u5 lines Of 1S7j-7o they insisted on
war against the Turks Milan took the
field himself, at the head of his army, and
was soundIy beaten, as he was sure to be.
But for Austria. his kingdom and perhaps
his life would have ended then aud there.
Then began a long series of intugues
which were generally traced to Queen
Natalie, and kept Servia in constant tur-
mon. Her husband became odious. A
woman tried to shoot him in church, but
only succeeded in breaking the leg of a lady
Bulgaria, and was beaten again. 1t was
said by his enemies that his constitution was
sUch that when be went into battle he
usually sought the seclusion which his tent
granted. Meanwhile, Queen Natalie thrOned
over the most splendid and most cultured
court ever seen on the Danube. She gath
cred around her the most brilliant minds of
the Slay nation, and at her feteS were seen
the most lovely women and most gorgeous
bOyars of the pTincipalities. Then, as
Milan expressed it, there was irrecOn-
ciable mutual antpathy, and at the instiga-
ton Of Austria her husband divorced her.
Her people quickly retaliated by divorcing
him. He abdicated in favor Of his son. An
attempt was made to confer the supreme
authority on his divorced wife as Regent; ;
but Austria would not stand that, and
Natalie Joined the band Of royalties in exile.
She could not remain quiet On the first faY
OTable opportunity she reappeared at Bel
grade Crowds welcomed her return. The
young men worshiped her as an ideal of
beauty and grace. The masses prOfessed to be
ready 10 die for her. Though she was nearly
% years Of age, the charm Of her smile and
the music of her voice were as potenta as ever.
She was the idol of the hour, and it looked
at one moment as though she might become
the Slav sovereign Of an independent Servia.
That was not among Austria's purposes.
The SeTvian regency, who WELD authority
in the name Of the young King, Natalie's
son, Alexander, were notified that she must
not remain at Belgrade They had no
choice but to obey the mandate. They had
had several experiences of war; every
Seryian knows how hard a bullet hits.
They notified the ex-Queen that she must 20.
She refused. The students and other youths
turned out en- masse to protect her; some
lives were lost in her cause. But in the end,
as usually happens in such cases, victory
remained with the authorities, and the de-
throned Queen, roughly awakened out of
her bed, was put into a special train and
hurried off to Bucharest. So, for time at
lea St she will probably have rest.