San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-08-12
rBEosoPHY's HIGH PRIEsTEss.

IhhoSoFhI - HUH fHNICSIESS.
The Eccentric Countess Of Gath
ness, Nine. Biavatsky's
Successor.
For years bitter war has been
raging between the disciples of the
Osophy and spiritualism, but on Sat
urday last. according to the cable an
nouncements from London, the
chasm was bridged by the elevation
to the leadership OF the Theosoph c
Society in Europe of pronounced anu
earnest Spiritualist, Marie. Countess
of Caithness and Duchesse de Pomar,
who succeeds the late Nine. blavat-
sky as materialist. The new high
take place in the history of eccen-
trio characters OF this generation be-
side the famous Lady Hester Stan
hope. The study of the mysterious
and the marvellous led each 10 aban-
don the conventionalities of aristO.
cratic British society and to astonish
the world by the most amazing
eccentricities of character and con-
duct. A singularly gifted and
accomplished woman, possessed
of = fortune that brings
her an income OF more than 500, 900
year, and the widow of the most blue
FLOODED esrls in the British peerage,
the Duchesse de Pomar, has for
nearly weDty years set the god of
cOnventionality in England in de-
fiance, and become one of the most
Interesting, most run after and most
talked about women in Europe.
Though nearly threescore and ten
years of age Lady Caithness still re-
taIns much of the brilliant creole
beauty which q generation ago won
the heart of the thirteen Earl of
Caithness.
In New York, where she resided
for several years during her bus
bands lifetime, she became deeply
in terested in spiritualism and claim
to have become medium, and subse-
Quently in London, she claimed to
have had spiritual intercourse with
Scotland's famous queen, Mary
stuart, and to this day she calls the
Inflated woman her adviser In all her
movements, claiming to consult her
in everything through the medium of
spirituaiism. she was married twice,
ner first husband being prosperous
Cuban planter, whom she prevailed
upon to buy the title of Count de
POma from Pope Plus TX
After the tall of the POpe's TEN.
poral power this title fell into
comparative insignificance; but Lady
Caithness, not content with her
English title, bought q small estate
in Spain, and by liberal gift TO the
Impoverished treasury of King Anna.
dec of Spain. secured not only the
confirmation of her title as Countess
of Pomar, but her elevation to the
rank of duchess. Her friendship with
Nine. Blavatsky and her intimacy
with the spirit of the Queen of Scots
seems to have developed her ambition
TO attain still higher rank, and about
ten years ago she confided to her
friends that Mary Stuart had reincar-
mated herself in her Lady Cath.
messy body.
Accordingly, she set up y state
drawing room, with q throne in it, in
her beautiful villa at Nice, and on oc.
casions donned the queenly crown
and royal robes, hiresd ''ladies OF
honorn and "lords in waiting" to at
tend her and address her as "your
with all her vsgaries she has
shown herself to be an earnest stu.
dent of occultism and philosophy
and an industrious investigator
and writer on these subjects.
In 1887 she published a re
volu me en- titled The Mys-
rery of the Ages, Contained in the
Secret Doctrine of all Religions"
which is much thought of by theos-
ophists. In nearly every way this
new Castillo Cuban Eigh priestess
presents a strong contrast to her Cos
sack predecessor. OF slim figure, ele.
CANT manners, refined tastes always
magnificently dressed, there Is moth
ing in her outward senlblance to sug
gsst the fat, frow-y, untidy, cigarette
a p,nH;po Puosiop Nina Rlavatakv