Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-12-09

&~>~e@< 80 ~ Wk<S - 4<vSt - &oFRy -
when he Is able % ssy soms-
thing disagreeable and unpleasant |
about the members Of his family. |
The duke Of Cumberland. like both |
of the other pretenders whom |
] have just mentioned. Is enormous |
IL wealthy His wife, daughter |
of the kings OF Denmark, Possesses |
some Of the finest jewels in Europe.
Infinitely less respectable than the
duke. and possessed Of very little money.
Il Prince Peter Karageorgewitch, who
generally makes Paris his headquarters
He received his education ~ the French
military school of ST. Cyr, and when
the war Of 1870 broke out he enlisted -
. private. His gallantry was such that
he was promoted on the field Of battle
70 the rank Of captain and decorated
with the Order of the Legion Of Honor,
q distinction. however, which did not
prevent him subsequently, from running
. very serious riAk Of being shot - .
spy by order Of the general. Marquis de-
Gallifet. who thoroughly distrusted
him The prince Is lineally descended
from convicted psrricide. and his n
ther was found guilty by the supreme
court of Hungary of having instigated
the brutal and cowardly assassination
Of King Milan's uncle and predecessor
ON the throne of Servia- In 1883 Prince
Peter married the daughter Of the ruler
of Montenegro. thereby becoming broth
er>in-law 70 Grand Duke Peter OF
Russia He h. however, now a widow
er, and he has quarreled with his father
in-law on the subject of money mat
tiers. He is short. slight in figure and
very dark, with eyes that do not incpire
confidence. His friends in Servia con-
stitute the radical party, which at tho
present moment possesses majority in
the national Legislature. Probably It il
owing to this that the repeated at
tempts which have been made during
the past two years TO assassinate young
king Alexander have received so little
attention ON the par of the authorities
and have been left practically unpun-
ished. Prince Peter, may add, is
treated at Vienna as an adventurer un-
worthy Of the slightest recognition.
save on the part of the police, while at
st. Petersburg he Is accorded all the
honors reserved for princes of royal
blood.
With regard to the French pretender.
who is styled by his friends Charles
Louis de Bourbon. duke of Normandy"
and who is describc ed as 'Neuendorff'
by his enemies, it isextremely probable
that one Of his numerous adherents will
come to his rescue and effect q compro-
misc with Mrs. Weldon, who is now
prosecuting him for obtaining money
from her under false pretenses. He
claims TO be grandson of the unfor.
tunate dauphin, whom some believe to
have been tortured to death in the
temple prison at Pans during the
reign Of terror ut the close of the last
century, and whom others are equally
firmly convinced escaped and was sub
sequently deprived of his rights and de-
clared as an impostor by his uncle,
King Louis XVIII, whose only pre-
tension to the throne Of France was
based on tho alleged death of the
dauphin. Not only in France, but also
in Germany, Russia, and especially in
Holland, the selfstyled duke of Nor
mandy has found many people, even
of royal blood, to accord credence to his
story. and it Is worthy of note that the
Dutch government, which is one Of the
most strict in Europe. with regard to
the bearing of false names and to the
correct registration of births and
deaths, has not only registered the
death Of the pretender's father, under
the name of Charles Louis de Bour-
| bon, grandson of his late Majesty Louis
XVI, king Of France, and of Queen
Marie Antoinette," but that it has also
admitted the present duke of Normandy
and his younger brother to serve as Of
fcers in the Dutch army under
the name of .sDe Bourbon" Among
the notable Frenchmen who have rec
ognized the validity of the pretendcr's
claims to the name of Bourbon is the
celebrated republican statesman and
lawyer, Jules Favre, who signed the
treaty of peace with Prince Bismarck
at Versailles in 1871. 1t Is worthy of
note that the seal affixed by Jules
Favre to this treaty, which brought to
. close the war between Germany and
France. was made with q signet ring
engraved with royal arms of Bourbon.
and presented to the French plenipo-
tertiary by the duke of Normandy. I'm.
like the Comte de Paris, who puts him.
self forward as the chief of the house
of Bourbon, and who Is exceedingly
wealthy. the duke of Normandy is ex.
trcmely poor, and 1t Is lack of money
more than anything else which has
hitherto prevented him from obtaining
legal restoration In France of his claim.
His features possess all the marked
characteristics of the Bourbon family.
while of those Of the Comte de Paris
do not
A very charming and good-lookina
young fellow Is Prince Demetrius Couxa.
the pretender to the throne of Rou.
mania, and whose claims until a short
time ago were more or less openly sup
ported by the Russian government. HI
Is n natural son of the late Prince
Couza, who until 1896 was ruler OF
Roumania, by his Jason with Princess
Obrenowitch. the mother of King Milan
Of Servia. When I knew the youna
man he was living in much luxury al
Ruginosa, superb country seat near
Jassy. In Roumania. He inherited
his wealth from Princess Helen Couza
the legitimate wife of his father
Princess Helen. with charity and gen.
erosisy beyond all praise. adopted the
child of her rival. Princess Obrepowitcb
on the iatter's death. in 1870. and
-. A. l. -.