The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-11-25
LOSES A FORTUNE.
How the Princess eortsohakoF
Lost her Famous Suit
AN IMPOVERISHED SOCIETY QUEEN
A Story Which is Like a Novel; Prince
Gregory s.ourdza Receivers $4,000
600 and Palacesin Paris and Baden.
Baden from his Crafty Relation.

bucharest, Nov. 24-The court at
Galatz has condemned Princess Gort-
schakofF to transfer to her brother
Prince Gregory stourdza, the sum OF
S5.OOO,0OO and residences held by her in
Paris and Baden-Baden under the dis
puted will Of her father, the late gov
ernor of Moldayia. The judGmenttinan-
cially ruins the princess. The story OF
the trial is full OF interest.
The late Prince Michael stourdza.
Hospodar of Moldavia before its union
with Wallachia to form tho present
kingdom OF Roumania, was twice mar
ried. BY histirst wife, nee Elise Rosetti,
he had two sons, Gregoire aud Demetre;
and by the second, a daughter Of Prince
Vogorides, an eminent Turkish func-
tionary, he had ono child, q daughter,
who became tho wife of Prince Constan-
tine Gortschakolf, son OF the famous
Russian statesman OF that name. Prince
Michael died in Paris in May 1854. His
estate, to all appearances, reached only
40,0OO,000% francs, but his elder son, Greg
DIRE, declared that it should have reach
ed double that figure. and Immediately
began legal proceedings against HIS
step-mother, whom he accused OF ms.
%appropriating the property oil his
father. These proceedings were sud-
denly brought TO o close, however, by
the death ut Baden Baden, in July, Of
the Princess Michael.
The %latter's daughter had married
Prince Constantine G~ortschakof in
1868, and had three children by him.
The bonds of matrimony, however,
proved exceedingly calling to her, and
she determined to get rid OF them at
the earliest opportunity after the death
of her father-in-law, of whom she stood
in great dread. Within a few months
after his death, in 1888, she associated
herself with an Englishman of some
what obscure origin and Travelled in
his company under her W name all
over Europe, creating a great scandal
everywhere.
Neither this nor other provocations
of a similar nature were successful in
driving her husband to sue for a di.
yorce. In fact the more she displayed
anxiety to secure the dissolution OF her
marriage, the less inclination did the
prince show to meet her views of the
matter. In despair at her failure. she
actually went to the length of herself
lodging q petition for divorce against
him at st. Petersburg and at Bucharest.
But in both cities the Holy Synod re-
iected her demand on the ground that
the only charges she was able to bring
against her husband did not furnish a
sufficient cause for decreeing the disco
luton OF the marriage. AT Stamboul,
however, she was more successful, and
by dint Of enormous brides was able to
induce the orthodox patriarch OF Con-
stantinaple to pronounce the annulment
of her union with Constantine Gorts-
chakoff. It is needless to add that the
decree in question was regarded as en-
tirely invalid both in Russia and Rou.
mania, the synod on the Bosphorus
having no legal competence to deal with
her case.
VAST SUNS STOLEN FROM A CORPSE.
When old Princess stourdza died in
1885, she left a fortune which had been
valued, q few weeks before her death,
at the colossal sum of 10000, 900 francs.
The only member of the family with
her at the time of her death was her
daughter, the Princess Gortschakotf,
the other occupants OF the villa at the
Baden Baden being the Princess, Bran
covan and the Roman Catholic e%cclesi-
astic,st the Able Petit, together with a
large retinue OF servants. 1t was well
known to the family that the old lady
was in the habit of wearing day and
night a soft leather belt strapped round
her body and containing all her most
valuable securities, jewels and title
deeds. That this belt was there in its
place at the moment OF her death is
shown by the sworn evidence OF the
two sisters of mercy who rendered her
throughout her last illness. During
the night which followed the princess
death her daughter, with Mime. de
Brancovan and the Able Petit, spent
several hours alone with the corpse,
and on the next day, when it was placed
in the coffin, the sisters of mercy noticed
that the bell had disappeared.
Nor wal this all, for it appears that
very moment when the death agony
commenced Princess Gorschakoif dis
patched a telegram to Paris summoning
an exceedingly clever locksmith OF the
name OF Landry, who was known to
have designed the locks of the four
steel safes in which the old princess
had boarded all such OF her ~valuables as
she was unable to get into her leather
belt. Landry arrived on the evening
before the funeral and spent the whole
night with the princess in picking the
locks OF the safes, the keys to which
had been 80 carefully hidden away by
the old lady that it was impossible to
find them.
When at length the local authorities
presented themselves at the villa to
make the duly prescribed inventory OF
the property left by tho deceased it
was discovered that over 10000 900
francs had mysteriously disappeared,
and that no trace thereof could be
found. On being notified OF the fact,
Prince Gregoire Stourdza commenced
proceedings against his half-sister, for
the purpose OF compelling her to sur
render the portion OF his step mothers
fortune due to him, as the eldest sen,
under the parents will. The trial was
commenced in October, 1887, at Paris,
but the, plaintiff was non.suited in con
sequence of the absence OF two OF the
principal witnesses against Prince Gort.
schakol. These were her maid and
groom OF tho chamber, who had been
present with her at the time when the
safes were being ritied OF their contents
on the night before the funeral.
sILENcTNG THE WITNESSES.
L