The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-09-05
ON A BIKE IN TIGHTS.
PRINCESS LAETITIA CREATES 4
SENSATION IN EUROPE.
Went 10 the Races and Drank Wine
with the JOckeys-king UmbertO
Had Her Locked Up for Disgracing
the Court-She's Merry widow.

A bicycle and a princess astride Of it
in tights and bifurcated skirt have
stirred up a full-hedged royal sensation
at the palace, says a special correspond
ent of the New York World, writing from
Turin, and behind its draw-curtain the fair
culprit who scandalized King Umberto's
sense Of the prophecies is prisoner and
in disgrace The guilty one is Princes
Laetitia. the widowed duchess Of Aosta
and sister-in-law Of the king. The othel
characters in the interesting farce-comedy
are the kings mother-in-law, the duches-
of Genoa, and the Princess Isabel. Just
what it was that precipitated the trouble
is graphically summarized in the follow
ing dispatches:
Extracts form the duchess of Genoa
dispatch TO the king: 'Laetitia scandalized
town; going races on bicycle in tights,
divided skirt. with entire suit Several
accidents en- route. After races princess
drank with jockeys, aristocrats, until .
morning. Very drunk and bOisterous.
Society shocked"
Extracts from the Princess Isabel's dis
patch to the king: Duchess, to spare your
feelings. told only half the truth. Captain
present during bacchanal; drove palace
together, after breakfasting restaurant"
Extracts from the kings dispatch to
Princess Laetitia: Keep to your appar'
ments until further notice; if disObedi-
eut allowance stopped"
There was also a telegram to the mill
tary commander Of Turin, ordering him
10 make his headquarters al the palace,
and TO enforce the strict execution Of
King Umberto's command. Last but
not least, "A telegram to her royal high
ness court marshal babe him burn
"those Internal machines" viz, the bicy-
cles. Strange 10 say, the tights and the
bifurcated skirt were not included in the
holocaust.
Princess Laetitia is the widow Of the
late Ameadeo duke Of Aosta and eX-king
Of Spain. who was her uncle, and her
senior by twenty-one years. She is the
daughter of the late PlOn Plon, or Prince
Napoleon, as his title reads. Plon Plon
was the son of Jerome Bonaparte, eX-
king of Westphalia, and legitimate hus-
band of Elizabeth Patterson Of Balti-
more. The princess's mother is Princess
Clothilde, sister Of the late Victor En-
manuel, and well known for her extreme
piety
Thus the princess combines in her
makeup very different sorts Of clay. On
her fathers side she inherits the blood
of king Lustig' (l<ing Merry, as well
as his sOubriquets Laetitia is Latin for
merrimenD: her mothers religious pro-
clivities seem TO have entered into her
life only so far as Kidding herself Of re-
morscful afterthOughts, by frequent ap-
peals to the chair Of the confessional
Her enemies say she never visits the
same father twice
Personally she is a charming woman,
bearing a strong likeness to her late
herited. She is tall and athletic, and
very fond of exhibiting her beautiful
neck and arms. The early death of the
Duke Aosta left her comparatively poor.
Her direct income scarcely amounts to
$4,000 francs-a mere bagatelle for one
who keeps a stable full Of racers and
hunters a retinue of fifty servants, and
open house all the year round, and makes
occasional yachting excursions and fly
ing trips to the continent, especially to
Paris.
To keep his sister-in-law out Of the
bankruptcy courts. King Umberto or
dered her stepsOns, the present duke of
Aosta and the duke of Abuzzi. who in
herited the many millions of their moth
er. nee Princess Della Cisterna, TO con-
tribute largely to the duchess's support
and the privy purse makes her an addi-
tional allowance. besides giving her
the use of the Turin palace. If ever
Umberto has occasion to scold Laetitia
he threatens withdrawal of his financial
favors. That may not be polite, but no.
body will gainsay its effectiveness.
The story of ths prince ss's escapades
is now discussed widely in Turin, but
the italian papers suppress it out Of re-
spect for the king. The press generally
contents itself with the guarded an
nouncement that the relations between
the royal family and Princess Laetitia
are uncommonly strained.
A week or two ago all Turin made its
annual pilgrimage to the race-track
where the grand prix was to be con-
tested: in landaus. all sorts of English
rigs four-in-hands and carts turned into
equipages for this great event by means
of chairs and benches, curtains and rugs,