Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-22
B ACk TO BELGRADE
h1-King Milan Returns to Seryia's
Capital
me Former Ruler Welcomed Joy.
FULLY by His son-story of His
stormy Career.

hx-king Milan OF Servia left Saturday
evening for the Servian capital The serv
ian cabinet ministers were Informed of his
plan as soon as he started from Ruda
Pesth. At midnight the council was con-
Vened In haste, and the radical leaders re-
I solved to resign forthwith. Gen. Gruitch
rendered their designations to King Alex
| anoer yesterday morning, saying that he
ana his colleagues were unwilling to retain
the responsibilities of offices after the ar
| rival of Milan.
The ex-king reached Belgrade yesterday
| afternoon, and was welcomed joyfully by
| his son. The skuptschina will meet today
and some decisive step is likely to be taken
| at once. King Alexander gave assurances
| of his intention to adhere strictly to the
constitution, but nobody feels sure of his
policy, and the excitement and anxiety in
Belgrade run very high. There is a rumor
that NJ. Smitsch, Servian minister to Aus
tria- Hungary, has been called to form
cabinet.
The radical party committee have decid-
| ed to expel Gen. Gruitch and his three
colleagues from the party. alleging that
they betrayed party secrets to the king. 1t
| Is rumored that ex-King Milan intends TO
resume supreme command Of the Servian
| army.
The Expulsion Of Milan.
The return of ex-King Milan Obrenovich
/
| matte incident In his sensational career
His troubles with his wife. the beautiful
| Natalie. ending in their separation and OIL
| vorce were the gossip in the royal circles
| Of Europe for months. Natalie WAS for
years. and more especially since the war
between Bulgaria and Servia, the promoter.
| IL not the actual ringleader, of the innum-
cradle Panslavist plots for the overthrow of
her husband and the succession to the
throne of her little boy, with herself as re-
gent and the car Of Russia suzerain.
A Widespread Plot.
The last of these plots according to her
enemies, was a most widespread one. An
| immense number of officers and several of
the principal commanding generals were
at the head of the movement. King Milan
was to be kidnapped and forced to sign an
abdication. failing in which he was to be
murdered in cold blood, like his predecessor
| and uncle. The young crown prince, aged
| twelve, was to be proclaimed king and
| queen Nalane res~n.. me "aoie % ..ie
| Cabinet men AN power. heaued W me prime
| munster, Gruitcu. a desoieu auhcrcA. "a
| Russia, were co6nlzant Vi the piot, ana,
| IN IacI, tacltly sanctioned It, ana the arcn-
| pisnop or t5eigraue ana the otner Serrian
| preiates hailed with deignt the end Oh
| Milan s reign.
| Ine revolution was to begin simultan-
| ecusiy AT Belgrade, Tapatz and Prot, on
| April -, loss. and orders had secretly been
|
10 remain indoors ON that day. On April
| "a, two days before the date liked Tor The
| outbreak, the leader OF the opposition In
parliament. NJ. Custics. visited :he king
| and disclosed to him not only the danger
| threatening his throne, but also the COM
plicity of the cabinet ministers in the al
| fair. Scared almost to death, Milan sum-
| moned Herr Won Hengelmuller. the Aus
| TRAN envoy. to the palace. and after SOL
1 EMMY placing himself under Austrian pro-
| lection implored him for advice as to what
was TO be done. At Herr Won hengelmuI-
| lers suggestion he Immediately dispatched
| letters oismissing NJ. Gruitch and mis- col
| leagues. and appointed at midnight NJ
| Christitch as prime minister in his place
| The new premier, whose proclivitles, like
those of the king. were thoroughly Aus
TRAN and anti-Russian, Immediately took
| steps to checkmate the conspirators, and
the projected revolution degenerated into
| rev comparatively unimportant though
sanguinary riots.
1t was the discovery Of this plot that was
| the immediate cause of the definite rupture
between Milan and his wife. Austrian by
| educa ton, relationship and in all his SYM
pathies. Milan was thoroughly out of touch
with his subjects, who one and all abhor
Austria, and are thoroughly Russian in
| their proclivities. Both the royal and the
| national treasures were empty as the last
three cabinets feared, for political reasons
| 70 Iorce the peasants to pay the heavy ar
| rears or taxes due. The ministry, unpop-
| ular throughout the country on account Of
| It's adoption Of a pro-Austrian policy still
Iurtner incurred popular hatred by the
a so,a., OF stringent measures for the re-
| coVery OF all unpaid taxes, and its tenure
OF once was an exceedingly short one
| WIN tne army. the clergy and the people
ssaihst MIN. Milan would have abandoned
MS lettering throne long before and retired
| TO the delights of Ne of pleasure either
/ at Vienna or Paris. had 1t not been for the
austrian government. which insisted on his
/ against his will The Vienna IandarhanE
one OF the greatest financial establishments
OF austria, has enormous sums OF money
invested in Servia, and altogether anart
from Austria's obvious political obiactions
to Belgrade becoming a Russian fortress
tne more or less direct absorption of King
Mllan,s dominions by Russia would have
involved Austria in a widespread ana ter
| rible financial disaster
King Milan was extremely anxious to Sc
eure Iuii divorce, but the holy synod
! turned deaf ear to his petition for NOT
only is the orthodox Greek Church ex
tremely averse to the annulment OF mar
riages. but, by reason of her Russian birth.
queen Natalie possesses the warmest sym,
pathies of the clergy, who are Pansla yists
almost to man. Consequently, the Serv-
ian sovereign was obliged to content him
thoro, and the Punishment of the queen
from Servian territory. She went to Wies-
Daoen as already stated. taking with her
| the young prince, Alexander
| In July, 1883. King Milan demanded .ha
AID or the authorities of Hesse-Nassau TO
\ force his wife to surrender to him the
crown prince. She was forcibly robbed Of
her child and was refused domicile in
Wiesbaden and Vienna. The scene that
| occurred at Wiesbaden was certainly not
| an edifying spectacle. where her son was
taken from her by force by the German
| police, under orders from Prince RIsmarcL
| The queen was then ordered to leave Ger
| man territory within twenty-four hours
! ana she became throneless and childIess
| and royal wanderer i'm the world. n was
arranged that the prince should reside
with bis father at BELGRADE and that
| Queen Natalie would be allowed to see him
once each year.
| Mi1an's Abdicatton.
The next step in the drama was the alb
dication Of King Milan in favor of his son
on March 9. 1885, The son was to reign
under the regency OF NM. Ritstich. Bell
markovitch and Provitch. The abdication
! was considered a surrender to the radical
party. A strong party demanded Natalie's
return, and she went back to Belgrade on
| October %. 1850. Various conditions as TO
the visit had been laid down by Milan, but
the government would not allow him to re-
move the young sovereign from Belgrade
In order to prevent Natalie from seeing
| him. Natalie refused to consent to the i'm
position of any conditions, and finally she
| was allowed to see her son. A house In
Belgrade was taken by her for a year. and
| she was allowed to visit the young king
\ on Sundays and saints days