The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-08-24
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$3.50 ssR-A3O
A PRINCESS SENT TO COVENTRY.
It yyAs All Because she Would Ride = Cycle
Public Ways.

It Was All Because she Would Ride q Cycle
Public Ways.
Bicycles caused no end of bad blood
lin more senses than one, it is to be
feared - before finally obtaining the
right Of citizenship among orthodox We
hicles of the road, and, universal though
they have now become among ordinary
mortals, they have still deal of up hill
work to accomplish before acquiring a
status among the surroundings Of roy
atty OF course q prince or king may
bestride a wheel" and do anything
but break a record or his neck, but
were a princess so far to forget what
she owed to her house, her dignity and
her long line of ancestors as to patronize
this democratic means of locomotion the
whole civilized world would be expect
ed to stand aghast at the dissertation of
royalty implied by the act. And this is
the horrible deed that has just been an
nounced by the telegraph and has
thrown Italian court circles into cero-
mOnial commissions.
The catastrophe occurred in Turin,
and the heroine and victim-the lady is
both-is the pretty, accomplished young
widow, the Duchess of Aosta, who is
staying at the Castle of Stupinigi. Prin-
cess Maria Loetizia is a sister-in-law OF
the present king of Italy, she having
married in 1888 his brother, Prince
Amadeo, duke of Aosta, who died in
1890. This lady, who is a Bonaparte,
is not merely accomplished and pretty,
but is brimful of life and fun and takes
a positive delight in tramping upon the
rigid court ceremonial of past ages. The
last of her frolics was executed on BIZ
cycle made for one.
She set out few days ago on one Of
these tabUOed vehicles, accompanied by
a maid of honor aud two court cavaliers.
and after a long ride the party were
flying mp one of the shady avenues lead
ing to the palace of the dukes of Aosta
when company of soldiers commanded
by a major met them half way, glanced
at them furtiveiy and perhaps a trihe
too furiously or critically and marched
on without making sign. The duchess,
rendered more sensitive than usual by
the consciousness that she was trans
crossing the bounds of court etiquette,
felt hurt at not being saluted in the APP
proved fashion by the major and his
soldiers.
This was perhaps human nature, and
as such excusabfe. But the lively lady
went much further-she actually COM
planned of the conduct of the major,
who had, she affirmed, culpably neg
lected to salute her. The commandant of
Turin, General q Oncian de la Batin, at
once summoned the officer to appear be-
fore him and explain his conduct. The
major said he was guiltless of any Of
fense as he did not recognize the high
born lady, oddly dressed and seated be-
tween two wheels, and would never have
permitted himself to think of her high
ness as a mere bicyclist. Had he known
or suspected it was she, of course he
would have, etc. General de la Batin,
uncertain what course to take, appealed
to the SolOmOnic wisdom of the war
minister, to whom he forwarded a de-
tailed report of the whole occurrence,
asking for instructions as to the punish
ment to be melted out to the major,
whom he meanwhile kept in arrest. The
minister Of war, if not precisely a Solo
mon, was at least quite shrewd enough
to see that the ground he was treading
was courtly, if not holy, and instead of
taking the responsibility upon himself
demanded an audience of the king, be-
fore whom he laid the report of the
commandment.
The monarch cut the gordian knot in
a twinkling. He sent a Geographic order
to Turin releasing the major from ar
rest and entirely generating him in
the matter. This, however, was the So
luton OF only one-half Of the question.
The remaining moiety concerned the
lively young widow, and the king sent
his bicycle loving sister law an order
forbidding her to attire herself in red
court costume for the space of two cal |
endar months, a prohibition which is
equivalent to strict domestic arrest for !
that period The princess is, therefore,
absolutely invisible to the good citizens +
of Turin, who We're wont to watch and I
salute her two or three times daily as
she rode or drove or walked about the
streets of the historic old city.
The inhabitants console themselves !
by gazing for hours through the win T
dows of the photographers shops, +
where a series of 10 magnificent por- F
traits in various positions and costumes T
attract hundreds of loyal sympathizers F
now learn that sentence has also been f
pronounced on one of the court cava-
liers who accompanied the duchess on
her bicycling expedition. The Marquis
of Moncrivello has been summarily dis
missed from his post by order of the
king, who is said to be extremely an
nOyed at the evident determination Of
his sister-in-law to put all traditional
notions of court etiquette at naught and
to have announced his intention to pun
ish much more severely all future trans
gressions. Rome Cor. London Tele-