Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-06-18
Il. R. H.'s SUPERSTITION.
Last OF y Party OF Four For Whom vio-
lent Death Was Prophesied.


A few months before the young prince
imperial of France started for South AT
rica, whence he never returned, he paid a
visit of five days to the Duke Of Hamilton
at Hamilton palace, In Scotland, his fell
low guests being Crown Prince Rudolph
Of Austria and the Prince of Wales, and
1t was during that stay by the bye, that
the French prince won the admiration Of
all present, and especially Of Albert Ed
ward, by vaulting to the bare back Of an
unbridled and unbroken stallion colt In
one of the dukes paddocks and tearing
round and round the field with him, keep
ing his seat like centaur.
But the most memorable event of that
visit was meeting Of the Duke Of Hamil-
ton and the three princes Of the blood with
an old crone, who might have been, judg-
ing from her appearance, a sister OF the
witches of Macbeth, and who, as 1t subse-
quently turned out, had been evicted from
her bovel by the dukes factor for nonpay-
ment Of rent, quite possibly without the
knowledge Of his grace, although 1t was he
that the crone held responsible for her
misery.
The duke did not know this at the time,
nor do / believe that he was acquainted
with her reputation among the local peas
antry Of being witch, for he was very
seldom at Hamilton palace. However, the
appearance Of the old creature excited re-
mark on the part Of the prince imperial,
who Immediately drew the attention Of his
companions to the probability OF the
witches of Macbeth having been fashioned
to her image.
This led the Archduke Rudolph, who
was always bit superstitious, to suggest
that they should follow the example Of
the Shakespearean thane and have their
fortunes told. To all four she predicted
violent death, and that, too, within a CIV
en- period, giving number Of details both
with regard to the past and the future Of
the princes and of the duke.
All four affected to laugh away the pre-
dictions and to treat them as mere maun-
derings of an irresponsible old hag. But a
gloom settled upon each one of them, the
party breaking up on the following day,
and all four travelled south with faces,
manner and conversation that showed that
there was weight upon their minds.
A few months afterward the prince i'm
perial sailed for Zululand, where he per-
ished In the manner SO frequently de-
scribed, his wounds. all In front and more
than 90 in number, bearing an eloquent
tribute to the splendid fight which single
handed he made against an overwhelming
force Of native warriors, after being de-
serted by his English companions. Crown
Prince Rudolph Of Austria met his fate at
Meyerling In a manner 80 horrible that the
true circumstances Of the case have, as far
as possible, been shrouded In mystery, the
official statement, however, admitting that
his death was due to violence.
The Duke Of Hamilton now lies dead
with bullet through his brain, and the
only remaining one Of that party Of four,
the Prince Of Wales, Is at present asking
himself how long IL will be before he, too,
meets the fate foretold to him by the old
Scotch witch, a prediction which has been
the principal cause Of his repeatedly ex-
pressed assurance that he would never as.
cend the throne and that his mother would
Outlive him.-Marquise de Fontenoy in
New York Recorder.