Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-02-06
ROYAL SPRICS
Who Would be a King Even
for a Day.
CONSTANT FEAR OF BEING KILLED.
Poisoned Wine Served to King Alexan-
der at Dinner-King Humbert's Lack
OF Courage Undeniable.

King Alexander of Servia lives in
such an atmosphere of conspiracy and
plotting and his life has been threat
ened SO many times since his accession
to the throne that the trial now in pro-
gress at Belgrade scarcely attracts the
attention which it merits. The prison
ers are charged with having attempted
to poison the young king at banquet
given in his honor at the town of Ar
angyelovach. The poison was placed
in the wine set before the king at din
ner, and it was only because he had
been warned Of his danger when about
to proceed to the table that he abstained
from touching the liquid.
The conspirators have furnished doc
umentary evidence of the fact that they
were merely the humble instruments Of
Prince Peter Karageorgeyitch, the one
dream of whose life is to place himself
upon the throne Of Servia in lieu Of
King Alexander.
Meanwhile King Milan has gone
back to Paris. his sudden departure
from Belgrade being, it is said, attrib-
utable to a serious quarrel between
father and son.
I hear some rather interesting details
concerning the summary dismissal by
the young king Of his envoy at St.
Petersburg at the close Of his majesty's
recent visit to the Russian capital to at
tend the funeral of the late czar. The
diplomats first offense was in publicly
addressing the king in the Russian
language instead Of the language of
Servia when they met him at the from
tier. In the next instance he SO imper-
fectly advised his sovereign Of the time
and arrangements fixed for the OBJ
sequies that the king had to drive
directly from the railway station to the
cathedral, where he was scarcely able
to find place among the royal mourn
ers, and was obliged to put up with
all kinds of snubs and sights. Subse-
quently, at the reception given by the
envoy at the legation in honor Of the
king, the diplomat managed to commit
several ridiculous gaucheries which
very much annoyed his punctilious
young sovereign.
But his eliminating offense was leav-
ing the king in ignorance of the inten-
tion of the Pan-Slavist society to elect
his majesty as an honorary member, SO
that when the diploma was handed to
Alexander by Count Ignatieff at the
head of deputation his majesty was
utterly nonplused, and cut rather
sheepish figure, not knowing what to
say.
King Humbert's court is once more
reminded Of its parvenu character, as
we'll as Of it's being outside the so-called
family circle of European royalty, by
the official mourning which has just
been decreed at Vienna, Berlin, Ma
drid, st. Petersburg. Athens aud Lis
bon. Even Bulgaria has donned en-
blems of woe for the death of the ex-
king of Naples. The court of the quir-
nal alone can take no official cogniz-
ance of his death.
find that my reference the other
day to the lack of courage which the
king displayed at the siege of Gaeta
has been called into question by cor
respondent can only add in proof Of
my assertion the well-authentioated
story Of how when bomb fell into the
room where the king and queen were
dining with their suit during the
siege King Francis immediately
reiterated to the cellar, trembling with
fright.
Queen Sophie, ON the other hand,
walked to a looking glass that hung on
the wall, and, noticing that her hair
was whitened by the plaster dust made
by the bursting bomb, exclaimed with
out tremor, "What a pity it is that
powder is no longer fashionable.
Don't look. with my whitened hair,
quite an eighteenth century queen? l
must keep is just SO while the garrison
is being reviewed"
Prince Henry of Orleans, now in the
wilds of Tonquin, is about to return
home, his voyage of exploration in the
far east having been unexpectedly in
terrupted by the sudden death of his
chum and companion, Comte de Jean
de Grandmaison, who died without a
moments warning of aneurism of the
heart.
The count was particularly good
looking and exceedingly popular young
nobleman, who had served with dis
tinction in the army and was devoted
to the house of Orleans, having resigned
his commission in order to accompany
the prince to the far east
Col. Shervinton, commander-in-ohief
of the forces of the queen of Madagas-
car, is an Irish country gentleman,
son of the well-known Crimean officer.
Gen. Shervinton. He is about 40 years
of age, of the average height, spare
and wiry in figure, with heavy mus
tache, frank face and blue eyes. This,
at least, is my recollection of him
when he was formerly in Queen Vic
toria's service. He has a number of
European officers with him in the NAL
agasy army. and they are. like him
self, nearly all Irish country gentlemen