New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-10
TOPICS IN PARIS.
A PEASANT PRINCESS.
rrcr>,v =, THE SOUTH OF FRANCE MYs-
TERIoJs TALK ABOUT Observation-Disclosures
AN OLD LADY WHO DIDN'T BE

-ERlOys TALK ABOUT CONTEMPORARIES
An OLD LADY WHO DIDN'T BE
COME QUEEN or RELGIUM
Paris. February 22
Among the most tiresome duties OF President
or Tho French Republic is that of keeping track
~ tba domestic occurrences OF the various reign
ing families throughout the world. civilized ana
uncvilized Thus whenever a princess ot the
blood no matter how remotely connected with
the ROYAL family she may be, presents her nus
band with a living token of her aifectoA' freS'-
dent Faure is compelled 10 telegraph ana Senu
autograph letters of Congratuiaton. Hls lehcI'"-
lions take a still more elaborate form III ''e
event of marriages; while in the event oil deaths
he is compelled TO express grief ana soiio"
which he cannot be expected to feel IN nine caSVS
out OF ten and which is therefore htie less IMAM
downright hypocrisy There was so'he'i'"s
more than mere preface. however IN 'he heH-
.,.o ~ coincidence which he addressed a few
DAYS ago to the reignng Prince OF Moh'e"es'o
an learning Of the death Of the Princes mother
The newspapers referred to the oid iauy as
"puchess" but she certainly never dreamer 81
...,,,,,,,,, a,,, eucb fantastic style. and never
having relgned either as princess resnaht OF
.vo, 40 consoc Of a sovereign of Montenegro, IL
60 diH2crlt IN see how she could ever find place
IN tho Almanach de Gotha with the Woro
"prin.ess" prefixed to her name President Faure
visited Montenegro some years ago anu H'du1
the acquaintance OF this eNtraofdlnffI Gu "o'"-
an who was nothing but a peasant ana WHO
when I met her at Cettinje could n'!'her Ie1n
nor write but for all that was yer! shie"o' Ne'9
clever and thoroughly impressed ore with the
fact that she was woman OF strong cnar"c'ef'
no. career may be- described having been
romantic in the extreme. Her name was Htaha'
which is the Montenegrin for Stephdh'r' ana She
was horn in the poverty stricken village Oh BAIL
on the Black Mountain. She was OaIeiN lo'''e'''
years old when she married man OF heT ON"
class a certain Mirko PetOvitch. VINO eNeu ""'
a scanty subsistence by selling at 'attaio' OH '''r
shares of the Adratic. the cattle when ne 1"u III
Cow, instances raised and in most cases stolen.
1I;s wife was compelled to contribute u u'e
snpport Of the family by selling iirewood Which
a,,r arriod 10 the market in big bundles on her
.oa and bacl, They had been leading THIS eN-
,.o,oa for some fifteen years. and their only
child Nicholas was about twelve Wheh 'He
aeotb of the last sovereign Prince Bishop OF 'he
p,sck Mountain brought to the throne MS ais
,.nt relative Daniel who declined TO assume
the ecclesiastical dignity or functions anu p.'
claimed himself purely temporal ru'er' i'e
naasant Mirko was his half-brother-aA 'ne ~
habitants of Montenegro are more OF less C''s''S
related to one another-and Daniel oe''eN''s
.,,s, ,,irko was the only one in whom he could
,I.cs his trust appointed him chief Of his BODY
suard and insisted his taking UP Ills IeS'
donce with his wife and boy, az CetuhJH'
When. some teE years later Dah'el 0'eo SUI
Senlv bv the hand Of an assassin hlNo sun
Nicholas who had been educated a!h'os' eii'"'9
abroad. at ST. Petersburg and PARIS was eio0'00
~ succeed to the throne. Mirho h,hiSe'' maj
unanimously standing aside ana decAhi"e ~
oo,os a candidate on the ground Of his entire
lack both OF education and OF Aho"l7use W
foreign affairs. Neither he nor his go'd WE
mid aver be- induced to make any attempt 10
,aarn n road or write, and they were Doth per
t.ot,,, satisfied with the fame achieved by 'He
o,d CATTLE litter on the field Of battle during the
numerous wars Of Montenegro against the u'NS.
Nirko served for many years under the oiue'S Va
his son Nicholas. his wisest counsellor anu Has
most trusted general. and when ne oleo So'ie
fifteen years ago, Prince Nicholas go' ih'' 'e
habit Of consulting his mother, the most 'o"'"-
inc affection existing between the TWO -\o' d
5av passed without the Prince paying the "'0
lady a visit and in spite Of the fact tha' women
as a rule count for little on the Black MOUNTAIN
-heinC utilized for all the most arduouS "oi Ia
such as tlng the soil and carrying loa"' ''e
,tortoner~jn himself being far too great a
N'''
his knives. swords. pistols and gun-e'ery oouy
resnected and venerated tins woHdefI"i o-0
woman.
D,,r,rr hoy eighty years OF existence she man
80 "a sorann together and put aside quite q
r,tia money some $4,000, which she was wont
n store away piece by piece in Old WooHen
etoofncs having no knowledge OF or commence
IN modern banking methods. The whole OF TINS
money Of course, goes 10 her SON inc Prince anu
will prove n very welcome acquisition since ne j
always in financial straits and TO all mteh's "'o
nurposes pensioner upon the bounty OF 'h'
car. his daughters having been educated al II
Petersburg al the expense OF the la'e E"lP''0'
Alexander VINO, on one memorable occ&s'oh' IL
ferrcd 10 Prince Nicholas as the sole nlehd IL
whom, he cor!i trust. The mother OF fIlhc'
Nicholas is l suppose. the oniy instance ct
rnc7rd OF woman finding place III the MS
nort,on OF the Almanach de Gotha-'hat pa
devoted to the regning ia'n!heS-""' NO-'
neither read nor write. She was s"' """'"
s,ranre-lookinc old woman, with something
tho. Macbeth witch-iike about her. ana presence
striking contras, to the widow OF the mur
80 prirce Daniel the majestic stately and II
avery way lovable Princess Darinka who de'
,hron vaars ago at Venice. leaving one child
ao,gbte- Princess Olga. who is now in TINS cltl
to- Tho nurpose Of consulting specialists with r.
,o,a n some ailment with which she Is aiilicteo
Among the few Disadvantages Of repuoilca'
,or,, ~ government is the struggle which il On
tails for precedence, questions OF 'hat charac'e
hang far more easily determined where 'here Is
sovereign to decree EEK cathedral the NaHou
vradations Of rank. In former letter descr'oe
the struggle for precedence among the DucheS''S
some Of them making point OF inVariaoY army
in, late at dinner parties given here IN oroe'
avoid having TO yield precedence when gong IN
dinner 10 Duchesses whose titles are more ahc'eh
than their own The fight has now broken OUT
q now form. This time it is not between IN