The morning times., 1896-11-29
.Y7URB|DE's CLAIM TO TITLE
Grandson of a Man Who Won a
Throne by Nerve.
CAREER OF THE EMPEROR"
Picturesque Figure Whose Personal
Daring and Talent for Intrigue
Kept Mexico In Turmoil-The
"Prince" Is the Adopted Son OF
Maximillian of Mexico.

The suit of prince" Yturbide against
the Metropolitan Club gives special per
tinence to review of that page of Mexi-
can history that is frightened or black
ened by the name of Augustin Yturbide,
the grandfather or this litigant.
Those who believe in Inheritance of
mental and moral characteristics find
strange interest in comparing the actions
in 50 :ia life OF this young man WIN the
political career of the quondam ruler of
Mexico, emperor by the grace of Il nerve
that weakened at nothing, personal bravery
that was equal to any occasion and a
talent for intrigue that undermined every
opposing force.
Ine nrst of his line chose the battle
field as the scene of his activities and
when his sword had brought him the
plaudits of brave and liberty loving peo-
pie, lie attempted to establish the throne
of military despotism upon the ruins of
| II political freedom which lie had previous.
ly aided or betrayed as his interest of the
moment might dictate.
His descendants lines have fallen In
quieter places.
AUGUSTIN. YTURBIDE'S CAREER.
| Augustin Yturbide, whose climb TO an
unstable throne has dubbed as prince"
| this young American, was a Mexican, born
| in the town of Validolid. He became a
| lieutenant in the Spanish army in Mexico
during the troublous times when the
| Napoleonic wars in Europe had placed
| Joseph Bonaparte on the throne OF Spain
and thus offended every Spanish colony
! i'll America. The loosened hold of Spain
! on her possessions was never tightencd,
even when the legitimate king came back
4 to his own again.
The fires OF liberty that had been
| smouldering ever since the rebellion of
10 h.a h. mil.
burst out in unquenching flames in Mexico
| in the early years of this century. The
records preserved at the city of Mexico
| show that Yturbide was one OF the first
/ sgitators- of insurrection, Don Hidalgo,
the patriot priest having made him one
| Of his confidantes.
Despite the fact that the patriots offered
him higher military rank and reminded him
| in every way of the duty he owed to the
| cause he helped to build up, he left them
! and Joined the army of the Spanish vice
| roy, Vanegas, in 1910. He was openly ac-
cused OF having sold himself for "A generals
| commission.
| He was handsome and accomplished and
| no coward His rise in the Spanish army
was rapid and lie attained rank never
before reached by a Creole.
HIS wanton cruelty, exercised against the
very men with whom he had herded in
| former days, mad chin dreaded If not hat ted
|
| bravery prevented him from being despiseG
| On one occasion he wrote TO the viccrov
| reporting a battle he had won on Good
| Friday that, '.in honor OF the day he had
had 300 of his prisoners shot. He was ra-
| pacious to the last degree, everywhere at
tempting to enrich himself by eNtortion
| levied indiscrimiHately ON rebel and royal
list. II was the complaints of the latter that
| caused bis Spanish masters to recall him TO
! the city of Mexico in 1916
HIS PATRIOTISM vACILLATED.
For five years following, he alternated
like a pendulum between the parties, never
| scruping to betray either If IL reboundefi
to his advantage. In 1921 he found him
self on the winning side at last, and was
/ one Of the leaders in a revolution that
threw off the very last vcstigcs OF the
yoke Of Spain.
In rapture of gratitude the patriots
forgot his long record of treachery and
| cruelty. and made him generaissimo uf
the army at q salary of $3.50 900 year
Then commenced a system and series oi
| intrigues against other leaders. against the
commission he had sent to Spain, and
against the cause of the republic, for
which he had fought. As u result of hese
intrigues, IA successful coup d'etat was cx
ecuted in May, 1872, and Yturbide was
proclaimed emperor of Mexico.
The betrayed and disgusted republican
leaders looked about them. and saw that
they had merely snapped King Log fol
King Stork. Instructions broke out lik,
wildflre all over the country, and in a few
months successful one, headed by Santa
Anna. afterwards Well known in this
country, through the war of 1913, with
Mexico, and Echavarri, the most powerful
or the Republican leaders, drove Yturbit4
from the country, and destroyed the
fiimsy empire he had built.
| The RpDubiicau CONGRESS nnuullpd tl,
acts of tie late Emperor and agreed
10 pay him S25 900 year for life if
he would keep out of the country and
cease to distress her with his efforts to
attain power. His property was not con
fiscated, the government agreeing in any
case to pay his family SIS ,0cU yea,
from the revenues after his death.
HIS RETURN TO MEXICO.
In spite Of the fact that he knew ht
would be regarded as public enemy il
he returned to Mexico, in 1924 he came
back to incite rebellion in his favor
He was promptly arrested and shot, dying
like the brave man he undoubtedly was
whatever may have been his vices.
In S65 his children made an agreemen,
with MaXim!llian, another usurper tempted
by ambition to a throne, by which the
Austrian archduke styling himself En-,
peror Of Mexico engaged to pay the fam
lily large revenues and to take charge o.
the infant grandson of Yturbidc as guard
| ian and tutor.
This agreement also was made contingcn
upon the family agreeing to stay out o
Mexico. As usual with this interestin
| family. this contract was broken. and afte
several years of squabbling and an appea
to the emperor OF France and to Sccretar
! Seward of this government, the boy wa
returned to his mother.
, Since then this grandson, who is tn
very young man whose name has been S
frequently in the ear OF laie in connection
. with the uIsavory scandal of the Metre
politan Club ease. has been II citizen q
Mexico but almost constantly d reSdeI
| of the United States.