The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1896-09-17
wAsHINGToN's SOCIETY SCANDAL.
Cause and Eject of Prince Iturbide's
Expulsion From the Metro
politan Club.
washington Letter to Boston Tran
script.)

washington Letter to Boston Tran
script)
We are promised a rare and racy ex-
hibition of society In court some time
during October. Several months ago the
Metropolitan expelled from its most dis
tinguished membership Prince Iturbide,
charging him with having made scam
dalous accusations within the precincts
OF the club against the daughter of a
club member. In consequence of this
more recently the prince has brought
suit against the club, which has resulted
In decision Of the court that the case Is
one which must have a jury trial, and
the club and His Royal Highness are
ordered to make ready accordingly. This
VIII introduce on the witness stand the
elect OF Washington society," and will de-
velop an immense amount of interesting
fact concerning the stuff that Washing
ton society is made Of
Iturbide is prince of the comic
opera sort a provisional prince, so TO
speak. He would be heir to the throne
OF Mexico, provided there was a throne.
and he would be q prince of the roval
blood, provided Mexico any longer per-
mitted royal blood to flow independent
OF the conditions of a democratic rule.
All that however, governs only in Mex
leo. In Washington provisional prince
Is royal enough, and quite as good az
any in the absence of something bet
ter. Princes are scarce In Washington.
Indeed, the only rival in the princely
line Iturbide has had is Prince PAX. OF
the Corean legation who, in spite of his
bona fide royalty, is hampered in a
social career, even In Washington. by
his hat This hat, which is an insignia
OF rank, amounting almost to the sacred
adornment of halo in Corea, locks like
an elongated fly Neve of the kind care.
full New England housewives are wont
TO place over dishes of food in the cellar,
and the prince is newer seen without it.
At balls, receptions, the theatre, II il
such conspicuous feature of his semi
celestial highness that not all the thirst
for royal blood, which American women
commonly manifest, can quite overcome
the sense of the ridiculous which IL
equally active in them, and Prince PAX.
therefore, scarcely yanks as counter
attraction to Prince Iturbide. The lat
ter looks more than anything, like a
bull fighter resolved on leading a better
life In face and form he suggests thed
picturesqueness and romantic fierceres,-
or the toreador, so tailorized and An
glicized however, that he Is altogetheY
conventional and harmless. His affafs
with the Metropolitan Club grew out OF.
an unhappy matrimonial engagement.
which terminated abruptly, leaving
Iturhide, as your point of view hap
pened to be, an injured innocent, or as
cidedly not so. The female portion m
society, TO woman, chose to accept n :,
In the former role, and whatever Itiir-
bide has or has not suffered, his stomach
would doubtless have a sad and wrong
tale to tell Of the dinners. suppers.
lunches, breakfast which one socieAv
woman We'd with another to bestow up-
on the prince in token of sympathy and
esteem. When he was not eating and
drinking this sweet consolation, he was
taking 1t on the road in milady's phae-
ton. or at night in her drawing-room. or
In her box at the theatre During this
public and private exhibition of fashion
able feminine coincidence with Iturbide's
lot, all Washington-tha Is to say, NE
first one hundred and fifty Of Washing
ton, outside Of which nobody counts
was torn by general and generous cir
culation of anonymous letters. No one
talked of anything else. Interest in the
matter was so intense and absorbing It
was even said on good authority that
golf players were known to speak to one
another on the links-break through the
) unrelenting silence of their devotion to
the sport of st. Andrews to ask and give
opinions on who wrote the anonymous
letters. "Who killed Billy Patterson ?"
Where was Moses when the light went
out?" Any and all memorable, grave
and elusive conundrums Of history never
In their day began to threaten general
brain fog in community as did this
oe IN xxyhn
who did not write these anonymous let
tiers. All the letters bore on the charac-
ter and history of Prince Iturbide, and
were most numerously addressed to the
: women who had been most conspicuous
in their devotion to his provisional high
ness. Finally in the Metropolitan Club
one day, Iturbide assumed to name the
writer Of the letters. with the results I
have stated.
In bringing the merits of the case be-
fore jury to decide, there must develop
not alone facts concerning what consti-
tutes the really serious interests Of a
life Of wealth and fashion, but a clear
hint will be given of how thoroughly
Washington society is de-Amerlcanized.
Out Of consideration for the national
prejudices Of the fascinating men of the
diplomatic corps, Mrs. Grundy, at the
capital, has not so much as quarters in
her back yard for the American eagle
: the vulgar bird that 1t Is, with its I'M
bearable United States accent and man.