The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-24
AMERICAN PRINCESS ELOPEs.
wife of Prince Joseph de Chimay.
Was Miss Clara Ward of Detroit.

Was Miss Clara Ward of Detroit.
The New York Herald's special cable
and domestic correspondence gives some
| interesting additional details of the elope-
ment at Paris of the Princess of Chimay
and Caraman, wife of Prince Joseph of
| Chimay and Caraman, Belgium, who ran
off with Hungarian tzIgane Ga gypsy mu-
| sican) who was accustomed to play in the
| Paris restaurants Prince Joseph Will
bring suit against his wife for a divorce
! in the Brussels courts. The princess was
formerly Miss Clara Ward, and was born in
Detroit, Mich She was married to Prince
| Joseph in Paris in 1890, and is the mother
| of two children.
Clara Ward was the daughter of Capt
| Eber Ward, the richest man in Michigan
who at the time of his death was possessed
| of thousands OF acres of pine lands and the
biggest fleet of ships on the great lakes
| Clara was but 2 years old when her father
| died, and her mother very soon removed
| to Windsor, where she married Cameron,
| the Canadian banker. Life in windsor
was too slow for Mrs. Cameron, ana she
took her daughter Clara to Europe for
the purpose of educating her. cara pos
sessed the headstrong traits of her rather
and refused to stay in school AFTER she
eral millions by Capt. Ward WILL lhuO-
duced her into European society.
Her meeting and betrothal with Prince
Joseph of Chimay and Caraman, Belgium
was soon noised in America, ana Cara
was married to the prince when she was
only II years old. Her wealth ana beauty
gave her notoriety, and the princess was
recoanized as the leader of her circle. Soon
rumors Of her peculiar behavior were COM
mon. and her infidelity to her marriage
VOWS everywhere discussed These grew
SO numerous that the prince, at one tlme'
threatened to divorce her, but was per-
suaded not to do so for fear of scandal
by her mother. Two children were born
to her by the prince, but even these falled
to smooth the troubles, and the differences
between the prince and his wife increased.
The announcement that she had elopeu
with a Hungarian musician OF low Dlrtn
end no social or financial position caused
no surprise in Detroit, her former nome.
Miss Ward was married to the Prince de
Chimay Caraman, eldest son of the Bel
gian of that name. on Tuesday, May 80,
1890 at the nunciature, in the Rue de Va
rennes, the papel nuncio, Mgr. Rotelli CIV
ing the nuptial benedietion.
The marriage was quite romantic az
fair. Two months before she had left
school in London and went with her
mother, Mrs. Alexandria Cameron of To-
ronto, to Nice. There they met for the
first time her present husband, and
speedy betrothal was the result.
The bridegroom, a tall, dark young man
OF 80 years, was the eldest son of the min
lister of foreign affairs at Brussels. Lord
IIytton and Mr. Whitelaw Reid were wilt
nesses for the bride, and Baron Beyens
the Belgian minister and the Due de Fez-
ensac were witnesses for the groom. The
dresses for the wedding and for the pre-
vious contract ceremony were OF the hand
soonest and most expensive description. The
rousseau of the bride was one of the
handsomest of year celebrated for brill
liant weddings. Felix, Worth and Dufour-
mantel We're the three celebrated dress
makers in Paris who We'd with one another
as to who should make the most gorgeous
toilet There was wedding dress of white
satin and beautiful lace, to say nothing or
orange blossoms and an original head
dress designed by Lentheric. Then there
was q dress to be worn at the presentation
soiree in white tulle. Then there was
contract dress of light pink brocade, COW
cred with pink pearls and marabout feath-
ers There was beautiful dinner dress
and robe de chambre There were cos
tunes for the races, for fetes and garden
parties, for driving excursions and picnlcs,
and the beau monde of Paris were in
state Of excitement over the dainty little
dresses in linen Of the finest, muslin of the
most delicate description and laceS that
defy explanation. The wedding presents
were OF the most unexampled gorgeous
ness-toilet SETS carriages and horses, Jew
elry OF every description and magnhicence.
1t is even said that brougham was given
to the bride, together with a pair OF
horses, a coachman and a groom.
In fact the occasion was made one Oh
the most important and interesting of the
year, and very naturally, for It was
case of an American beauty with $2,OO,-
900 in her own right, and more in pros
pect who was marrying a foreign prince.
1t was American beauty and dollars we'd
ding a foreign title. She was only II
and he was 49, but disparity
in years is not much thought of in Eu-
rope, and it was undoubtedly a very beau
tiful wedding. Now there will be d.
vorce case.
The Prince de Chimay comes of an an
Client lineage whose residence is in the
country of Chimay, in the Hainault, IN
South Belgium. The family to-day who
bear in that place the French aristocratic
title, although known as the Riquet, are
direct descendants of the Caravans. They
are Of noble lineage and date back to the
ancient house. of Arrighetti, of Florence.
The dukes of Cafaman became princes
of Chimay through the power of a woman
celebrated under a number of titles and
known successfully as Mile. Theresa de
Cabarrus, Nine. de Fontenay, Nine.
Tallien, then Countess de Caraman, and
finally Princess de Chimay. She was the
friend of Josephine, of Nine. Recamier,
of Hoche Of Napoleon, and on account Of
her many good deeds she won the title
of "'Notre Dame de Bon Secours."
The mansion of this family is worthy OF
its illustrious foundress, and is one OF the
handsomest in Belgium. The collection
OF old Saxony chinaware is said to be
worth kings ransom.
The family is one OF diplomats, the faith
err OF the present prince having been min
lister of foreign affairs at Brussels, and he
himself a member OF the Belgian diplo-
matte Corng I'm Paris