The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-10
olous pretext or other. while the magistrate,
Sir Peter Eslin was knighted.
HIS FAMILY HISTORY

HIS FAMILY HISTORY.
| A brief history of King Leopold's family
will be found both exciting and instructive
Leopold was born April 8. 1885, His father
Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-G an
| uncle of Queen Victoria, had been elected
King of the Belgians in 1881. The present
King succeeded his father Dec. 10. 1865. He
married in 1853 the Archduchess Marie
Henriette of Austria
He has had three daughters, but no sons.
Nearly all his relatives, including his chill
dren, appear to be afflicted by an evil fate,
Nhieh IS but name for combination Of
Inlsfortunes and evil tendencies.
hls sister, the Princess Charlotte, now
SHOWN as the Empress Carlotta, married
the Archduke Macmillan of Austria, sub
Sequently installed Emperor of Mexico and
snOt Dy JuareZ as a usurper, at QueretarO.
Slnce that tragic event the Empress has
become a raying maniac. Her fortune, es-
tlmated at Sl0e00,0o0, the present King is
cIed1bly reported to have Incorporated.
His eldest daughter, the Princess Louise,
married Prince Phillip of Saxe-Coburg-
Gotha, and recently eloped with an Aus
tIlan captain of Hussars This conduct on
the part of woman past forty can only
De attributed to some constitutional faint.
his second daughter, the Princess Ste
phanie married the Archduke Rudolph,
only son of the Emperor of Austria, who
was kilied at Meyerling in 1889 under dis
graceful circumstances.
The Kings heir under the Belgian law,
which excludes females, is his brother, the
Count of Flanders. A few years ago this
eventual heir to the throne, died very sud-
denly at Brussels. According to the report
generally believed, but of course. officially
denied, the Count of Flanders had an in
!rigue with an American prima donna well
known in Paris The counts son, Prince
BaldWln, developed strong interest in the
same quarter, in consequence of which the
father shot his son.
King Leopolds financial adventures are
a oh 4ffse II. ~ H.
traVagance would exhaust the wealth of the
klondike. The King receives q salary from
the Belgian nation of $500 900. This is his
personal income In addition to this he has
had great private fortune. From his
rather, thrifty soul, he inherited about
S6.9OO0. This he has entirely spent.
Three years ago the finances of Belgium
Were in a bad way, and there was some
talk of reducing the Kings civil list. AT
the same time the question of enlarging
the electrical franchise, which was very re-
must be the father of my people," said
the King. He aided the cause of popular
suffrage, which won the day, and a CRATE
ful democratic legislature confirmed his sal
airy.
A SPECTATOR IN STOCKS.
The sovereign of a small nation, allied by
blood to the greater royalties, has even
better opportunities than the latter for TAX
ing advantage of his private information
to speculate in stocks. The King, like his
relative, the late Louis Philippe of France
has never hesitated to do this
But ne has done worse Ostend, the fash
ionable watering place of Belgium, and also
a resort of international Importance, has
long been famed for its Kursaal, where
gambling is carried on. Under Kinf; Leo
pold $ patronage the gambling facilities
nave been increased, until OStend now ri
walls Monte Carlo. The money passed in
gambling at the Belgium resort now ex-
ceeds So00JO,OO0 year. The King draws
an income of $350,OO0 year from this.
II is curious thing that King Leopold
IS the only European who is sovereign of
an independent African state All the Eu-
ropean colonies in Africa are dependencies
OF european countries, but the King of the
Belg1anS is sovereign of the Congo Free
state, which is not officially connected with
Belgium. The King has made millions out
OF TINS state, which is the most brutally
mlSgoVerned OF all the African colonies. 1t
IS now In a depressed condition, and the
King is reported to be anxious to sell it to
France or England, in spite of the fact that
he has bequeathed it by will to the Belgian
nation. The King sent Henry NJ. Stanley
on several of his exploring raids into Africa
In some years the King has made over
S2,000.O00 from his African possession
The latest photograph the world possesses
of his Majesty was taken at OStend during
the bathing season. The venerable monarch
was comfortably seated in a cane chair a
vigilant field glasses he took in the female
bathefS, who are SO numerous and decoIete
on the beach at OStend
A young English girl asked him IL she
might take his picture with her camera.
He said, good-naturedly, that he could not
give her permission, but if she took his
picture he wouldn't make any trouble. So
it was taken.