The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-13
MILAN AND NATALIE.
Intrigues of the Ex-king and Trials
of His Prosecuted Wife.
Paris Cablegram in ST. Louis Globe-Demo-

Paris Cablegram in st. Louis Globe-Demo-
Crat
Something Of social sensation has been
created here. as well as at Biarritz. where
Queen Natalie is now residing, by her ac-
tion in summarily dismissing all the Servian
members of her household. comprising her
chamberlain, Colonel Simonowitch. and her
lady in waiting, Nine. Machinetz on the
ground that she desires to sever every spe-
cies of connection which has until now.
bound her to the court of Belgrade and to
the Servian nation. The Queen has many
friends here, especially in the Faubourg ST.
German, where her gentlemen and ladies
are well known, so that the matter is CIV
ing rise to a good deal of talk. Yet no one
surprise is expressed that she should not
have cut herself adrift from Servia long
ago.
Although far from perfect yet she is
much too good for such a country. After
having saved it's existence a nation and
the throne of her ignoble husband at the
time of the Bulgarian invasion by inducing
the Austrian envoy, Count .'Ruda' Kheven-
huller, who was head over ears in love with
her, to deliver a bogus message to the vic
torious Prince Alexander of Bulgaria,
threatening him with war on the part of
Austria, unless he retired-a piece of weak
ness which cost the envoy his place-she
was subjected to every kind of slight and
indignity by King Milan.
His fragrant and public intrigues with
Nine. Nasos. wife of the Greek minister,
and with Nine. Artemisia Cristicz. the wife
Of the Servian minister at Berlin, finally
compelled her to leave Belgrade and repair
and then to Germany, with her son. On her
refusal to return to Servia, King Milan in
voked the aid of the. German police, who
tore her boy from her by force, the brutality
used in connection with the affair exciting
universal indignation. Milans next step
was to issue a decree diVorcing himself
from her a decree to which the metropoli-
tan of Belgrade, thoroughly dishonest and
stock jobbing prelate. gave an ecclesiastical
sanction, the legality of which denied
by all the other dignitaries of the Servian
and Russian Church. In 1893 her son, King
Alexander, who had succeeded to the Servi-
an throne on his fathers abdication, find
ing that it would be impossible to get any
royal princess to marry him as long as his
parents were divorced brought about sort
ecclesiastical DEGREES of divorce were SOL
EMMY annulled. Milan took advantage of
this reconciliation to prevail upon his. wife
to pay a lot of his debts, but the couple did
not resume life in common.
A few months ago Milan inherited large
fortune from Hungarian cousin, Baron
Batch, a piece of good luck which has had
the effect of rendering him not only AFRO
CANT in the extreme, but more impossible
than ever. He has, in defiance of his nu-
merouS solemn promises to keep out of
Servia, now returned to Belgrade to live,
has managed to induce his son to dismiss
the relatively honest Simicz Cabinet and
replace it by one composed entirely of men
who are known to be his creatures and OF
most unsavory reputation, and, finding that
his son, the King, is afflicted with a malady
which is sapping his bodily strength as Well
as his mind has virtually taken the reigns
of government into his own hands. As there
is but little chance of the young King
covering his health or marrying, and as,
moreover, it is doubtful whether he will be
able TO continue much longer on the. throne,
Milan has decided to take immediate steps
to legitimize his natural son Obren, born
to him by Nine. Artemisa Cristicz, with
a view to his eventually succeeding to the
crown of SerVia. There is but one way of
legitmizing the lad-nameiy, by marrying
the mother In order to do this it is neces-
sary that Milan should, first of all, get rid
of Natalie. and this is why both Milan and
the Servian government. with the nominal
sanction of the young King, have now in
stituted steps to annul the 1893 act of re-
This it is that has led Natalie to announce
her determination to sever forever her con-
nection with Servia and to have nothing
more to do, either with her husband or son,
between whom, as far as character is con-
cerned, there is little to choose. A Russian
woman by birth, of excellent, though un-
titled family, Queen Natalie has layiShed
enormous sums of vast wealth which she
inherited from her father, the great Rus
sian army contractor, Colonel Kechko, upon
her husband and upon her son, both of
whom have shown themselves without a
spark of gratitude. She does not intend to
do anything more for them, and will divide
the remainder of her life between this coun-
try and Russia. where she has immense es-
tates. That her course in cutting entirely
loose from Servia is approved by the land
of her birth is shown by the fact that
Russia S minister has just been withdrawn
from Belgrade and the legation there
closed, on the ground JfdJ the Gar con-
sders it unworthy of the dignity and pres
tige of his empire to be represented at
court where a man so utterly beyond the
pale of honor as Milan exercises z, pre-
dominant influence
Natalie is still a remarkably handsome
woman, the only defect with which she can
be reproached being the coarseness of her
abundant black hair and the harshness of
her voice. She has many American friends.
having been educated altogether at school
at Florence, where number of her school
mates were from the United States