The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-23

A Court Scandal OF Isouis Phiippe's Day-Mur-
der or suicide OF the Last rrince DC Cenae
-EnthralIed BY n British Nistress-1n-
triEuea 20 Gain nm Adventureaa,s Fnvor.

n LouFt SChuuht oN LOWE EutttpptI hAN-sAaE
der or suicide OF the last Prince DC Condo
-EnthraIed BY n Brittsh Nistress-un-
trigucn 20 Gain NJ Adventuresa's Favor.
In spite of his princely donation Of tho cha
tcau OF Chantilly to the Institute Of France. the
late Due d'Aumalc at his death was by far tho
richest member of the Orleans family. He was
SO popular in his later years that IL he had boon
the eldest instead Of the fourth son OF Louis
Philippe II Is quite possible that the Orleans
family would now be ruling France. But there
was q time when the name OF Aumalc was hated
throughout France on account OF the scandal
connected with the transmission Of tho great in
heritanco OF the house OF Condo to tho late
Duke. Tho Duke was %guiltlcss. as at tho time
he was a child OF eight, but the suspicion and
irritation against Louis Philippe and his Queen,
then barely seated on tho throne, was 80 great
that the house OF Orleans came near being sent
into exile within a few months of its elevation.
or one portion of the Dukes fortune there is
no story to tell. II came to him through his
marriage with a very rich heiress, tho only
daughter of Leopold of Bourbon, Prince OF Sa-
lerno, himself only brother Of Francis l., King
OF the Two Sicilies. She brought her husband in
consequence half OF the private possessions OF
the Neapolitan Bourbons. The greater part,
however. of the Dukes wealth came from the
inheritance of the Princes OF Condo, TO which
had been Joined gradually tho estates of several
other extinct branches Of tho royal family. 1t
included the chateau OF Chantilly, which seems
to have been q source of i'll luck to its possessors
for over n century. This Inheritance was left TO
him by will by the last OF tho line. the man
known rs the Due do Bourbon. who was the
father OF Eapoleon's victim. tho Due Ding.
hien, and the Duo d'Aumalo's godfather. 1t is
TO this fortune that a scandal attaches. arising
from the mysterious circumstances connected
with the death OF the last of the Condos in 1880.
a few days after the elevation OF Louis Philippe
to the throne. and the lawsuit that arose in con-
sequence of his will in favor OF the little Due
d'Aumalc. in the decision OF which 1t was be-
loved ut the time that the Judges had been in
fiuenccd by members of the royal family.
The Due dc Bourbon's career had been a
romantic and not ct all a creditable one. At
the age of "A he had startled the French court
by clipping with a Princess Of the blood three or
four years older than himself. the Princess
Bathilde OF Orleans, sister Of Philippe Egalite,
and, therefore. aunt Of Louis Philippe. They
were married. but quarrelled In q few years, after
the birth of a son. the Duo d'Enghien. whom
Napoleon had shot in the ditch OF the chateau
OF Nincennes In 1901. The Due de Bourbon.
his father. the Prince as Condo. living to be u
very old man. entered uroA a course OF dissipa-
lasted til the outbreak Of Tie Revolution. It
was even believed that .hs lacked personal
courage, although he fought a sensational duel
Charles ", because the Comte had crushed the
Duchesse de Bourbon's mask on her face at the
opera ball on M3rd. Gras., This was after the
Duke and Duchess had separated. The
Duchess later took up religion, making herself
conspicuous by marked eccentricities.
The Duke went into exile at the Revolution,
and after the Bourbons were restored was one
Compensation. He was then chiidless and had
formed n connection with a beautiful English
adventures. who acquired very great influ-
aNN..n nX-np him Shn Nun than n Nynrtp ~ 4 me- mat ~
two: her name was Sophie Daw. or Dawes, or
Clarke. all three names being used by her in
daughter of a fisherman on the Isle Of Wight
and TO have danced. in the ballet at Covent
and then married her to the Baron de Feucheres.
his equerry and formerly an officer in the French
army. Besides very large gifts from the Duke,
nuity OF 1000 francs. Her husband at first was
ignorant OF her relations to the Due de Bourbon
and believed that the %latter's interest in her was
due to her being his illegitimate daughter.
When he found out the sort OF woman he had
roW With ne , RS'G pase. a : M%e. de fe aitff "a pu %ho
continued TO live in his palace, induced the Duke
to show great liberality to her relatives: he
her Il dowry of 900, 600 francs; to a nephew he
gave an estate and a sum Of 200, 600 francs and
obtained for him the title of Baron.
Mine. de Feucheres was shrewd enough to I'M
derstand that any will made in her favor by the
Prince de Condo. would be contested by his rela-
tives. She looked around for allies and found
them in the Orleans family, the Dqchesse Marie
Amalie with all her bourgeois virtues having
also the bourgeois covetousness. She did not
hesitate, it seems. to make use Of this adyen-
turess in influencing the old PRINCE de Condo to
adopt his little godson, the Due d'Aumale, and
kept up a correspondence with her for three
years. The price paid was tho assurance to
Nine. de Fcucheres that she would be- able to
keep the 100 o4o lett to her in the will that
was offered for probate after the Princes death.
The Prince de Condo was much alarmed
Charles y. He made, preparations to leave
EET nn1sed and nd Join shn s shS e eHiled .r King s. in
On Aug, 26. fifteen days after the Duke of
Orleans had been proclaimed King of the
French the old Prince went TO bed in his Cha
The next morning he was found hanging from
the catch OF his bedroom window by two knotted
bent, aud his toes touching the ground. but in
such q u manner that if he had simply stood up
straight he would have escaped death. People
declared at once that he had been murdered by
Nine. de Feucheres or her agents and placed
S EhSrS he sc was lpq 9bs ,S SftST DEATH de sajc, The n GSp Ts.
fused TO allow a criminal accusation 10 be
lodged against Nine. de Feucheres, removing
prolong the inquest. When the will was pre-
scented for probate the contestants, among
it was n forgery contrived by the adventures.
and that II genuine 1t WAS procured by I'M
s son of fG Phiiippc; E ana %s sa Be P capable o Of snSth ine
in order TO obtain money; Judgment was given
In favor of the will, and there were loud mutte-~
ings of improper influence.
Sc, far as the will concerned the Orleans fam.
lily, however, there seemed TO be no reason for
objection TO il. the Orleans family. by marriages
for several generations back. being most closely
connected with the Condos. So long as the Will
was in doubt Nine. de Feucheres was protected
by the royal family. After the decision in their
favor, however, she had cause to complain OF
the manner in which she was treated. and
brought suit unsucccssfully for the delivery of
some portions OF the Prince de Condos legacy
to her. She died, unnoticed in 1910. Though
the Due d'.Aumale has made good use of the
fortune thus acquired, the possession of Chan
tilly has been looked upon by the superstitious
as u source of i'll luck. II came to the Condos
through the heiress of the Montmorencys after
the last males OF her family had persisted
on the scaifold. The tragic fato OF the
last Prince Of Condo and of his unfortunate son.
the Due d'Enghicn. was made to turn somehow
on its possession, and the Due d'Aumale him
self died childless. His two sons. who took their
titles from this great inheritance, the Prince de
Condo and the Due de Guise, each died as he
was entering on manhood. Chantilly. with all
its treasures, by an arrangement made ten years
ago, goes To II corporation which IL cannot harm.
the Institute OF France. The rest of the Due
d'Auinale's fortune will probably be divided