The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-12

Miserable Death of Aunt of the
King of Spain.
Paris Letter in Pail Mall Gazette.

Paris Letter in Pail Mall Gazette.
The Infanta Isabella Ferdinanda Fran
coise Josephine, aunt of the little King of
Spain, sister of the eX-King Francis d AS
the most beautiful princess in the Spanish
court. Her splendid accomplishments, her
ence, seemed to destine her to occupy a
throne. 1t is in the worst inns worst
room, on a pallet in a miserable cham
bre garnie, close to the Rue Lafayette,
that this princess career has just been
brought to d miserable close. Her re-
lations, the eX-Queen Isabella of Spain, her
sister, and the ex-King Francis, her broth
er, buried her. indeed. with betting mag
niticence, but the angry protests of the no
tel proprietor whose lodger she was, and
whose bill has remained unpaid have re-
vealed the sordid misery in which her last
moments were spent.
BY a marriage contracted at Dover in
1871 with q certain Count Ignatius Gurow-
ski, a Pole the princess brought about
complete rupture with her family. Her nus
band died in 1887, leaving the Infanta with
out resources, except small pension from
the Spanish government, and she came to
Paris where she fixed E@r residence at q
little hotel in the Cite d'Antin. Her great
name inspired the neighboring shopkeepers
with confidence, and they gave her unim-
tied credit. The hotel proprietor. ii is true,
guided by an instinct of commercial greed
turned out his royal ledger during the ex
hibitiOn period in order to let her room at
Z. fancy price. She returned, nevertheless
to this inhoSpitable roof and beneath 1t
held for a few years a sort of imprOmptu
court being surrounded by Spanish dukes
and counts, more impecunious according
to the hotel proprietary than she was her
self, and these Adventures lived on her
reducing still further her slender means.
BY degrees, however, even these 1mpor-
tunate visitors dropped off, and the prin-
cess was left alone to brood silently over
her former magnificence and her SUISSE
quent tribulations. She had grown to an
enormous size, never left her room had
abandoned even the occupation of reading,
and dozed. AS the end approached d ter
rble fear of being left alone came over
her Every few minutes and especially
during the night, she would ring up the
servant of the hotel with the plea to feel
her pulse her heart, for she thought she
was about to die. One morning she fell
from her chair and injured her head badly
by striking it against a piece of furniture.
to Queen Isabella, to the ex-king Francis,
who resides in a magnificent chateau at
Epinay. The latter sent his own doctor to
tend his unfortunate relative, but the phy-
stefan came only once, merely remarking,
THE King will take counsel as to the
measures to be adopted" The Infanta
grew worse, and then the anxious hotel
proprietor took upon himself to telephone
to Queen Isabella at her splendid place in
the Avenue KIeber. The Queen mad not at
that moment risen, but her secretary
similar reply was received from the royal
chateau at Epinay. What a sad ending :,
What a sad ending!' muttered the un-
wieldy old Infanta, shaking her head, her
last breath coming in short gasps. Il closed
her eyes," said the hotel proprietor when
all was over, land gave orders for the
body to be buried