The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-13

er, was necessarily bigamous and there
fore invalid, consequently there was no
legal obstacle to prevent him from mar
rying Dona Lima. Tolerant as are the
Italians in such matters. this was more
than they could swallow. and amidst DEM
onstrations of universal disapproval Crispi
was deprived of his portfolio, the same
penalty being melted out to the minister of
justice, who had granted him a dispense
ton from the ordinary preliminary legal
formalities, such as banns, etc, with the
object of averting public attention from
the marriage.
Instead of endeavoring to propitiate the
court, society and the people at large into
forgetting all these antecedents, Nine.
Crispi No. set to work to carry things
with a high hand, expecting, apparently,
to win by means of arrogance and self-as-
sertion the position which, under ordinary
circumstances, would have been due to
her as wife of the leading statesman of
the kingdom. She forced herself upon the
queen in the manner above described,
forced herself, too, upon that portion OF
patrician society which had espoused the
cause of the Quirinal, actually compelling
her husband, who was completely en-
thralled by her, to dismiss from the Office
of mayor of Rome the immensely wealthy
Duke of Torlonia, merely because the
duchess had decliend to accept the adj
vances of Nine. Crispi in the drawing
room of the English ambassadors wife.
Indeed, she finally lost her head to such
an extent that on one occasion, at the per-
Torrance in Rome of a French play
which was attended by Queen Margharita
who was immensely amused, laughed
heartily, and who expressed her approval
in the most public manner, Nine. Crispi
left her box with a great ado in the middle
of the piece. loudly protesting against its
alleged indecency, on the strength of
which she induced her husband on the
following day to prohibit it's further rep
resentatlon on the stage. Queen Margha-
rita is the best-natured woman in the
world. But her indignation at the imper-
thence of Nine. Crispi in thus endeavor-
ing to give her a public lesson in proprie-
ty was more than she could stand, and a
few days later another Cabinet cfisis en-
sued.
The climax, however, was reached when
King Humbert was compelled by Crispi to
confer upon him the Order of the Annun-
citation, the members of which become,
ipso facto, cousins of the sovereign, this
prerogative extending TO their wives, who
follow Immediately the princesses of the
blood on all official occa sions. Nine.
Crispi thus became officially the cousin of
Queen Margharita entitled to remain
seated in the royal presence, and to be
publicly saluted with a kiss from the lips
of her majesty. 1t is on the strength OF
this that Nine. Crispi has dropped the pre-
fix of "Signora," and assumed that of
Donna" coupled with her Christian name,
Donna" being, as a rule reserved for the
wives and daughters of the old patricau
princes of Rome. The people of the
Eternal City have humored Crisprs wife
in this particular. They concede to her
the title which she has usurped. But, in
the words of the old French proverb, it
is 1.-The tone that makes the song" and
Uapu1iar infection n nf he
Romans when they speak of Donna Lima
is more eloquent of the execration with
which she is regarded than the most vio-
lent epithets could be.