The Louisiana populist., 1897-04-30
A MISSING ARcHDUKE.
With His Estates Divisio, Ends Re.
inarkable Romance.

Inarkable Romance.
The Mystery of Johann Ortiz has
now resulted in a definite sequel, the
Cantonal Court of St. Gall, in Switzer-
land, having given judgment in the
matter of the fortune of the missing
Archduke, Johann Orth," who dis
appeared SO mysteriously some years
ago, and whose story attracted much
public attention at the time. The
Archduke Johann Salvador of Tus-
cany, and nephew Of the Emperor OF
Austria, it may be remembered fell in
love with an opera singer, whom he
married in spite of all family opposi-
ton, renouncing, at the same time, all
his rights, privileges and rank, and as
suming the name af "Orth,' after one
of his castles. Tho romantic marriage
was celebrated secretly, but in a per-
fectly legal manner, by the Registrar
of Islington, and cOuntersigned by the
Austrian Consul. Johann Orth' next
bought in Liverpool fine ship, which
he rechristened the Santa Margarita,
after his wife, and so jealous was he
of the vessel being recognized that he
stipulated that all photographs and
drawings Of it should be handed over
to him, and all these be burned. More
over, he caused all portraits and mega
tives of himself to be bought up at any
price in Austria and elsewhere; and
all these were likewise destroyed.
These are absolute facts. He then set
sail with his wife for South America,
and the vessel was duly reported to
have arrived, and departed from Mon
tevideo for a destination unknown.
But from that moment every trace is
lost of the ship and all on board. Not
a scrap of any sort of news as to her
fate has ever been recovered, although
many search has been made along the
coast by order of the Emperor of Aus
tria and the Hungarian Government.
Treasure-seekers, too, have been at
work, as 1t was known that the Arch
duke had on board over two hundred
and fifty thousand pounds sterling in
| gold. 1t is believed that he intended
to have bought an estate in Chilli with
the money and settled there, but that
the vessel foundered off Cape Horn dur
ing terrific storm which ragged on the
coast shortly after the ship left.
From time to time since then the
most startling rumors have cropped
up about about the missing Arch
duke" having turned up. One version
was that he had been one of the lead
ers of the Chilian rebellion, having
divided his treasure among his crew,
burned the ship landed on a lonely
coast and made his way to Chilli; an
other that he was the famous marshal
who conquered the Chinese. A third
story is that the eccentric Prince is
still alive and secretly corresponds
with his mother. However, the st.
Gall tribunal evidently does not be-
lieve that the Archduke is still alive,
for the relatives of his wife having
claimed a million francs deposited by
him with the Bank of St. Gall prior to
his departure, the Court has ordered
the moneys to be now paid over to
them, as he had made will leaving
all he possessed to her. And thus
practically ends one of the most re-
lnarkable romances in the dynastic
history Of Europe in this century; but
we may rest assured that for many a
year we shall still be startled with re-
ports of the mysterious missing Arch
duke" having turned up in some part
of the world or another, and subse-
uuently of sO-called heirs.