The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-09-14
Elizabeth of Austria.

1t appears that under the unfortunate con-
ditions of the particular Swiss canton IN
which Berne is located it will net be posi-
BILE to administer any other legal punishment
to the assassin Of the empress of Austria
than to send him to a model Swiss prison to
spend the rest OF his life. 1t is certain his
incarceration in a Swiss prison will be a dis
tinct improvement on his condition, for the
Swiss run their prisons on rather a better
plan than they run their inns. 1t may be
suggested that IN this matter as in others
the Swiss have been bit behind the tines
II they had thought of it before 1t won d
have been easy enough to have imported a
few gentlemen from Arizona, and the diff
Guilty in which they find themselves would
have been avoided. 1t is to be presumed
that there are ropes to be had in Switzerland
and that the telegraph pole has not yet been
abolished. The improvement suggested would
have disposed Of disagreeable international
complication-and the process that wou d
have been used would have disposed of and
not hurt the assassin.
The interest that has been aroused the
world over In the assassination of Elizabeth
is entirely sympathetic. 1t Is a good sign Of
the times that this is so. 1t goes to prove
that Marie Antoinette would not be posi-
BILE in these days-even though the k,ng!y
idea Is less possible than 1t was at the close
OF the last century Perhaps it took the sac
rifice Of Marie Antoinette to bring the
world up to this standard. The unfortunate
empress Of Austria was net sacrificed to the
end that men might be redeemed. She was
made the victim Of the lust for b,ocd of a per-
son without human feeling. His ultimate dis
position Will hold no particular interest for
the world, for he has done his worst. He did
by the way remove the most picturesque fig-
ure In the ranks Of European royalties.
Even royalties go in continental Europe
she was unique. Elizabeth was born Wit
telsbach, Of the reigning house OF Bavaria.
The Bavarian monarchs claim such antiquity
for their line that even the Hapsburgs Of
Austria, dating back to the tenth century, felt
no derogation OF the family dignity In ac-
cepting her for the wife Of the emperor She
was the niece Of a mad king Of Bavaria; she
died the cousin Of two mad monarchs-one
dead, the other a hopeless mailman. Lud-
wig, her cousin, the present king of Bavaria,
is now kept closely incarcerated, suffering
from such frightful mental debasament that
he has mania to kill. His brother. the for
mer king, was equally mad and died as
result of his malady.
Elizabeth was 81 years of age at the time
of her death. She Yves a famous beauty
forty years ago and would have divided the
homage Of the trif1ing society Of the Second
Empire but for the fact that she considered
Eugene, empress Of the French, who was
born Countess Of Montijo, of left-handed
Bourbon ancestry, an upstart. In the sixties
the ultra fashionables of Europe took their
cue from the Austrian court rather than from
the Tuileries, and there never was much in
common between the two crowned beauies
Of Europe. In the salons Of the Faubourg St.
German the lead of Elizabeth was followed
rather than the styles set by the queen of the
Tuileries-
1t Is thirty years and more since the I'M
happy mental condition Of her family began
to take such form in her that Elizabeth was
noted for her oddities. The emperor of Aus
tria may be broken now In his old age at her
death, but there was little in common be-
tween them when they were younger. She
was fond of travelling incognito. She bought
an island in the Greek archipelago and made
it into a place Of beauty. She held court
there, and she went occasionally to SWISS and
Italian watering places. Her jewels-sha
was possessed Of some OF the mott remarka-
BILE in the world-caused her to be talked of
everywhere. She affected always the empire
style of couture and her dresses have net
been in the mode for many years. Her last
photograph was taken in the early '705. She
did not cease to be figure of note in the
watering places even after her family affiic-
tions became oppressive and her vagaries
more noted.
One daughter. Stephanie, died early. Her
nephew, the Archduke Johann, fell in love
with and married an actress. He was q
sailor, and when the marriage became known
he repudiated his family and became the cap
tain Of a merchant ship. He sailed on a
voyage around the Horn and was never again
heard of. Her sister. the Duchesse d'Alencon,
was burned to death. When the Archduke
Rudolph her son, was murdered at Meyer
ling the end came for her. The word
was startled by the occurrence but It
was said that the empress did not
know Of 1t for three years afterwards.
In her old age she was childless ard had
been going about the world as a simple lady
of fortune, living with the people, indulging In
very large charities, and had shaken the
weight of her imperial station from her only
to find surcease of sorrow by the dagger of
an assassin. There was more in the life of
Elizabeth to elicit sympathy than in the man.
ner Of her death. Yet the manner of it will
make people shudder when 1t is taken In
connection with the fearful fate of the other
members Of her house.