The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-09-12
THE DEAD EMPRESS.

THE DEAD EMPRESS.
Emnress Elizabeth Amalie Euge ME,
dauohter of the Duke Macmillan JOS
epb. and cousin, on her mothers side, to
the late King Of Bavaria, who has been
done to death by an anarchist assassin
was once the 1oveiest women Oh MI
rope, and was still remarkably hand
some for her age. Since the death OF her
son she has sought suroease from ner
gnawing pain in incessant travelling.
Her. resslessness and slight eccentrioiIles,
the outcome of her Bavarian plooo, nave
been intensified by sorrow, and IL seemed
as II she could never tarry long III any
place she had chosen. For some time sue
she built a sumptuous palace at CorIu,
where she spent several winters Win
tn Arohduke and Archduchsss Francls
Salvador, but last year she refused TO
return there, and landed with her num-
erous suite at Cape Martin, after long
yachting trip along the southern shores
of Spain.
The empress has been the central figure
of numerous legends and much ill-nat-
ured gossip. The simple fact is that the
empress suffered from acute chronic neu-
ralgia, the attacks of which were so fire.
uuent and torturing that she was tncapa-
citated from any exertion and rendered
unable to bear the fatigue OF off1oial TO
ceptions. In earlier and happier days sac
gracefully and irreproaohably fulfilled her
royal duties. She conquered by charm
and beauty the recalcitrant Hungarian
nobility and people; she delighted the
Viennes by her balls, and enchanted the
nations by following the PROFESSIONS OF
Easter and Corpus Christi. She rod ike
an Amazon, hunted like Diana, and was
an inaefauigable walker and dancer, and
spoke many languages. She had learned
to look upon her daughter-i law, ote-
phanie, as her successor. The light heart
edDess, grace and youth of the archduch-
ess was once more investing the Austrian
court with the life and brilliancy for
which it had been famed when the drama
of Meyerling again plunged it into deeper
gloom.
THE EMPRESS'S LOVE STORY.
Years ago when Francis Joseph paid a
visit to the Duke of Bavaria, then living
in mountain chalet with his three
daughters, it was not for the sake OF the
Princess Elizabeth. but for that OF her
elder sister. While on his way on foot
to the dukes residence, he stopped on
the brow of q hill, whence there was
fine viewsoyer a charming lake. On the
lake his eye caught sight of girl dressed
as peasant and seated in the boat, VINO,
instead of rowing, seemed 1nduiging IN
a day dream as she slowly drlfted along.
The prince descended to the waters edge.
"Mademoiselie, " he said, viii you
row me across the lake"'
"WillingIy," answered the young girl.
and with stroke or two of her oars she
pulled her boat alongside the bank and
Francis Joseph stepped in. On the way
over there was no Conversation between
them, but the prince looked admiringly
at the heavy masses of blonde tresses
which hung around neck and shoulders
nodded like those of an antique statue,
and at the beautiful face and regular
features of the handsome girl now row.
ing vigorously. When they reached the
other shore he asked II she would show
him the way to the dukes abode. Moor
ing her boat, she started off up narrow
pathway, he following. At the door of
the chalet she made him courtesy and
ran away before be had time to pay her
for her services. The duke received him
with all the ceremony due to his rank
and in presenting two of his daughters,
apologized for the absence of the young
est, who had gone for promenade.
After dinner, just as the duke and his
guest entered the sparlor, young girl
dressed in white entered the room. To
his surprise, the prince recognized his
guide of the morning, and then. with a
of their meeting to her father and sister.
When he retired that night Francis Jos.
eph had made the discovery that 1t was
not the eldest, but the youngest of the
Bavarian princesses with whom he was
in love. The next morning he said as
much to his ducsl entertainer, and, as
nothing had as yet been limited to any of
the girls as to the motives Of the princes
visit the substitution was easily arranged.
The prince made his confession of love,
when presenting Elizabeth with some
edelweiss, the rarest of Alpine flowers,
which he had gathered at great personal
risk during one of his hunts in company
vito her father.
The DEATH OF THE GROWN
PRINCE.
Archduke Rudolf, the Austrian crown
prince, and heir apparent to the throne,
died suddenly in 1888, at Mayerling, near
Baden. His death was first reported to
have been caused by appoplexy, but later
it was learned that he killed himself be-
cause it was optional with him to take
his own life or fight duel with the
brother of a princess who is member of
one of the highest Austrian families,
whom he had seduoed. The princess con-
fessed to her brother, who gave Rudolf
the alternative of committing suicide or
fighting duel
He was the second child and only son
of the Emperor Franz Josef |. He was
born August 81, 1853 In person he was
tall and well bnilt, and although not
handsome, his countenance became ami
mated and full of expression. The crown
prince was an accomplished linguist.
His work on Austria Hungry is now be-
ing issued at Vienna in monthly parts.
1t was edited under his personal direo-
ton. Hes was major general in the
Austrian army.
The crown prince was married May 10,
1881, to the Princess Stephanie, daughter
of Leopold I.,sof Belgium. His bride
was only seventeen. They had one child,
a daughter, the Archduchess Elizabeth
Marie Henrietta Stephanie Gisela, born
September 3, 1882. The marriage was not
a happy one, and in 1887 the Princess
fled from her husband at Ischl. Repre-
sentatives from thu courts of Brussels and
Vienna interceded and a reconciliation
was patched up. The heir apparent is
the elder of the two brothers of the En-
peror Franz Josef, Archduke Karl Lud-
wig, field marshal lieutenant in the Aus