Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-06-04


glow Of her lovciincss and power during
the reign Of Napoleon III, the emperor
being her abjcct slave and arousing the
most violent jealousy ON the part of Eu-
genie
This dazzling woman always was pres
ent ut all great functions at the Tuilcries
and displayed her superb shoulders and
bust in bcwildcring relief by the lowncss
OF her corsagcs Every diplomat and
statesman in France was mt her feet, and
among the most ardent admirers was AL
fonSo MI, then an outcast, a prctcndcr
The bcwitching comtesso did not spend
much Of her time on him at first, but when
She found his chances for becoming king
OF Spain We're good she smiled on him,
and his head was completely termed When
he went TO his throne, the comtcssc was to
follow later, according to agreement. and
the King promised her high position at
court and his exclusive royal favor
In the meantime the king had fallen
sincerely and deeply in love with one of
his own royal blood, and his marriage took
place amid much pomp and circumstance,
and the beautiful comtesse in Paris was
forgotten.
A few months after the kings marriage
he received a package from the contcsse
| containing a beautiful opal ring OF rare
coloring. Ii was called a wedding gift
and a memento of the friendship the king
had held for the comtesse
The king showed it to his wife, Queen
Mercedes, who was charmed with its
beauty and begged TO keep it. Alfonso
gave it to her readily, and she slipped it
N hn4 eIo
pincd away and in u few months died
The ring fell from her dead hand, and
the king, who could not bear to see it,
gave it TO his grandmother, Queen Chris
tina, who died u few months later
Next the ring was given to Alfonso's
sister the Infanta Maria del Pillar, who
wore it but a few days before she died of
mysterious illness. The king then gave
| the fatal jewel to his sister-in-a the
youngest daughter of the Due and Du-
| cheese de Montpenscr, and in three months
| the young princess was dead.
After this series of fatalities the king
determined TO keep the ring himself, and
he slipped it on his little finger From
that moment his health commenced to
fail, and in II hours he was dead, and the
| doctors pronounced his case one of the
stfaiiScSJ on record, MS whole physical
system seeming to have crumblcd away,
| every vital organ of his body having sud
denly succumbed to the most marked
senile decay. Physicians could never
quite account for it, and the matter was
hushed up
Queen Christina, who is not in any wise
| supcrstitious, took possession of the ring
| after her husbands death, but the other
| members Of the family, with dark Spanish
superstition, begged her to destroy it.
This she refused to do, but to prevent it
| doing other damage she hung it about the
| neck OF the patron saint, where it is today.
The Spaniards, however, are not salts
| fed Yet, for they declare that the fatal ring
influences the saint to evil things, and
| nothing but series of misforeunes has
| come to the lot of Spain since the ring
was hung on to the statue. They credit
| this war trouble with Cuba, the Philip
pines and the United States all to the ring,
and the queen regent has been begged to
| destroy it or send it out of the country