, 1898-08-12
ITALIAN VALET NOW A PRINCE.
Scandal in a Roman Family-A Five Times
Unseatcd Deputy.

Adventures like Cagliostro and Casanova
can still make their way in Europe, as is
shown by the strange story of the Prince of
Carovigno, who has been rejected five times
from the Italian Chamber of Deputies. The
title is a genuine one, and the Prince has a
legal right to it, though there is nothing
princcly in his birth or his career, which
he has recently made public in a pamphlet.
He is 81 years of age. a native of Trieste,
where his parents kept a portcr's lodge, and
his name is Camille Ventura. He was train
ed for a domestic servant and served several
Austrian and Italian noble families until he
became valet to Count Kufstcin, whose name
appears as 4 mediatizcd Prince in the Alma
mach de Gotha. The Counts wife, by birth
a Princess Odcscalchi, belonging tothc high
est Roman aristocracy, with her name, too,
in the Almanach de Gotha, fell in love with
the valet, who was much younger than her
self, and turned over to him, while still blind
ed bv her passion, 4,ooo,o oo lire $500, ooo)
of her private fortune. When she came to
her senses she called on the Odescalchi to help
her get back her money. There was a sensa-
,ional lawsuit, which the family lost, and
the Princess is now confined under guard in
one of the Odescalchi estates in the Abruzzi.
With his late mistress money safe in his
possession, young Ventura determined TO en-
Joy himself. lie made up his mind that he
would like to he a Prince, and soon found an
old and extremely poor Neapolitan noble,
the Prince of Corovigno, who agreed to adopt
him as a son in return for 4o,oooli lire $4,000
down, and apcnsion of 200 lire (s4o) a month.
The Neapolitan nobility was indignant, and
demonstrated with the old Prince, but he
stuck to his bargain, saying he was starving,
and 10 years of age, could have found no
work but that of a street sweeper, for none
of his class was likelyto help him. The adop-
Immediately though in Italy rank no longer
gives any privileges.
The new Prince then determined to enter
Parliament. He presented himself as a So
cialist candidate to the electors of Pietrasan-
ia, on the Tuscany coast, and threw money
about lavishly. He was elected, but the
Chamber of Deputies would not admit him,
alleging that he was under the legal age for
a Representative, thirty years. He was re
turned a second time, and again rejected fol-
the same reason. At the third electiou he had
attained the statutory age, but the Chambe,
refused to accept him on the ground that, be
ing born in Trieste, he was not an Italian.
Naturalization papers were prepared for him,
while Pietrasanta elected him for the fourth
time. but the Odescalchi family exerted its
influence to prevent their issuing, and for the
fourth time he was rejected. An attempt tC
prove that he had bribed at the election fail.
ed, and the reason given was again that he
was no Italian, an unpleasant argument fol
politicians to employ who make capital Of
the cry "..ltalia irredenta." After the fifth
election the government was able to prove
bribery, and the Prince of Carovigno was
condemned to a fortnight's Imprisonment,
and five years loss of electoral rights, on
which ground the Chamber turned him GU,
for the fifth time.
In spite of this he proposes to keep up his
candidacy, and counts on his Pietrasanta cleo:
tors backing him up until he succeeds, a.
they are likely to if his money holds out
New York Sun.