The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1898-11-19
THE MURDERED EMPRESS.
wild Rides of the Late Lady OF AUS
tria and Her sympathy with the
Poor While In Normandy.


the chateau of Sassetot. She arrived
there on July 81 with the little Arch
duchess Valerie, her daughter, and 2
suite of about go persons. On the day
after her arrival she appeared at Pc
!, tites-Dalles, where she was to begin
the sea bathing which had been pre-
scribed for her. During the two
months she was there she took 36
baths, for which she paid right roy
ally 1900 francs. Every morning the
master bather went for his orders and
If he were told that the empress in
tended to battle he had everything pre-
pared.
Often on her way to or from Sassetot
the empress would stop before some
little cottage, get out of her carriage,
talk to everybody near her and caress
the children. Her hand was always
open and her visit was a godsend to
the poor of the country. where her
quite also spent much money and paid
for everything royalty. Every day her
grooms bathed her horses in the surf
The empress was fond of boating.
Sometimes she went on board yacht
which was placed at her disposal by
a rich gentleman from Rouen, but her
preference was for a little sailboat
handled by the son of the master bath
er, boy of about IA or Is summers.
As much as possible she suppressed
all formalities of etiquette. Every day
she mounted her horse and set out
unaccompanied, delighted at the
chance of having ride alone, and very
often, too, she went great distances
straight ahead, according to her ca
price and to the great despair of the
functionaries of her court, whom the
emperor held responsible for her safe
ty In the neighborhood of Sassetot
everybody knew her and before her
all heads were respectfully uncovered.
Once she strayed along distance from
the village and wandered about in
places totally unknown to her. One
of the grooms who was dashing
through the country searching for her
found her in field where a maid was
milking cows. The empress was chat
ting familiarly with the young woman
and drinking out of milk can.
The second time she got lost she was
on foot and asked the way of a priest
whose little church was in a neighbor-
ing valley. Taking her for an ordinary
visitor he showed her the way, and
on the road she entered into converse
ton with him. He incidentally spoke
of the poverty of his parishioners, and
was much surprised on receiving the
next day considerable sum of money,
which seemed really to come to him
from Heaven, for he did not know that
the lady he met on the road was the
empress of Austria.
An incident which might have had
grave results put an end. at least for
time, to these rather imprudent excur-
sions on the part of the empress On
September IS, 1875. her doctor having
left her in the castle after her prom
Use not to go out. proceeded to Petifes-
Dalles to take bath. After bathing
{; messenger came to him and said that
he was wanted Immediately at the
chateau. In great haste the doctor
jumped into carriage and proceeded
TO Sassetot. The empress had been
thrown from a horse in the castle
park and her condition appeared to
be grave. When the doctor arrived he
found her unconscious Her fainting
spell lasted long time. and it was de-
ciGed to telegraph to the emperor.
from whom they at first desired to
conceal the accident. After the tele-
gram was sent the empress regained
consciousness and soon recovered.
Her companions implored her to aban-
don her wild and breakneck rides.
Shortly afterward it was reported that
on receiving the dispatch the emperor
went to Sassetot incognito to see the
empress. At the Austrian court the
story of this visit was always denied.
They said that he was on the point of
starting. but on receipt of reassur-
ing news gave up the idea.
The empress quilted Sassetot on
September 20. 1875. On leaving she
gave substantial evidence of her gen.
erosity. Nobody was forgotten, not
even the master bather, the little pi-
lot. the church where she attended
mass or the poor of the country. whom
she had already helped over and over
again. She left Sassetot followed by
many regrets and benedictions. Later,
when she was told of the death of the
master bather,who was drowned while
endeavoring to save swimmer in dan
GER she headed n suhscriptiOn list for