The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-12


was subjected assumed one special charae-
ter She fancied that King Louis appeared
before her and that water flowed from his
her life. She used to scream out for help
and then become insenslble.
A year before the death of Crown Prince
Rudolph the empress took entirely to a sed-
entary life. She had a palace built IN
Korfel, one of the islands in the Mediter-
ranean. and there she threw herself with all
her energy upon the study of modern Greek
translating several of Shakspeare's plays
into the language
FANCIED HERSELF A MURDERESS.
When the unfortunate empress learned of
Rudolphs death a new hallucination took
possession of her. She fancied she was her
sons murderess. Her disease assumed such
a violent character that she had to be for
chilly restrained. Years softened the ailment
of the empress to such an extent that she
spent every year few weeks with the En-
peror at Ischl, famous resort in the Tyrol,
where the only unmarried daughter of the
imperial couple Archduchess Marie-valerie,
and the children of the Archduchess Steph-
anie are with them. But for the most part
the empress lived apart from her husband
and family, spending her days, since she
places and climatic resorts. 1t was at one
of the latter, the Hotel Beaurivage, at Ge-
neva. in Switzerland. that the stiletto of an
assassin ended her unfortunate life.
1t is said that Francis Joseph had become
reconciled long since to the ever-growing
divergency of tastes and opinions between
himself and the empress which had widened
the breach in their married life Yet. the
death of the wife Of his youth and the hor-
rible manner in which what promised to be
a brilliant career was ended, must strike
the hear. OK the aged monarch to the quick
Francis Joseph, If he is spared, will cele-
brate the iftieth anniversary of his Access
sion to the throne on Dec. of the present
year There had been considerable improve
ment in the health of the Empress during
W
even might be well enough TO participate
in the great state occasions planned for the
golden jubilee.
couple two survive The first child, named
Sophia after the Emperor's mother, died, to
the great grief Of her parents, when only
daughter, ArchduchesS Gisela, was born
July u, 1856, and married April so, 1878, to
dolph was born Aug. q, 1858 He died Jan.
80, 1859. ArchduchesS Marie-Valerie, the
youngest child. was born April 22 1868, and
it is openly told III court circles at Vienna
that she remained single in order to be a
companion to her unfortunate mother,
which, indeed, she was The Empress, who
was devoted mother and very fond of her
children, was especially fond of her only
son, while the Emperor, proud as he was
of his heir, finds his greatest pleasures with
his daughters.
The first deep grief felt by Empress Eliza
beth was the tragic death of her son. or
the end of Crown Prince Rudolph so many
conflicting stories were and are told that
the real cause may forever remain myS-
terry. Rudolph one day in the autumn of
1888 met his fate in Baroness Marie Vetsch-
era, beautiful Bohemian. The crown
prince was married in Vienna on May TO-
1883, to Princess Stephanie, daughter of
Leopold II, King of the Belgians. One child
was born to them, Archduchess Elizabeth.
This union was anything but fortunate for
both of the contracting parties The crown
and neglected his wife for outside attrac-
lions. The Emperor and Empress sided with
their dauenter-n-law and did all in their
power to stem the tide of moral ruin down
which the heir apparent was rushing with
headlong speed The. injured wife would
have sought divorce as means out OF her
misery had it not been for the Emperor
Rudolph himself, infatuated with Baroness
Vetschera beyond recall. wanted a divorce
SO 1a snvn ne cou he eanrss ed b
Up to this fact all stories agree: Then
came the evening Of Jan. 80, 1889. when the
crown prince and chosen clique among
them Baroness Vetschera and Count VALID
stein, to whom the former was betrothed,
had gay supper at Meyerling at hunting
lodge. The fact is that all three named
were found dead next morning. One YER
sion, feebly encouraged by court gossip, Is
that the, crown prince in a NJ Oh passionate
with the loved one. of his heart, killed first
her and then himself
ANOTHER VERSION GIVEN.
But this version does not dispose of Count
Waldstein. There is another and probably
the true version. This is to the effect that
during the course ofcotheI gay feast the
crown prince made approaches to the
baroness which she rsSepted in such man
ner that the prince became exasperated,
drew his revolver and shot her dead; that
then Count Wadstein picked up a heavy
oaken chair and dealt the prince a crush
ing blow, killing him instantly, and that
upon this deed the followers of the prince
fell upo,, tho coint and literally frar m u1ed
him 10 death. l4 s}
AS there was no autopsy held, it will prob
ably never be known how the heir to the
Austrian throne came to his death.
The death of the Empress, coming in the
manner it did, must be a fearful blow to
Francis Joseph, yet II Is but one Of the
bloody episodes in the history Of the house
Of Hapsburg- Lorraine. TIE day used TO
be, in centuries past. when there was the
watchword of Happy Hapsburg"
The early days OF the house certainly bore
cut this device. The present century has
seems th ready s 10 fail fom Sheer dsnegra
ton. OF the downfall of his house Francis
Joseph has seen his full share. This son
and heir and his wife both died violent
death, the one probably at the hands of a
man avenging his honor, the other at the
hands of a foul assassin.
But Francis Joseph saw two of his broth
ers pass away, the one, who sought fame
and honor in another hemisphere, by the
citizens of republic which he sought to
rule; the other. who sought happiness and
love far away from the throne and who
went to the sea, from which he never re-
turned.
Francis Joseph's Oldest brother. Ferdi-
nsnd. known to history as Macmillan |,
Emperor of Mexico was selected by schem-
ing Napoleon III to round out the latters
policy of strengthening his dynasty in Eu-
rope. 1t is now well known that the French
Emperor at the time needed war in for
eign lands 10 bolster up his waning prestige
at home. He did not dare at the time to
attack Prussia. which was still fresh in
arms after a successful war with Austria,
but he did think 1t might be we'll to con-
quer Mexico and give the republic an En-
peror. Ferdinand was selected for that dig
the trap. He was executed June 10, 1867,
by order of President Juarez. His widow,
Empress" Charlotte, as she is called, has
been a hopeless maniac ever since.
MYSTERY OF ARCHDUKE JOHANN.
Another brother OF the present Emperor,
Archduke Johann, is no longer in the land
of the living. AT least, he has Not been
heard from since 1890. The almanac de
Gotha," this cyclopedia of European rulers
and mobiles, no longer mentions his name,
because Archduke Johann voluntarily re-
nounced his titles dignity and right of sue
cession, and as plain Captain John Orth
went forth into the world with the woman
of his choice, whom he could not lawfully
wed as a member of the imperial house of
Hapsburg. but whom he did marry as
citizen of higher honor than any ever borne
by any crowned head.
John Orth'S stepping out of the imperial
family is perhaps the most deplorable
among all the misfortunes of the house of
brother. and justly so, for John Orth was
the brainfest and braVeSt and most stout.