The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-09-24
NAY,NAY, SAYSPAPA,
A Servian Prince
Asks the Hand of
a Boston Girl.
pRETENDER TO THE THRONE.
Maybelle Swift's Father Has
No Use For Decayed
Nobility.
PRETENDER TO THE THRONE.

Believe the intimates of the beautiful
Miss sNIaybelle Swift, daughter of the
millionaire pork-packer, e, c. Swift,
and she is to wed Prince Alexis Kara
georgevitch, pretender to the throne of
Servia. Believe her father. and no such
engagement exists. But Miss Swift has
accepted the princes attentions for half
year now, and everybody believes it.
In fact, the engagement, which is not
supposed to have Mr.. Swift's consent,
was quietly announced today, writes
New York World.
And the pork-packer's daughter may
yet wear crown. If the prince sue
ceeds to the throne of Servia, as he
has been trying to for 20 years now, an
American girl-rich beautiful, accom-
plished-will be queen of Servia, ths
first American girl ever to mount
throne.
1t is a romance, pure and simple.
They met last winter in Paris, where
Miss Swift had gone with her mother
and Miss Reed, sister of the late Mrs.
Paran Stevens. Miss Reed introduced
them. The prince found Miss Swift
as charming as she was wealthy. Her
father is credited with $50, 900 600 and
Is the ce-president of the great Swift
Beef company, which sells provisions
and beef from Maine to California.
Mrs. Swift liked the prince personally,
but when she noticed that her daughter
was fond of him, too, she began to get
serious. She found that Prince Kara
georgevitch was an exile from his ma
tive land-his pretentions to the throne
had made it uncomfortable for King
Alexander, the present theatric ruler.
So he got out of Servia
The wooing was sweet and swift. The
heiress to $50, 600 made no secret of
her love for the handsome Servian, who
some day might gain the throne of his
native land. Plead as the mother might.
the young girls mind was made up
80 they came home, the prince fol-
lowing soon after, with the understand
ing that he might have Miss Swift's
hand II her father consented.
The Swifts live in a splendid mansion
IN boston, and have a fine summer villa
at Bostons smartest resort aptIy
named Pride's Crossing. There the
prince followed. And away off in Ser
via the followers of the pretender wers
talking hopefully of how $40 900 00O
might help them win their cause over
King Alexander, who never ought to
nave ruled their beloved land, they felt.
So love came to an UNDERSTANDING
II Mr.. Swift consented, all well and
good If not, well, they could wait and
see. 80 the prince in due season went
last summer to Prides Crossing, If Mr..
SWIFT did not receive him cordially. the
other dwellers there Certainly did
Ihere We're dances and dinners and
teas IN his honor. At all of these he
met Miss Swift. He golfed a bit. too.
So did Miss Swift Morning after
morning they tramped the links to-
setner ana the caddies saw, if no one
else did, that they seldom took tbe heir
CUBS from the bags but walked slow
ly over the links. from hole to hole, en-
gagged in earnest talk.
And at last it all reached the ears of
Mr.. Swift First he was obdurate.
then he was downright angry. He told
the prince frankly that he had no use
for the decayed nobility of Eurone and
he said plainly that If the prince should
inherit the throne the marriage with
the daughter of a plain American would
be looked on as morganatic and hence
not valid. Mr.. Swift remembered too
plainly the wedding of the rich and
beautiful Betsey Patterson to Jerome
Bonaparte and the woe it brought into
her life when Bonaparte suddenly be-
came member Of the ephmeral royal
family of France.
OF course, Miss Swift was willing to
wed for love, but the prince wanted a
dowry. Mr.. Swift refused fatty
Renounce all pretensions to the
throne" he said, "and we will talk ii
over"
But how could the great grandson of
Black George, the great Servian liber-
ator. ever do that? So Mr.. Swift refused
to assent to an engagement, while his
daughter quietly announced to her
friends that she was engaged to the
prince. When she will marry him, is
quite another thing.
Miss Swift is a belle in Bostons
smartest set. She has great beauty
and though but %, is woman of re-
markable cleverness and tact. She
has been most carefully educated and
speaks several continental languages az
fiuently az she does English. Last
spring with her cousin, Miss Adelaide
Murphy of San Francisco, she was pre-
scented to the queen at one of her ma
1esty's drawing rooms by Henry
White. secretary of the American le-
cation in London. Miss Swift quite
carried off the palm by her grace and
tact. and the queen remarked that the
young American was the most beauti-
full girl presented to her that day.
The prince is As years old and a great
grandson Of Karageorge-Blaek George
who ruled in Servia from 1904 to 1873
He had himself proclaimed prince OF
Servia. but so great was the turmoil
attendant upon his rule, that he was
compelled to fee after nine years or
the throne, King Miloch took the
throne. and when Karageorge returned
to Seryia in 1917. he was assassinated
by order Of the king. The present king
is his descendant, and about every
month there is conspiracy TO put
Prince Karag sorgevitch on the throne
The princes ancestors always assas-
sinated anybody in their way. His
father was accused of numbering the
Prince Michael. ex-King Milan's I'M
Gle and successor to the Servian throne,
for which crime he was sentenced to
eight years Imprisonment,