The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-12

he was constrained to choose the same
fate.
To understand Herr Won der PLAINTIFFS
explanation off, the tragedy the familiar
story must be netold according to his YER
sion. : -
A HANDSOME PRINCE.
In January, 1889, Rudolph, archduke,
crown prince and heir to the kingdoms
of Austria and Hungary. was thtrty-one
years old. He was tall, with a slender
figure and strong, dark face which the
Apstrians considered handsome. He was
a brilliant soldier and a student as we'll.
He was loved by the people, and his per-
sonal charm was such that he had I'M
numbered friends, among the Warmest of
whom were Wilhelm IL, emperor of Ger
many, and the Prince of Wales But, I'M
fortunately for Stephanie, his neglected
WIFE, the daughter Of the king of Belgi-
um the prince was not ffaultless.s Not
only was he openly tired of Stephanie,
who, at this 1ate day, 1t is rumored, is:
to console herself and forfeit frer" for
tune by marrying Count Lonyai, but he
made mo- effort to conceal his successive
fancies for other ladies' of the Austrian
court. All other women were forgotten
whenathe crown prince first saw the Loves
ly baroness, hardly more than a child in
years, Marie Vetsera. This happened at
the Polish ball in Vienna in, 1888. 1t
was the fashion to make much of Vet
sera But the prince outdistanced all
her other admirers and made violent love
to her Immediately.
Netsera, who was but seventeen, was
a wonderful brunette, with enormous
dark, dreamy eyes, that were the admira-
ton of Vienna. Her neck was long and
SLENDER her bearing distinguished In
temperament she was essentially roman
tic.
AS the year woreI on. Marie Vetersa and
the prince saw each other more and more
frequently, usually at the house of the
Countess LarisGh, a cousin of the prince
of the Vienna court. Nor can it be sup
posed that Stephanie, sitting at home
with her little f1Ve-year-old daughter
Elizabeth, heard nothing of the talk that
was On so many tongues.
Meanwhile the friends of both noticed
changes in the infatuated pair. Marie
grew dreamy, oblivious to her immediate
surroundings. and at times melancholy.
She inquired more than once concerning
the effects of Various. poisons OF death
she spoke often and. calmly, quoting,
''Whom the gods love, die young"
RUDOLPH9L LOVES VETSERA.
Rudolph, whe'qaad grown more and more
wildly In love, at Lass wrote to the pope,
begging permission to be divorced from
Stephanie and to marry Vetsera. The
pope replied that in the event of a divorce
the prince must not marry again. Ii he
elected to marry Vetsera, who was SO
greatly his inferior in birth, he was no
titled that he would be obliged to give up
the throne. At the same time the pope
sent a courier bearing an important mes
sage to the princes father, the Austrian
emperor. The emperor summoned Ru-
dolph, a stormy scene followed, and Ru-
dolph swore. that he would give up Vet
sera.
Rudolph, always a passionate lover of
hunting, then abandoned himself to the
chase His hunting trips grew more and
more frequent. During most of them he
made his headquarters at the old castle
| of Mayerling- A hunt was arranged for
| Jan. % at Mayerling, and Marie Vetsera
! knew of 1t. Therefore, Rudolph, having
gone to- Mayerling on Monday the 2Sth
| and having received word from Vetsera
| that she would come on Tuesday, stayed
| at home from the chase to receive her
That afternoon they held their final in
| terview, the result of which was found
| In a note the unhappy girl had written to
| her sister: "Todayshe set before me plain
ly at last the impossibility that I could
| ever become his he has given his oath
| to his father to give me up. 1t is all over.
I go to my death happily"
In this pitiful note of a love-stricken
| girl there is no mention of Rudolph's in
| tention to dies Hads!the two planned to
| die together, avouldd Rudolph have i'm
! pressed upon her the necessity of their
parting?
At the same time Vetsera must have
been writing this nete Rudolph sent the
! following telegram 70 Vienna, where he
was expected at banquet in honor Of
| the Archduchess Valerie:
"To His Majesty the Emperor-Pardon
my absence. I am feeling ILL 1t is not
! serious Greetings to the archduchess and
One Of the darkest features in this
somber story of Mayerling is the inter-
| views held at the castle that afternoon
| between the grown prince, Vetsera and
| Netsera's uncfe, Baltazzi. who came to
Mayerllng to fetch her. Vetsera declined
to leave the qastre. and her uncle's re-
fusal to accept her decision cost him his
life. At the end Of the interview he was
| mortally wounded man. The prince
| having assumed the role of the girls
| protector, Baltazzi flew at him In a rage.
| The prince, equally aroused, seized a
| weapon. The wounded man was secretly
| transferred to a remote part of the
| house, and the same4 afternoon a priest
| was summoned to the house-a circum-
stance never before expfained-to ad-
minister the sacrament to Baltazzi. In
the following April Baltazzi died and
HNVadr To III