Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1901-12-12
PEARL OF SAVOY
THE GREATLY BELOVED FIRST
QUEEN OF ITALY.
WIDOWED BY MURDER
Sketch of Her Life From Childhood
to the Day of Her Great Grief-De-
Works-A Beautiful Character Ex-
eplified.

The Pearl of Savoy, the beautiful
Margherita, the most beloved queen OF
modern times, whose gifts and graces
lent splendor to the throne, whose
social virtues were a noble example
TO all classes, has disappeared from
the horizon; her star has set in dark
ness and gloom. The assassin's hand
which struck down her husband has
destroyed her life in all the essentials
which make life worth living. The
love and generation of her son and the
affection and sympathy of her people
may prove some alienation to her cup
of bitter sorrow, but her career is at
an end. She has given place to new
queen and retired into private life
after a reign of % years, during which
she was the most brilliant woman in
the courts of Europe.
Margherita was the daughter of the
duke of Genoa, Victor Emmanuel's
brother, and was born November 20,
1851, at Turin. When her brother
was an infant and she little more
than three years old she lost her
father, who with his last breath
commended his little ones to the care
of his brother, the king. The Italians
say that Margherita was born good,
but she had an excellent mother, who
trained her well in her childhood and
provided her with first-class tea hers,
who developed her unusual ln,elli-
gence and gave her taste for art and
literature. From the time when she
was 10 years old she had the habit OF
saving out Of her little pocket money
for charitable purposes, and she be-
came the idol of the Turin people, who
often met the lovely little maraen with
an attendant walking in the streets On
her was to visit some family iii dis
tress.
When Margherita was II, the king,
her uncle, bethought of her as a suit
able bride for his son Humbert. He
sent for him to join him in his castle,
Moncalieri, in Piedmont, and after a
long private interview the prince
started at once for Turin. He saw the
duchess if Genoa, and was allowed by
her to meet his fair cousin alone, and
make his proposal in person. Hum
bert was "a. and had covered himself
with glory two years previously in the
war of 1866, when he rallied his bril-
gade in the face of terrible charge of
Austrian cavalry, and not onlyrepulsed
the enemy, but fought his way right
through them, and came out at the
other side with handful of followers.
For his heroic conduct in this battle
mis- father gave him a gold medal "for
military valor" Margherita was full
Of patriotic enthusiasm, and proud of
her betrothed, as he was proud of her
beauty and charm. The marriage was
most popular, the bride being one of
the Savoy family, and known to be
Ttalianissima in sentiment. On
April 22, 1868, Margherita and Hum
bert were united by the civil marriage
in the palace of Turin. Now the
palace of Turin is very ancient, ugly
building in the middle of piazza
without gate or paling or anything to
keep the public at arms length, and
having seen it one understands how
ii was that the Turinese could so free
ly converse with their sovereign on i'm
portant occasions when he appeared
on the balcony in response to their
call, and they shouted their desires
TO him, and cheered and thanked him
for what he had done or promised to
do. 1t was. ON that balcony in 1913
that Charles Albert, the grandfather
of Humbert and Margherita, appeared
with his sons, holding the tricoloc in
his hand. and the sight of the beloved
symbol of national unity sent the as
sembled citizens into state of fren-
zied enthusiasm. 1t was there also he
received the thanks of the whole pop
slation for granting the constitution,
when he commanded that the Walden
SLAMS should pass first in the process
sion because they had been so long
last. and they raised their voices and
hands, blessing and thanking their
king. while the Turinese cheered
wildly and shook hands with their
Protestant countrymen. and called
them brothers"
When Margherita heard the joyous
SIIOC