New-York tribune., 1901-06-09
PR[NCESSES OF SAVOY.
SOME WOMEN WHO HAVE PLAYED
GREAT PARTS IN THE HISTORY OF
ITALY'S REIGNING HOUSE


urally have preferred that his first born should
be a son and heir to his throne has no reason
70 feel chagrined because his consort has pre-
scented him with a daughter. For the prn-
cesses of the house of Savoy have from time I'M
memorial been women Of strong character, who
have exercised a powerful influence upon the
history of their times and who have been .
source OF strength to the dynasty. Possibly this
Is because they are so few in number as COM
pared With the princes of the family. For some
strange reason there has been an average OF
ten males among the descendants OF hunbert
of the White Hands To one princess. But the
princessts have always been remarkable women.
and have made up in quality what they lacked
in number.
1t is not necessary 10 go back to remote times
in order to demonstrate the truth Of this. 1t is
sufficient to draw attention TO those princesses
Of Savoy who are now living. Among the most
noteworthy. and yet perhaps among the least
known to the present generation, is Princess
Clothildc widow of Prince jerome Bona
parte and sister of the late King Humbert and
of the late ex-K King Amadeus of Spain. one OF
tn most striking events in the career OF this
princess was her departure from Paris atter the
overthrow Of the empire. Empress Eugene had
fed hy the servants entrance from the TuierieS.
So thickly veiled and humbly dressed as TO
defy recognition, and having been hustled into
the shabbest Of cabs was driven off secretly 10
seek refuge in the house of her American dentist
until it was possible to smugsle her out OF Paris
under the cover of night. Far different was the
departure of her cousin Princess Clothide. She
had TO Paris as the daughter OF king
and she departed as the daughter of a king from
.hat city where her great at-grandaunt. Queer
Marie Antoinette. had been put TO death on the
ccaef,lg l,N a revolutionary government. Once
more was the French metropolis in the throes
OF a revolution. which again. eighty years be
fore had swept away the throne and pillaged
the Tuileres. But the princess showed no sign
OF fear. She realized that the time had come
for her 10 leave Paris But she did so openly.
THE DEPARTURE FROM PARIS
1t was OF the fourth or fifth day Of September.
$50 that the gates Of the Palas Royal were
thrown open for the last time. Superbly dressed,
she drove in her open state carriage with all her
servants in their state liveries. and accompanied
by her three children. through the streets Of
Paris to the Lyons Railroad terminus 10 reach
which her equpage had u pass through the ST.
Antoine quarter which from time immemoral
has been regarded as the headquarters OF social
Ism and anarchy and rs the hotbed OF Frances
revolutions. Yet in that district. in all
others through which she slowly drove on her
way 10 the station. she Was greeted with tokens
OF regard and respect by the people in the
streets. men of all classes OF society harng
their heads and the women waving their
handkerchiefs To see her thus driving through
the streets Of Paris with her children no one
could have dreamed that she leaving 'he
city for the last time and that her departure
had been necessitated by the overthrow OF the
monarchy and the outbreak Of a revolution. One
would have been disposed To believe that she
was on her way TO attend some great court func-
tion at Fontainebleau, and il only the com
ments of the people as she disappeared from
sight that enabled to realize that she was
leaving never to return. And il must be said
that all the comments were of a kindly and ad-
mring character men and women alike uniting
in her praise.
In the first place. there was something in the
mode of her departure which appealed To them.
and then too they remembered how. throughout
came TO France a sixteen yearold bride. her
name had been "a synonyme for everything that
was good and charitable. Although of the
principal figures at that of the Tuileres
which was notorious as of the most dissolute
in Europe, she perhaps alone had managed to
keep the ermine of her robes unsoiled by scandal.
~ even by the suspicion thereof. She had never
been guilty of any act word that could i'm the
slightest degree diminish the profound respect
vii which she was regarded. in the i'm
L .hp pstft rod