The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-12-14
HEARTS OF DEAD HAPseuaes.


Down. in a gloomy little crypt in the
Church of the Augustine friars. the sac
rsstan, If you viii give him q kronen,
Will let you look through a grating il the
door, and see the forty-ceven cans upon
shelf that encircles the whitewashsd
wall, writes W. z. Curtis from Vienna. 10
the Chicago Record-HeraId- They look
ike an assortment Of timed meas or
vegetables. but contain the hearts Of the
members OF the imperial house Of Aus
tria-
For centuries. when an emperor or an
empress. or any OF the royal family dies,
it has been the custom 70 cut the heart
out OF the body. seal it up in a little silver
urn and deposit it in this church. which
contains also & beautiful monument TO
the archduchess, Maria Christina, daugh-
ter OF Maria Theresa-and the most
beautiful sepulcher 1 have ever seen. 1t
was carved by Canovas and represents
the face OF a pyramid with an open
door, through which a procession OF
life-size marble figures is passing into
the tomb-the poor. lame, the halr and
the blind-bearing laurels and offerings
of affection and gratitude, while the
back OF lion and watches them.
1t is an ugly old church and was built
way back in 1893. but it is famous for
being the court chapel and having one OF
the finest choirs in the world. An ap-
pointment to this choir is the highest
prize offered by the Imperial Conserve
tory of Music. and. although the salaries
are not large. compared with those paid
by fashionable churches in the United
States. the appointment is for life and
commands a pension when the singer has
outsung herself.
The little crypt or closet in which the
hearts are kept is semi-circular in shape.
with a radius Of about six feet. and
looks as If it might originally have been
built for shrine. The shelf Is merely
a ledge of wall which was whitewashed
once, but is badly discolored by damp
ness. There is a little window near the
ceiling about foot square, protected
by heavy iron gratings. and it is cold and
cherries and forbidding. You wonder
why so rich an empire as Austria should
allow the hearts of its rulers to be kept
in such shabby place The doors open
from a little chapel as dark as a dun
peeled off the woodwork. and in places il
sadly needs repair. The sacristan told
US that the emperor sometimes came
there TO pray, and there is more danger
of his catching cold than Of having his
attention distracted by adornments The
walls are covered with moisture and
dust has gathered wherever the surface
is uneven. The tiles upon the floor are
loose and rattle as you walk over them.
and in one place boards have been laid
down to cover those that are broken.
over in corner, thrown carelessly upon
chair. are "habiliments OF Woe" a
bundle of cheap black cotton cloth. made
up into festoons and rosettes. and paste
board shields and crosses with deep black
borders, which the sacristan said were
used to drape the walls OF the church
when some rich man or a member of the
royal family ordered a requiem mass. II
would be difficult to find a more unappro-
pirate or unsuitable place for the purpose
for which it is used.
In an urn somewhat larger than the
rest. standing at the apex of the semi
circle. is the great heart OF Maria The
Tesa. All its passion and ambition must
have evaporated by this time. ard it is
undoubtedly reduced 10 dust. The heart
of her husband. the Duke Of Tuscany.
is In a smaller urn beside il. which is
appropriate, because she was much the
more noble and famous Of the two.
Around at the right end OF the row in
new urn, but fashioned like the rest,
without the slightest bit OF ornament.
unburnished and easily mistaken for tin.
is the heart OF the late Empress Eliza
beth. who was assassinated at Geneva
in the most brutal manner two years ago,
and by its side is the urn of Rudolph,
her wayWoFd son, who loved a woman
more than his honor and his life. On the
opposite end of the shelf so far that IL is
almost out of the line of vision. is the
urn of Marie Louise. the wife Of Napo-
leon the Great, and that beside 1t con-
tains the heart Of her son. L'Aiglon.
One IS strongly tempted 70 stand there
and InOralize; there Is a text for SER
mon in every one OF these urns. but the
air is too cold and damp. and you in
ouire of the sexton why they don't rub
up the urns with a little silver polish
once in while. and pass out into the
grateful sunshine.
In a big cellar under the monastery Of
the Capuchin monks in the busiest part
Of the business section Of Vienna within
three minutes walk OF the United tSates
consulate and the fashionable shopping
district lie the bones of the imperial fam
ily as far back as Matthias. who reign
cd in the fifteenth century. II is much
more cheerful place than that 81 which
their hearts are kept. Everything is
neat and clean The whitewash on the
walls is new; the air is sweet and plenty
Of light filters IN through q row OF win
COWS that runs around under the c0rnice.
1t is about the most cheerful vault I
ever visited. and was originally built for
a wine cellar but a man who did not
know where he was would think II was
the storeroom Of an undertaken. Ar
regard fer chronological order. are n hun
dre1 or more bronze. iron and COPPER
collins. Some are handsomely ornament
ed and fashioned after the stvia Of the
sarcopnaFi Of the ancient Egyptia rs. But
most Of them are very plain. much plain
Ct than those exposed az advertisements |
in the windows % the undeTtakers shops.
Upon each coffin IS plate inscribed /
efth the name Of the owner. but his !
present address IS not given That Is |
left FOR the inference Of those who have /
read the history OF Austria. and there |
i no doubt where some OF the kings have /
gone.
The only monumental tomb fs that o. l
Maria Theresa of course. She ~ aiweva ]
conspicuous TIE good she did lives az (
ter her and her memory - kept alive 4
b. monuments. tablets. ard Inscriptions. I
which can be seen Whichever way you