The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-11
A YANKEE IN SPAIN.
Alfonso XIII Owes His Throne to
James McHenry, an American.


New York Mail and EXpress)
The Spanish pretender, Don Carlos,
is much incensed by the detection of
his cousin and adherent, the Count of
Caserta, whose son married the In
fanta Mercedes the other day. The
count has lately set up the pretender
business on his own account, as sue
cessor to his brother, the late Francis
II, eX-king of Naples, Jerusalem, and
a few other places.
In old times Carlos and Caserta
fought side by side against the gov
eminent of the family into which the
latter's son has now married Besides
Don Carlos had a nice scheme 10 mar
~ his own son, Don Jaime de Bourbon,
to this infanta, who, in the event of
the death of her sickIy little brother,
Alfonso XIII. would be queen OF
Spain. 1t was d double blow to the
titular king of Spain to see the titular
king of Naples, etc, snatch this prize
away.
Caserta is unpopular in Spain be
cause of his crueltieS in the field. !he
MadriIIenos who shout bravo" at Wey-
Ter shudder when Caserta's name is
mentioned. But WeyleT only slaugh-
tered Cubans, while Caserta shed the
blue blood of old CASTLE, which makes
a great difference. Strange as 1t may
seem Weyler, to whom is due more
than any other Spaniard the loss of
Cuba is actually popular in Spain,
where his boast that if he had been
left in command he would have SWEET
the Yankees into the sea" finds ae-
Ceptance-
Few people know that the present
king of Spain owes his throne TO an
American. Probably little Alfonso XIII
does not know il himself, but it is
fact nevertheless. The man was James
McHenry, a speculator and promoter
of large enterpriseS-a man of exten-
siVe experience in the haute finance,
both of Europe and America. Nc
Henry il was who undertook and car
ried to a successful issue the fight
which ousted Jay Gould from the con-
troll of the Erie railroad in the piping
days of the Wizards boldest enter
1z356.
McHenry at that time. was an init
mate friend of the Duke of Salamanca,
who acted as the financial adviser of
Isabella II. Much of the queens money
was invested at McHenry's suggestion
in the Erie properties, and town in
western New York was named after
| the duke in token of McHenry's re-
gard. 1t was in this manner that the
American became acquainted with the
| exiled queen, and finally induced her
! to cOuntenance a bold and original plan
| for the restoration of her son to the
throne.
Isabella had been dethroned in 1868.
| After her flight from Spain, the gov
| eminent was administered by d jun
/
/ themselves and made a fine mess of
/ things. In 1870 they decided 10 import
/ a king. as nobody wanted Isabella, and
/ she declined to abdicate in favor of
| Alfonso. Finally, after Offering the
! crown to a PrusSian prince and inVOlV-
/ ing Napoleon III in the fatal war
with Germany as a consequence, they
| induced a son of Victor Emmanuel
| of Italy to come and reign over them.
| Amandeus tried it for three years and
I hon I'M as "a n
Thereupon the generals set up a re-
/ public which was as much like a real
/ republic as monkey is like d steam
1 boat. III the meantime Spain had been
! going to the bad at a rapid pace. The
/ Carlist pretender was at the head of a
formidable army in full revolt. The
! finances of the country under the sue
/ cessive tinkerinSs and stealinSs of the
| various administrations had fallen into
| great disorder. Public credit was eX-
hausted. The foreign bOndhOlders
could not get -heir interest and began
| to murmur and clamor for interven-
ton. In short, the republic was in
bad repute, as Latin republics are apt
to be.
Then came along this American with
a plan. He unfolded the plan to the
English and French bankers, whose
bonds were daily depreciating on the
markets of London and Paris. 1t was
nothing less than a restoration of the
Isabella line in the person of her son,
4 ALFONSO. a 1du u 10 lnel d Cdutl at
Woolwich. But how to accomplish the
revolutions
Leave all that to me" said McHen-
| ~ to Isabella. and she. remembering
how he had worsted Gould, wisely con-
cluded to let him have a try at the
republic.
McHenry called the bankers together.
They were tired of Spanish disorder
ana readily listened to him. His only
suggestion was that they chip n a
! TenneSentlnR "A certain cent
on their holdings and let him do the
rest. This they did. and turned the
| money over TO McHenry. The queen
abdicated and the little prince was in
stalled in McHenry's palatial house,
| Oak Lodge, near Holland House, and
put in training for the role of king
Meanwhile McHenry had sent a few
discreet gentlemen to Spain to inter
view the generals in power and see
what they wanted 1t was found-not
at all to the surprise of McHenry-
that they all wanted much the same