The age-herald., 1901-05-05
DUKE OF YORK
 HAD TWO WIVES Double Life of King Edwards Eldest Son Disclosed. MORGANATlC BRlDEAV0WED Edward VII Consented to Espousai of Mss Culme-Seymour, and
 Now Has Given Her
 Royal Residence.
MORGANATIC BRlDEAVOWED

London, May 4.-Much interest has been excited by keen inquiries made in all directions regarding the identity of Mrs. Hartmann, to whom, according to the Daily Mail, the King has just given the use for life of White Lodge, at Richmond, formerly the residence of the late Duchess of Teck, the mother of the Duchess of Cornwall and York. With the exception of the Mail, all the papers preserve significant silence, but I have the strongest req sons for believing Mrs. Hartmann to be none other than the inorganic wife of the heir apparent
 Married Her at Malta. In any case, as l happen to have special means of knowing, the truth of the Duke of ork and Cornwall's rela- tions to the lady are that he was mar ried to her at Malta, anu that she has borne him several children, and l think it to be of public interest to state this for the first time in print
 Hints and rumors have been in cir culat1on for years, accounting largely for the luKewarm regard in which the Duke was held by the English people, out the absolute truth has never been publicly divulged, so far as 1 know.
 Daughter of an Admiral.
 The lady in question is the daughter of Admiral Sir Michael Culme-Sey- mour. The marriage took place in Malta, when the Dukes elder brother, Clarence, was alive, and when the present Duke, therefore, was not the heir to the throne. At that time, am informed, Miss Culme-Seymour ha0 not wished to marry, but finally consented under pressure of her own father and after receiving the consent of the pres ent King, who was then Prince of Wales.
 When Prince Clarence died the Duke of Yorks marriage to Princess May was determined on as an affair or State, though if the Duke had had courage to remain true to his real wife, who even then. had borne him two children, he would have been the most popular man in England
 Lacked the Highest Courage. But his duty as the future King over rode personal ties, and he consented to regard his first marriage as morgantic.
 Most generous settlements were then
  Queen contributing her share. I have absolute knowledge that in the settle ment the marriage was described as morgantic and contracted with the con- sent of the Dukes father, then the Prince of Wales. The settlement pro- vided large income and also for the education of the two children already born and the one expected.
 Moves In RoyaIty's Circle.
 The further statement that she is personal friend of King Edward also tallies with the fact. The lady in ques- tion has always been on most friendly terms with the most prominent mem bers of the royal family, though the late Queen was never entirely recon ciled to such a marriage, she having the universal English abhorrence Of the very term inorganic.
 AS an illustration of this, can vouch for the truth of the following: At dinner at well-known political club on the eve of the marriage of the Duke of Cornwall to Princess May, the Bishop of Oxford, who was to assist at the ceremony, was present, as was also a millionaire London merchant. The latter referred to rumors even then in circulation of the morgantic marriage and affirmed his own thorough dis belief in it. He finally directly chal- lenged the Bishop to deny it, but the Bishop merely shrugged his shoulders and said:
 This is an affair of State" fingered at Bishops Reply. The merchant sprang to his feet, saying:
 ''This, sir, is how you interpret the law and the Gospel to conform to the law of the land" He left the room at once.
 Finally, I may add, the Duke has been a constant visitor on the lady and it seems that if it is true that the King has given White Lodge to the lazy in question the situation is rec ognized by the royal family as 'partie trois," with two women in place Of the customary two men.
 Russia and Toleration.