The Indianapolis journal., 1902-10-19

II
dead mans children kept at a distance.
theft or destruction OF the will was easy
| OF accomplishment.
At any rate, when finally the minister
/ OF the imperial house arrived to seal up
| things In accordance with law no testa-
ment was found, and the document is miss
| ing I'D TO This day. As consequence the
| Archduke Rainer was declared next OF kin,
| and the entire estate. valued at 100000
| forms. was turned over 10 him.
In the man whom all Austria charges
with having gained his brothers wealth
| by base trfckery and artiice the love OF
gold must be the all-absorbing passion. for
| he is himself rich beyond the dreams of
| avarice and much too old and feeble to
| enjoy even one-hundredth part of his enor-
| nous income. Born I'm 1897. Rainer married
| a cousin of his Marie Caroline of Tuscany
| They have no children. The archduke Is
| a field marshal in the Austrian army and
administrator OF the imperial Academy
J OF Science He Ia seldom seen in public,
+. and devotes all his time TO literary hobbies
! and the boarding of wealth. His love of
| money has long been a standing joke in
Vienna, but I'm this case IL proved curse
| that may shake the reigning dynasty to
| its foundations when Parliament takes
| hold of it.
! PURSUED BROTHERS CHILDREN.
Even as this twentieth-century royal in
trigue began with perfidy. so its further
| course is full OF baseness, heartlessness,
| oppression, injustice and conspiracies.
| The relentless enemy of his brothers
| children would have considered his work
| but imperfectly done had he kept them
| merely out OF their fathers home. His
| next step was to drive them from Laibach,
the place where will contest If there was
one. must be fought out. And, like Lai-
bach's judges. so the police obeyed the
Imperial Highness's suggestion with all
! possible alacrity. 1t discovered that the
late archduke's children are foreigners"
Baron Won wallburg having acquired cit
izen's rights in Hungary and his sister
being the wife of Hungarian. Being for
eigners and obnoxious on account of their
'fllegitimacy" they must go-that is, leave
the province of Illyria, of which Laibach
is the capital Yet this was only the be-
ginning of their troubles. wallburg's COM
rades in the army received a hint that,
being of irregular birth, he was not a fit
person to associate with. AT the same
time his superiors began to make trouble.
|
after month or so. he was forced to throw
up his commission. His sister Clotilde was
pursued by similar methods Her husband
was told by his colonel that he must prove
his wifes legitimacy within ten days or
resign. And resign he did, even though he
had not a penny to bless himself with.
Neither had Baron Wallburg. That may.
or may not have been the condition Arch
his purposes excellently well. Penniless
persons cannot go to law, and in Austria
a poor aristocrat is about the most helpless
of citizens In case the profession of arms
be closed against him there is little left
for him to do but engage in manual labor,
as he usually lacks the training and adapt
ability for trade or artisanship. That. at
the same time. he becomes a nobody social
ly goes without saying.
Baron Wallburg, according to the police
records, tried hard to provide for himself.
wife and five small children. He worked
alternately as bus conductor, advertising
agent driver, reporter, messenger and jan
itor, but without talent for any of these
varied positions. How could he? Born
with a golden spoon in his mouth, he
learned nothing else but spending money
gracefully and killing time like a gentle
man. The consequences made themselves
felt presently. Luxurious quarters were
exchanged for humble home, fine clothes
for plain ones, that soon were rags. One
day the aforementioned Max Staudinger
happened to be in a green grocer's cellar.
on Hernalser street. Buda-Pesth, when a
pinched-looking little girl walked in tim
idly and said to the store keeper: For the
love of God give us 10 kreutzers' worth
more credit we children and mamma have
not had a mouthful since yesterday morn
ing. and papa is away searching for work"
REFUSED THE CHILD BREAD.
The grocer turned savagely upon the
small heap Of misfortune: First pay the
gulden you owe, and then will see about
giving you further credit"
Staudinger is man of heart: Don't you
see the child is starving?" he cried "Give
her all she wants. 1 will pay for 1t. and
here is the gulden the poor devils owe.''
In this manner the defendant in the Lai-
bach forgery case made the acquaintance
of the Wallburgs, for in the exuberance
Of her gratitude the little girl insisted upon
taking the stranger to mamma, sisters and
brothers.
Staudinger found the daughter-in-law OF
Archduke Ernest Ill. writhing on the floor
with hunger and agony, while her four
little ones, near her. were crying for bread
and bailiff stood outside to prevent any
of the remaining pieces of furniture OF
clothes being CARRIED off to the pawn shop
the landlord having secured lien on them
Soon afterwards the baron came in to say
that he had found a position as a waiter
and would commence to draw pay In a
week or so. Staudinger heard his story
relieved the familys most pressing wants
and, like a good fellow, resolved to see
them through. AS a preliminary he sought
out Baroness Won Szimics, who was nearly
as badly off as her brother. All her jewel:
and the greater part of her personal effect:
were in pawn, for her husband, the formel
> captain of horse. had failed to securt
work. and the demented and sickly Laura
the archduke's youngest child, was hall
dead for want of medicine and attendance
The baroness strengthened the informa
: | tion Staudinger had received from Wallburf
: | by turning over to him number of her ia
theirs letters. particularly one dated "Arco
Feb. 20, $780,, and others bearing only tn,