The Savannah morning news., 1902-05-04

that he had organized for that
ed now that Skobeleff's death.
which was at the time surrounded
with great mystery, was due to chic
reform having been administered by
woman at the dead mans earnest
request. Skobeleff's death plunged
Princess Catherine Radziwill into a sort
OF nervous prostration. She loved him,
and her remorse was terrible. For
two years she retired from society.
She afterward reappeared. in st. Pc
tersburg, where she entertained law
ishly, and afterward went to London,
where, at dinner given in her hon.
or, she became acquainted with Cecil
Rhodes. She had already been at
tracted by the halo of renown that
surrounded the Napoleon of the Cape
and had firmly persuaded herself that
she loved him. She gave her new
hero an antique Russian medal that
he had admired. Cecil Rhodes ac-
cepted the gift. and they met fire.
quently.
"As is well known, Cecil Rhodes was
an fnveterate woman hater. He was
fond of repeating that woman was a
barrier to mans noblest and highest
career He often declared that no
woman could ever penetrate his exist
ence and dominate his faculties. On
the other hand, Princess Catherine
Radziwill, whose charms no man had
yet been able to withstand, swore that
she would conquer Cecil Rhodes, and
she certainly had cause to believe that
she had succeeded in exercising over
him an unlimited sway. When this
occurred Cecil Rhodes was obliged to
start for South Africa.
Princess Catherine Radziwill
seemed absolutely devoted to him. She
left London for st. Petersburg hav-
ing in her possession a quantity of
shares of the Chartere Cdompany. She
negotiated these shares in Russia aft
er some little difficulty, and lived for
a while most sumptuously, but she
was always haunted by the recollec-
ton of the man who had consoled her
for the loss of Skobeleff. Skobeleff's
death weighed heavily on her con-
science. She imagined that Cecil
Rhodes was as passionately in love
with her as Skobeleff had been. She
feared that if Cecil Rhodes felt him
self abandoned by her he might COM
NIT some desperate act that would
cause her renewed remorse. She came
to Paris, where she sold for $4,000
some of her jewels that were really
worth 100000. She then had her por
trait painted by Benjamin Constant
and started for South Africa. She
lllCIG lO0ilQ OGCll INIlOuCo5 wiz nlCcih-
while had recovered from his infatua-
ton and had regained his equilibrium.
Rhodes was now anxious to end a sit
uation which he regarded as an insur-
mountable obstacle to his ambition.
Princess Radziwill, broken hearted,
agitated, and deceived as to her hopes,
plunged into all sorts of enterprises,
guided solely by her restless spirit and
ambition. She travelled hither and
thither and at last became involved
in pecuniary embarrassments, from
which Rhodes at first relieved her
Among her ventures was the publish
ing of a newspaper, which she intend
ed as a means of aiding the realization
of Rhodes plans. The newspaper at
tanned a measure of success, but did
not compensate for the sacrifices that
it imposed upon her. At the moment
when her pecuniary embarrassments
were greatest Cecil Rhodes managed
to avoid meeting her.
ut was then that the world learned
with stupefaction that this woman,