The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-01-22

the exercise of a diplomacy and tact
which are foreign to his nature
In the first place, the stories i'm
putting to him enormous debts. and
which indicate that these have been
the principal cause of dissension be-
tween Queen Wilhelmina and himself,
are altogether without foundation. The
reigning house of Mecklenberg- Schwer-
in is one of the richest in Europe
The Prince has never been known as
a gambler, nor has he ever nanif asted
much interest in the turf. Indeed,
there were never any stories current
prior to his marriage charging him
with extravaganza. Neither has he
given any evidence since he became
Prince Consort OF the Netherlands OF
being in the least degree pressed for
money In fact, IL was only in July
last that he purchased in Mecklen-
berg Schwerin the great sporting es-
tate of Dobbien for nearly 1000. 900
marks, for which he paid cash. with
out being obliged to avail himself of
any OF the Dutch moneys coming to
him under his marriage settlement.
That is to say, he purchased the es-
tate with the fortune which belonged
to him i'm his own right. and by In
heritance. prior to his union with the
Queen of Holland. This IL seems. Is
]
of the stories according to which he
was overwhelmed with pecuniary liza
biiities at the time of his wedding, and
that describe him as having been quar-
reling ever since with his wife in con-
sequence of her alleged refusal to set
tie with his creditors.
Then the extreme improbability Of
the reports according to which Maj.
Won Tets has succumbed to injuries in
fiicted in the course of a duel which is
said to have been fought in behalf OF
| the Queen with her husband the prince
should be noted. Any one possessed of
Ven an inkling of the etiquette which
! prevails at the courts Of Continental
! Europe would know at once that such
thing as a duel between a prince of
| the blood an a subaltern officer of the
minor nobility would be not merely
unlikely in the extreme, but well nigh
impossible. Equality OF rank is one OF
the first requirements for meeting
on the so-called field OF honor, and. ac-
cording TO the ideas which prevail in
the Old World, that is TO say, in mon
! archioal countries. there can be no
! equality between a prince of the reign
! ing house and mere noble. The latter,
! in turn. is debarred from fighting a
! duel with tradesman, and II Is this
| that renders officers on the Continent
/ SO quick 10 aSnWer on the spot with
a sword thrust any blow or insult re-
ceiVed from stranger since they do
! not know If he is of sufficient quality
to afford them satisfaction on the field
of honor. while if the indignity re-
mains unavenged they are compelled
10 resign their commission. In the same
way q colonel or a general can, on the
ground of inequality of official rank,
0eciine TO accept a challenge from a
mere lieutenant or captain. In 1869
General the Marquis de Gallifet, at that
time colonel Of a regiment Of chas-
seurs d'Afrique at Algiers, was tenn
porarily placed on the retired list for
naVlng, IN defiance of all etiquette and
precedent. fought a duel with one OF
the lfeutenants OF his corps the Amer
ican born Prince Achille Murat who
committed suicide a few years ago in
Russia.
Ihcre have been remarkably few in
stances where a prince of the blood has
consented TO respond to a cartel from y
mere nobleman; that is to say. from a
social inferior. In fact the writer can
recall only two, one when the Duke Of
YORK younger brother of King George
" OF England, fought a bloodless duel
with pistols on Putney Heath with Col
LennoX. afterward Duke of Richmond.
and the other, which was Infinitely
more tragic in It's results, when Count
Wedel, at the time chief of the house
hold of ex-King George Of Hanover. at
Vienna, had the misfortune to kill in
duel Prince Solms. the nephew of his
royal master The two men had be-
come involved in some discussion, and
81 length Prince Soms lost his tenn
per so completely as to strike the Count
in the face. Wedel had two courses
open TO hm-either TO induce the
Prince to fight duel with him or to
blow out his own brains The Prince.
knowing himself to be in the wrong.
and anxious to make the only repara-
ton possible, consented TO waive his
rank. and in the duel which followed
was killed. Although Count Wedel was
i'm the eyes of unprecedented people in
no wise TO be blamed. since 1t was
agreed by all military men that he
could not continue TO wear his officers
uniform or to remain a member of The
clubs TO which he belonged while leav-
ing unavenged the blow he received
yet he was bitterly reproached by all
the reigning houses III Europe TO which
young Solms was related for. the lat
ter's death. So imbued were they with
the inviolable and sacred character of
royal personages as the anointed Of the
Lord that they did not hesitate to de-
nOunce the hostile encounter between
the Prince and the Count as an act of
''lese ma jeste," and as an actual crime
committed by the latter, and which ul-
timately entailed his repatriation and
social ostracism
a pathetic element was added to this
tragedy by the fact that the dead
Princes mother was, like her half
brother King George OF Hanover, af-
hicted with blindness This led her
surviving children TO keep her in lg-
norance of the death Of her passion
ately beloved eldest son. She was
made 20 believe that he was merely
travelling around the world. and reg
ularly every month letters purportine
to be from him were read TO her, Civ,
ing accounts Of his travels and adven-
lures, all Of which were fabricated
with piOus Intent by her surviving chill
dren. Just about the time that the
old Princess was becoming seriously
concerned about the prolonged alb
senee of her boy. she died. without
having obtained any knowledge OF his
tragic fate, which was brought about