Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-19

| late Due de Lynes, with no other title
| than that of count. Napoleon III, who was
anxious to surround himself with an aris-
tocracy devoted to his cause. bestowed upon
him the titles of a branch of the family ex-
tinct for more than a century. Therefore,
when 1t Is said of Miss Gebhards fiance
! that he is the ninth" duke and head of
the second branch Of the De Luynes FAM
ily, it must be admitted that there has
been long skip on the way, and that the
second branch consists uniquely of his sis
ter and himself. The ducal title. first erect
ed in 1921. became extinct for lack of male
posterity In 1893. Thirteen years later a
establishment: and his male line died out In
1898. 1t is a ducal title, therefore, that has
been twice badly sidetracked.
The other numerous titles OF the young
duke have been transferred over the CEN
turtles in the same way. His family name
is d Albert de Luynes. The addition of
d ALLY refers back to the original heiress
of the fiefs Of Chaulnes and Picquigny,
whose marriage led Louis XIII to create
the title of duke for her husband: but Miss
Gebhard's fiance is descended from neither.
That first Due de Chaulnes was a brother
OF the first Duo de Luynes and one of the
three extraordinary brothers d'Albert who
came up to court with one suit among them
i'm which to appear before the king. How
they made their way is story worthy OF
the elder Dumas: and the present dukes
bolsteriug of the family fortunes by mar
riage with an American heiress is correct
and tame in comparison with their heroic
methods.
He Met Success.
They were three brothers. sons of Honore
d Albert, seigneur or country squire OF the
village of Luynes, a captain Of musketeers,
| who, after mixing himself UP in all the
conspiracies of those troublous times, took
sides with Henry " Just at the moment Of
his success. The captain died exactly 100
years after the discovery of America which
shows that Miss Gerhard is not going into
family of those to whom Paul Bourget
says no American can ever aspire ito be-
long children of the crusaders" In fact,
the sons Of the captain We're reproached
with being of little birth" when they first
came up to court, and the one court suit
which history tells they had among them
became the foundation of one Of the court
Jokes which their fortunate descendants
had to live down.
1t was a new king, Louis XIII, son OF
Henry ", and then a boy of sixteen years
OF age, who first noticed the eldest of the
three brothers, a handsome man of forty
In spite of his dogs nose. as the court gos-
sip tells US. He called himself Charles
d Albert de Luynes, and he allowed II to be
supposed that he sprung from the noble
Italian house of the Albert. In those days
FAMILY counted for great deal; but the
boy-k1ng was nevertheless more struck
with De Luynes' skill In tanning butcher
birds to catch sparrows, something which
he had tried himself without much sue
cess.
This was the beginning of the noble house
of De Luynes, Charles being soon named
Grand Falconer and afterward raised to
the proud dignity of Constable of France
and Duke.
A Marshal of France.
The second brother became a marshal of
France, and was made Due de Chaulnes ct
de Picquigny after his lucky marriage with
the heiress of those places already referred
to. As has also been said, his descendants
died out before the end of single century.
The third brother married the daughter
or the Duo de Luxembourg, and took her
title; but his family also is long since eX-
tinct.
The chief service which the three broth
ers rendered to their king to earn all these
titles has rather q scandalous look in our
own peaceful days. The kings mother
the Italian Marie de Medicis-was ruled by
an Italian favorite, Concini, whom she had
made marshal of France under the title
of the Marechal d'Ancre. On April IL, 1917
the italian favorite left his house at 10
clock in the morning to assist at the
getting up of the king. according to GUS
tom. He had a guard of thirty gentlemen,
but they all fled when the captain of the
kings guard, acting under the direct or
ders Of the three brothers of d'Albert de
Luynes, shot him dead as he entered the
Louvre. History records it that the king,
stu mere boy, had said to the eldest
brother: Rid me of this man." He did it
The Italian favorites wife, who had been
the dowager queens girlhood companion
was cast into the Bastile. The court which
tried her was Independent enough to re-
1use to condemn her to death, until Charles
d Albert de Luynes formally assured them
the king would save her life by committing
the sentence to Punishment. So she was
condemned, when, contrary to the promise
the king ordered the death sentence to be
carried out. Charles d'Albert took possess
SION OF the murdered favorite's palace
Which Is still known to all American stud
ents of the Latin quarter. 1t now serves
as the barracks of the municipal republi-
can guard, in the Rue de Tournon on the
way to the Palais du Luxembourg. De
Luynes gave 1t back to the king just before
MS death; but his descendants have kept
their honors. The male line of the Dues de
Luynes has never been broken.
The Present Duke.
To this line the present Due de Chaulnes.
etc, properly belongs; and he is the first
cousin of the present Due de Luynes AS
has been already said, all the titles Of Miss
Gebhardts fiance were bestowed upon his
father by Napoleon lib in memory Of the
far-off and bygone coilaterals who bore
them In their own right. Thus the title of
Marquis de la Melheraye came to the orig
inal Dues de Chaulnes by marriage The
title OF Marquis de Dangeau came by mar
riage into the old family in like manner
The same Is true Of the title of Vidame OF
AmienS. OF no one holding these titles by
direct inheritance is the present Due de
Chaulnes a descendant They are decora-
tive, historical souvenirs of distant rela-
tives revived for his father by Napoleon III.
and without an acre of land to represent
them. The young dukes two chateaux are
modern acquisitions.
If the young dukes titles are thus some
what on the souvenir order, his connections
are, on the other hand, all that could be
desired. He Is a first cousin of the present
Due de Luynes, who IS himself married to
the daughter Of that great leader of French
nobility, the Dowager Duchess Dues. SO
famous for her millions given freely TO
General Boulanger, for her hunting with a
pack of deer hounds known all over the
sporting world. and for general enterprise
and uneasiness becoming grande dame.
On the other hand, the Due de Chaulnes'
only sister married the young Due Dues
and is, therefore, the present duchess of
that high and mighty name. The young
Duchess de Noailles is a cousin of the Due
de Chaulnes. and has for her country seat
the beautiful chateau Of Madame de Main
tenon at Maintenon.
Miss Gerhard liz. therefore. marrying into
the ultra smart set of the French nobility.
She will meet there with another American
duchess-the Duchess de La Rochefoucald
who is a daughter Of Senator Mitchell of
Oregon. The latter was not a great heir
ess, and made love match with her duke
some ten years ago. She Is still a very