The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-12-23
FLIGHT OF PRINCESS
ALL EUROPE LOOKING FOR THE
HEIRESS TO sAXONY's THRONE.
SHE FLED AT DEAD OF NIGHT.
NONE CAN ACCOUNT FOR HER
STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE.

On the Night of Dec. IL the Princess
Left the Castle of the Emperor,
Frances Josef, Near Salzburg-Had
Retired for the Night-After Re-
firing She Arose and Arranged n
Dummy Figure in Her Place In
Bed-AII Europe Is Seaching With
out Avail.
Dresden, Saxony, Dec. 22.-The
Crown Princess of Saxony fled from
her home on the night of Dec. II. The
Dresdener Journal to-day says:
THE Princess, in state of intense
mental excitement. suddenly deserted
her family at Salzburg and went
abroad. The Saxon court functions
for the winter, including the New
Years reception, have been cancelled"
The foregoing paragraph in to-day's
official journal, which was inserted by
order of the King and Crown Prince of
Saxony, has turned into truth what
for several days past has been re-
garded as an incredible tale. The
Crown Princess of Saxony, surround
ed by her ladies in waiting and numer-
Gus attendants and servants of the
royal household has vanished so ut
terly that the police of every kingdom
of Europe have for ten days been I'M
able to trace her. The official an
nouncement was made in order to be
of aid to the general public in finding
the Princess, and because the court
fiction that she preferred to remain in
retirement at Salzburg, rather than to
return to her husband and children
at Dresden, cannot longer be main
tained.
She Would Not Return.
Accompanied by the Crown Prince,
the Princess went to the castle OF
Emperor Francis Josef, near Salzburg,
month ago. A week after their ar
rival at the castle the Prince broke his
leg while hunting and was brought
back to Dresden. The Princess, how
ever, remained at the castle. Why she
did so the people of the court did not
know, except that, with gloomy te-
nacity, the Princess usually does what
she pleases.
For a little while this explanation
sutticed, then fragments Of gossip be-
gan to reach Dresden. 1t was said
that the Princess had surrendered her
self to periods of nervous excitement
and that her eccentricities of de-
pertinent caused much concern to hel
suite and to some of her Austrian
| kinsfolk, who were staying in the
| castle With her. 1t is now believed
that she was under surveillance and
| if this is true it makes her disappear
| ance the more extraordinary.
The narrative of the events at Salz-
burg during the night of Dec. HIP, as
told in Dresden, is that the Princess
who appeared to be in an unusually
tranquil mood retired before IL o'clock
Three hours later, when maid look
ed into the royal bed chamber, some
thing in the appearance of the bed
prompted her to go close and ex-
anime it. Instead of the Princess, the
maid perceived a dummy figure. She
awakened the lady in waiting, and the
latter, with other members of the
Princess suite searched all the neigh
horing apartments, then the entire
castle and finally the grounds of the
castle for the Princess, but no trace
of the missing woman was found.
Police are Looking for Her.
At dawn the police of Salzburg were
informed of the disappearance, and in
quiries Were made throughout the
whole countryside, but with no tangi-
| BILE result. A number of what had
| seemed to be traces of the Princess
were shown to be without foundation
upon careful examination by the POI
| lice.
The inquiry by the end of that day
had extended to all parts of the King
dom of Saxony, and on authority from
Dresden, by the end of the second day,
to all of Europe. The theory of sui
| eide was suggested and a fruitless
search for the Princess body was
made. All the ponds and other pieces
of water in the vicinity of the castle
| have been dragged without result.
The Princess disappearance will
doubtless cause the circulation of many
stories. 1t is already related that she
eloped, but inquiries have brought out
nothing to substantiate or support this
statement.