The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-10-11
ERNEST HAROLD BAYNEs.
CnIrNTESS ELOPED.

Of all the romances in this years news, there is nothing to equal in vivid intensity the true story of the Coun- tess Maria Stettinhausen of Bavaria. A curt, unsympathetic little dispatch from Vienna gave the final chapter of 1t a few days ago, but left the rest of the story untold. Through a friend in Vienna, have now obtained 1t in full, with all it's details verified and with photographs that lend additional inter- est to the remarkable narrative.
 The Baroness Maria Baldwin, the her. oine of this romance of real life, be- longed to an ancient family of the Bavarian nobility, and, as an only daughter, was from her earliest child hood accustomed to have her every whim humored by her doting parents.
 Her infancy and girlhood were spent principally at the old feudal castle near Hohenstaufen, on the borders of Ba- varia and Bohemia, which had been the seat of the Baldwin family for three centuries past.
 At the age of eighteen, when she was introduced into the society of the Bava- rian capital at Munich, she was tall and strikingly fair, with the demure man. ner of girl who has been born and bred in quiet country nook.
 She was the acknowledged beauty of the season, and wherever she appeared at the balls and parties given in high society she was surrounded by an ad- miring throng of young officers in the dazzling uniforms of the smartest cav- airy regiments, and noblemen whose rent rolls dendered them the choicest "partis' of the country.
 The baroness showed no signs of be- ing spoiled by the social honors show cred on her, and her unassuming man. ner and extreme modesty gained her the respect as we'll as the admiration of the gay circles in which she moved. But though there were so many suitors for her hand, her parents were in no hurry to see her matrimonially settled.
 It was about three years ago, just a year after her entry into society, that the baroness parents took her to cir
 
 markedly daring rider named Zigora, and fell in love with him at first sight, fascinated partly by his undeniable grace and shapeliness, partly by his physical strength and agility, and part ly by the reckless courage with which he went through performances inyol- wing grave risk of life or limb at eve " movement made.
 He was rather handsome fellow, but coarse looking and dissipated. Strange as it may seem, the girl of high birth, good breeding and exceptional refine ment, went so far in her lovesickness as to write to the circus rider telling him of her admiration for him and her desire to make the acquaintance of such brave man.
 Zigora. though used to the adn1ira- tion of women of his own class, was naturally f1attered at the receipt of love letter couched in these enthusias- tic terms from a baroness. and he re- sponded eagerly to her advances. A maid in the employ of the baroness, and in receipt of heavy bribes from her, acted as go-between, and soon meet ing was arranged between the lovelorn aristocrat and the circus rider, who cal culated that blackmail or some kind of profit could be made out of the affair, apart from the pleasure that he derived from it.
 The baroness, who had never been particularly devout, now became reg ular attendant at Roman Catholic church at some distance from her fath- CTS residence at Munich, where, she said, she liked best of all to go through her devotions because of the unusual stiffness and solemnity that prevailed there. In this church she met Zigora day after day, and allowed him to make love to her in a quiet corner of the sa- cred building, while her maid kept watch in the vicinity.
 Zigora's lack of breeding, his coarse manners, familiar way of speaking, and, for persons of normal judgment, absolutely repulsive characteristics, were overlooked by the infatuated bar oness, who became more and more deeply in love with the fellow each time she met him.
 After these clandestine meetings had been going on for a fortnight or so Zi- gora persuaded the baroness to visit him in his own apartment.
 It was at this stage of the affair that the lady's maid, alarmed at the situa- tion, caused information of the girls in- fatuation for the circus rider to be con- veyed to her parents, without, however, letting out how far things had gone. The mortified parents at once placed their daughter under the strictest su pervision, and determined to marry her as soon as possible, before the story of her love for the circus rider leaked out and destroyed her reputation in society
 Among the numerous suitorS for the Baroness Maria's hand was Count Stet- tinhausen, a nobleman of ancient line age and great wealth, who was the own CT of over one hundred thousand acres of land. He was not particularly young or good looking, but these were minor considerations for the practical parents, who thenceforth did aheir utmost to bring about match between the count and their daughter.
 The girl was obstinate, and the pa- rents were forced to resort to all sorts of methods to reduce her to submission. Kindness was tried, and then harsh ness, and once she was placed in solita- ry confinement in the turret of the an- cestral castle, where she saw nobody and spoke to no one for fortnight.