Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-30
AMBITION SATISFIED.
PETER kARAGEoRGEviTcH ALL
HIS LIFE WANTED TO RULE
OVER SERvIA.
He Was a Headstrons Youth and
When Living With His Father in
Austria He Often Gave Illustrations
of That Characteristic.

Austria He Often Gave illustrations
OF That Characteristic.
Servia's new king, Peter 1, spent
part of his youth in Hungary, where
his father lived in exile.
The family owned a pretty estate at
Bokszeg, in Arad county. Prince Alex
ander managed it himself and was even
his own postmaster.
He made youn Peter learn the Hun
garian language, so he could read the
letters that came from his illiterate
shepherds and laborers and could
write answers for them.
OF course the family kept many
horses, and long drives into the neigh
boring counties We're an everyday &C.
currence.
The fathers great friend at Gross
wardin was Ymre de Abouye, who is
still alive and exceedingly popular in
these days as he knows lot about
King Peter. He was very fond of the
boy and loved to tease him about the
Servian throne and his right to it.
Whenever Peter asked for something
impossible Abouye would say:
"You shall have it my son, when
you are King of Servia,"
Expected to be King.
Peter would answer:
Its all very well for you to laugh
Abonyl Bacsi, but l shall be King of
Servia some day."
| When he grew up he was very fond of
society and never missed an excursion
or ball. He prided himself in getting
up picnics and cotillions although the
young women said he had no talent
for such things.
| Once he arranged sleighing party
| and had six pretty sleighs drawn by
dogs with tinkling bells in Russian
| fashion.
He drove to the doors of the young
noble ladies of the neighborhood but
all refused to trust themselves to Peter
Karageorgovitch.
In terrible rage he selected the
prettiest peasant girls packed them in
to his sleighs and had an uproarious
time with them
Another time, as he was driving to
Arad, he stopped in his fathers har-
vest fields and asked the girls what
he could do for them.
4 They clamored for handkerchief
and ribbons.
Princes Generosity.
Peter returned with bale of goods
| and distributed silk handkerchiefs and
many ,colored ribbons until every girl
4 had her share and was prepared to lay
4 her heart at the feet of the generous
A prince.
A story is current here Indicating
that the prefix Kara, meaning "black,'
in the surname of the founder of the
Karageorgovitch dynasty was not
given to home because of his dark
complexion. George 2Petrovitch, the
present kings grandfather, was a
shepherd in Servia. When his sister
married, he made her a present of sew
eral beehiyes.
Her mother appropriated two OF
them, which SO enraged Petrovitch
that he picked one up and put ll on
4 his mothers head.
4 The latter cried out to her disre.
4 spectful son, Kara George" BLACK
4 George" meaning Wicked George,
i and the name stuck to him.
4 Among the superstitious of the ex
tinct Oberenovitch family is related:
Outside the church of Takowa stood a
magnificent oak, under which, on
Palm Sunday, in 1873, Milosch Obren
ovitch unfurled the Servian flag to
summon the momkas, or warriors oil
the peighboring valleys, with whom he
fought against the Turks.
Snow-Haired Beggar.
Tradition says that an old beggal
woman, with snow-white hair, sat or
!, wished Milosch luck, adding that the
family would be prosperous as Ions
as it could dine near the oak.
;. After the battle of Silvinca the oak
: which had been named the "Tree Of
Freedom" was struck by lightning
: and threatened to decay. King Mila1
! watched it with alarm and at last de
3 cided to have it cut down. But he hat
two crowns and a small table carved
from the wood where it was still
sound.
He always carried this table will
! him and when he was alone loved tx
! dine from it.
/. When he lay dead in the johannes
!. gasse in Vienna it stood in his bed
= room. His valet lit pilgrim candle t.
,, place beside his bed, a so-called fad
; schi candle.
: But the kings adjutant told him tt
:. go get the Takowa oak table and pu
the candle on that. In doing so, thu
: valet stumbled against an iron saft
y and broke the table. No one in al
!. King Milan's household had the hear
$ to move a hand against fate and hav,
a it repaired. So they burned tn,
o pieces.