The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-12


visit America next year during the Louis
lana Purchase Exposition is the Maharanee
Jar Mahomed Rao, shrewd little woman
of 90 with keen, bright eyes, who lives IN
Orenburg, Russia, where she holds Oriental
court in the biggest house in town and IL
treated with respect by the officials OF the
Gar The story of her life is like fairy
tale.
Once she was pretty Alice Clifton, the
daughter Of British soldier who served
John Company" in the environments at
Delhi, in the old pre-mutiny days. Now
she Is a dethroned queen In exile. like her
brothers and sisters In the right divine,
the French Bourbons, the Hanoverian
Ciuelphs, the Bonapartes and Ranavalona
of the more ancient house Of Madagascar.
As child she played half-clad in the
mud of the barrack yard in many an Indian
station Then, one day. bearded mon
arch covered with jewels reached down
and lifted her from the mud to shining
throne and took her away beyond the
Indus and over The Roof Of the World '
to be a queen in a strange country.
That little old woman has reigned, an
absolute monarch. over a turbulent people
and ca yried life and death In her nod She
has LETT thousands to battle and inspired
them ia the heat of the conflict with her
own il domitable courage
Now the Gar, who holds her lands and
people sends her all the money she needs
from MS treasury in st. Petersburg. And
she receives the money, spending it right
royalty and pretending it is tribute from
a conquered Prince.
The romance of Alice Cliftons life. which
rs now snding so peacefully. began away
back in fs4l. when the East India Company
ruled India and had an army Of its own
Her father was an enlisted man in that
arny and was stationed at Delhi, where
the Grand Mogul still sat on the peacock
throne in his ancient capital He was Still
Grand Mogul In name, but to see that he
did not try TO be so in fact John Company
kept a garrison at Delhi.
Private Clifton lived In the married
mems quarters and his wife was known
all over Delhi for her sprightliness, her
good humor and her good looks. She was
not only beautiful and sprightly, she was
also very discreet. When Private Clifton
got drunk she could handle him better
than the guard, and she gave him strong
tea the morning after along with her curtain
lecture.
Little Alice, her daughter, played about
with the other soldiers children until
one day, when she was barely IA, the whole
cantonment discovered all at once that
Private CliHton's girl was beautiful. And
every day her beauty seemed to grow.
Then one day all Delhi put on it's gala
attire to welcome Jar Mahomed Rao Khan,
the ruler Of a central Asian Khanate far
AWAY beyond the mountains to the north
west, who was to visit the Grand Mogul.
In the procession Mahomed Rao Khan
rode alone upon a milk-white Arabian
stallion. his saddle incrusted with gems
and a great diamond star shining in the
front Of his tall Astrachan cap. He was
middle-aged man, stern of appearance
and sharp Of eye.
As he let his glance roam over the throng
which lined the street he caught sight of
Alice Clifton standing with group Of
other children who had come from the
cantonment to see the show. He looked
at her steadily as he passed.
That evening Alice had birthday party
for which her mother made tea and cakes
and told the children stories OF English
fields and English daisies. But Alice de-
clared that English fields and daisies did
not interest her, and that 1t would be stupid
living in a place where one met nobody
except white people all the time. She
was born in India and wanted to stay there,
and perhaps some day become Ma
haranee and ride on an elephant with gilded
tusks.
hAry fal
through the cantonment that an officer
of the court was there with message for
Private Clifton from Mahomed Rao Khan
saying that he wanted to marry the beauti-
full girl whom he had seen that day in the
street as he passed along.
Alice jumped for ioy-the fairy prince
had come just as she had expected he
would But Private Clifton and his wife
vUre not 50 enthusiastic.
Jar Mahomed Khan W as a much married
man already, and it was not seemly that
the daughter of British soldier should
be one Of the household of an Asiatic, prince
and friend of the Grand Mogul though
he was. So the negotiations took some
time.
Finally, the Khan said that his other
women we're not real W ives, but hand
maidens after the style Of David's com
forters, and, at any rate, he would put them
all away-pension them of and ave but
one wife thereafter. according to the GUS
tom OF the white man. if the beautiful
English girl would only become his queen
The result Of this declaration was APP
parent a few weeks later when Alice mar
ried and departed in a litter with rose
colored curtains from Delhi, accompanied
by her lord and a great cavslcade, passing
across the snow mountains and beyond
Bokhara into Turkestan, where she be-
came queen.
Not long afterward the great Sepoy
Mutiny broke out, Private Clifton was
killed in battle and the Grand Mogul was
tried in his own palace on charge Of trea-
son against the English. Mrs. Clifton
escaped after many peri!s and went home
to live among the English fields and daisies
on a liberal allowance sent her by her royal
daughter.
For ten years Queen Alice reigned "a
the consort of Rao Khan and was intru,ted
by him with almost an equal share in
the government. At the end of that
time Jar Mahbfned Slept With Ills fathers
and Alice Clifton had herself proclaimed
sole and absolute ruler OF the khanate.'
There We're aspiring ministers and near
relat ions of Jar Mabomed who tried to
dispute the throne with her but Alice had
learned the arts of Asiatic government
apd what hapDenn1 tp 4 ho ambitions onea