The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-14
BY STEPHEN BONSAL.


, REPUBLIC SPECIAL
New York June l3.-Reading the shocking
details of King Alexander's assassination
and that of his wife, Queen Draga, who
was unfortunate IN many senses of the
word, takes me back to the sultry summer.
only few years ago, when the boy King,
for he is dead on the Threshold Of man.
hood. wanted very much to learn how to
SWIM and Captain Douglas Dawson, of the
British Military Attache. and l were In
trusted with that branch of his education.
With this purpose in view, and in full en-
joyment of a lull in the Balkans we spent
many pleasant afternoons outside of Bel
grade in the cool vale of Topsheda. the
Place of the Cannon" where Servian roy
atty maintains, not a summer residence, but
a summer house, to which the boy King
gladly went every afternoon to escape from
the presence of his father and mother. who
were then living in distinct wings of the
little Belgrade palace with want of har-
mony even on public occasions, and sense
of what was due to the conventions of life
that suggested. in royal abandon, the legend
of the Kilkenny cats
The little boy. whose life is ended in such
shape. was a patient learner.
/ will sink or SWIM" he would shout as
he jumped into the water. splashing his way
from Dawson to where l Stood and he gem
| orally sank. But we would pull him out,
and with the good courag Sc that he certainly
possessed 1t was not surprising to find him
swnmlnS-well. IL not like a duck, at least
| well enough to paddle along. within ten
days OF the time after the date the task
had been intrusted to us by the regents. one
| of whom, General Markovitch, according to
| the cable, was slain in the general slaughter
| of those who remained true to the King In
| his hour of need.
| HANDICAPPED IN LIFE
BI INHERITED BURDENS.
| found him, as l did more recently In
| Biarritz. bright. merry and very deter
mined little fellow-surprisingly so, for one
| who was more unfortunate in the urden Of
| heredity and the unfavorabie environment
| OF his young life than he. He gave promise
| of more than he accomplished. but any one
| acquainted with the conditions Of political
| and court life in Belgrade can well under
| stand the reasons why he fell short of the
hopes and aspirations which those who liked
him had for the unfortunate youth.
NJ. Hitrovo. the Russian Minister. than
| whom there never was a more sagacious
diplomat placed on guard in the Balkan
| European powder mine by Russia, told me
repeatedly, and with no apparent political
! object, that the Servians. when the years of
| reSency-regency of the "tarnished" Gener-
| ais, as they were cailed-had expired would
( find in Alexander a King who would rule
| them. and not second to Milan.
The little boy loved the simple country
house in"the vale of the cannon" and those
| who had his welfare at heart liked to keep
| him there as much as possible. away from
| the atmosphere, unhealthy in every respect,
of the palace. can see very clearly to day
the bright, boyish face and the glad ex-
preston with which he would start out in
the morning on his outing, and the kindly
thought OF those who went with him, which
would load down his adjutant and his tutor
with boxes Of choush, grapes and gibnek
cigarettes. together with basket after basket
of the sickening sweets with which your
Servian demonstrates his hospitality, and
which you must, alas. eat TO show your ap-
probation of 1t.
HIS SOLID QUALITIES
HAD NO CHANCE TO GROW.
The scene shifts quickly in the Balkans,
and soon We are gone to other scenes in the
political panorama of Southeastern Europe
to Bulgaria. the Black Sea, or Macedonia,
that cockpit of the Slavs, and since then I
have only met him at infrequent intervals,
but whether the meeting was in Belgrade or
abroad, always found him affable and I'M
changed in the simplicity of his manner
and the democracy of his bearing
The little Alexander inherited neither the
beauty Of his mother. Queen Natalia, nor
the charm and personal magnetism If I
may call 1t so, OF his vagabond father, King
Milan. But he had solid qualities which he
inherited neither from his father nor his
mother and these. under favorable foster
ing circumstances, would have carried him
far in the world
No boy ever grew up, however, under
more unfavorable circumstances or in
more unfortunate household. His mother,
the former Queen, In the DAYS of her wild
owhood. did not merge her life into her
son. Indeed. there were times when 1t
seemed as if she cherished political aspira-
lions that We're fatal to his popularity and
perhaps to his reign.
His father, King Milan, after having mt
the best face he could upon an abdicaton
that was forced upon him. went to Paris, |
to Spain and to AK, where It was hoped |
by every one in Servia that he would re-
main However. 1t costs money to live as a |
King in exile is expected to live in these |
places, and, when his money gave out and
all he could beg or borrow was exhausted |
kirg Milan returned to the little palace on |
the cliff above the Danube, where there was |
hardly room for him, physically as well as |
politically speaking. Here he remained !
month after month. every now and then /
raising money by threatening to raise a |
row, and then returning to his accustomed |
haunts in the gay world Of sport, where he |
shone with unequaled radiance as long as |
his money lasted. which. unfortunately for
him, was not long