New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-18

rvrnnfe daughter Of the Earl OF Stair however did
none OF these things when she was awakened by
the presence OF a burly thief in her room at night
while staying with Lady Susan Grant Suite at
Preston Grange in Scotland She lay quite quietly
IN bed did not cry out and pretending to be asleep
watched the burglar through her eyelashes, taking
careful note of the mans features and general
appearance. The moment he left the room by the
same means by which he reached 1t, namely. by
the water pipe she alarmed the household. and
was able to give the police by telephone such q
minute and complete description Of the man that
he was arrested few hours afterward with all
his plumber.
Prince Colloredo-Mannsfed. chief Of one Of the
great houses Of the Austrian nobility. which Is
also medIatized as formerly exercising petty SOW
ereignty, is the present moment engaged IN
legal proceedings for the annulment OF mis- mar
riage on grounds which. If not unprecedented are
at any rate sufficiently rare to call Tor passing
attention His wife whom he married last year.
was an English widow Of the name OF Mrs. John
Graham, and is understood to have been an Eng
fish woman by birth. The prince married her at
Paris in April Of year, end after spending the
remainder of the spring in the Riviera they pro-
ceeded to Prague where the prince has palace
and where both he and his wife entertained ana
were entertained a great deal.
When. however the moment arrived for the pres
enation Of the princess Court, the question was
raised by the dgnitaries thereof to her lineage.
For the wives of the mobiles OF Austria and Hun
gary obliged to prove to the satisfaction of the
Grand Chamberlain's department at Vienna that
they are not only OF aristocrauc parentage. but
also that their ancestors. paternal well as ma
ternal have been noble for several generations
back and free from any bourgeois and plebeian
strain, IN order to secure recognition as "Hofa-
hig'-that IS. qualified to be presented at cor TT
and 10 form part of the court circle.
The Princess Colloredo-Mannsfeld was una
bic to satisfy these requirements. She could not
even show that her parents were blue blooded.
Now, according to the family statutes Of the
house OF Colloredo- Mansfield no member thereof
can contract a valid marriage with woman who
does not belong either to sovereign house or to a
mediatized family without the consent Of the
agnates or adult male members Of the family.
which may only be accorded If the bride IS OF
aristocratc parentage. Their sanction to the mar
rage OF Prince CoIloredo-AIannsfeIdw given on
the distinct understanding that his bride was OF
noble English birth. and that IT turns out
that this is not they insist that the union
is invalid a view in which the prince himself
seems disposed to Join. seeing that he has started
proceedings 70 have his marriage annulled, owing
10 its having been contracted in defiance OF the
laws Of his house.
Were his action to be brought in this country in
England. in France in Italy. he would. of course,
be at once non-suited since courts would hold that
they could recognize the statutes Of his family
as having any bearing upon the laws OF the land.
But in Austria II IS different There the family
statutes Of the medatzed houses still carry weight
and acknowledged by the national tribunals.
so that although the prince contracted his mar
riage in due legal form in France. 1t is certain
now to be annulled by the Austrian courts. on the
ground that the princess does not possess the
necessary qualifications OF birth and lineage that
required by the house OF Colloredo-Mannsfeld
The prince is thirty-six years OF age. owns Of
the finest palaces Vienna in the Zedntzgasse,
and is immensely rich.
MARoUIsE DE FoNTENoY.