The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-04-17
NECKLACE OF PRINCESS
ALICE DID NOT BELONG
TO MARIE ANTOINETTE
CONCLUDED FROM PAGE /. PART p


Marie Therese Charlotte.
From this ii will be seen that her share
must be inconsiderable, and il is certain
that none of ii ever belonged TO Marie
Antoinette, who by the way. is in high
favor at the court of Russia a saint and
martyr. The Gobein tapestry representing
her and her children, and copied from the
NiSee Lebrun picture at the Elysee, aroused
a sentimental interest in the Emperor and
Empress of Russia for that Queen. IRIS
Gobein copy was ordered in 1896 for pre-
sentation to the Empress, who took great
fancy TO the original. A necklace of Marie
Antoinette would, l dare say. be highly
priced by their imperial majesties.
LURE FOR AMERICAN WOMEN.
However, the whole story of the swinde
and the noise made about it seems to me
"a plant TO advertise the necklace as one
that graced the neck Of Marie Antoinette
and her only daughter IT, as is now con-
fessed its intrinsic worth is not over &c.,
600 francs, its value as relic of 1.-The mar
tyred Queen is inestimabe, or perhaps the
wives of some American industrial kings
might think Ii so. Mrs. Bradley Martin,
for instance, is ever ready to pay eXtrava-
CANT prices for articles that belonged to
Marie Antoinette. Were the advertisement
that Despa's alleged swfndle has given this
particular piece of jewelry to bring forward
many competitors for it's purchase, the
Princess Alice, who admits being in want
of money, could ask any price she pleased
with the certainty of obtaining it,
Her father, Don Carlos. raised money
first, by pawning, and then by breaking up
rich and rare family relic-the badge and
collar OF the French Order of the Holy
Ghost (now obsolete). which belonged to
his grandfather the Due de Berry; to his
great-grandfather the Dauphin, and then
to the Comte de Chambord, who gave il TO
Carlos in token of his intention to declare
him his heir. Carlos had been leading a gay
life while he made war in the north of
Spain against the regular government. Nat
urally he became hard up the loan he
gotiated in London not being enough for
military purposes and the amusing life he
led. One fine day Europe heard that he had
been robbed of the precious relic his uncle
gave him. Suspicion fell on a confidential
secretary, a Venetian, and remained on him
for some time until he discovered some
queer facts which accounted for the disap-
pearance of the badge and collar. He
showed up Carlos, who then treated the
whole affair as a joke and confessed that
he resorted to the expedient of pretending
that he had been robbed so as not to grieve
his beloved and reVered uncle by allowing
him to know the levity of his conduct,
BOUGHT JEWELS OF HORTENSE.
The Comtesse de Paris and the Duchesse
de Chartres were long under the impress
sion that the former had diadem and
brooch of brilliants and sapphires and the
latter necklace and earrings of the same
| set which had belonged to Marie Antoi-
| nette. The comtesse gave her dadem and
earrings for a WEDDING present to her
| daughter. Amelie, on her marriage with the
Duke of BraganZa, now King of Portugal.
| The real truth is that these Jewels were
| made by Napoleon's orders for the casket
! of his stepdaughter, Hortense, when he de-
| cided TO send her and his brother, Louis.
| TO the Netherlands as King and Queen of
Holland
The workmanship alone gives the date at
| which the set was made. 1t is first empire.
| The diadem, intended to span the forehead
below the hair line, a mode brought in by
| Empress Josephine TO hide the falsity of
her tresSes, is so wide that when placed
| above the forehead it is almost wide enough
| 10 clasp coil of hair at the back of the
| head. The design is I'm the heavy, pseudo
| classic style of the beginning of the first
| empire. King Louis Philippe and Queen Ma
| RE Amelie bought the diadem and other
| pieces or the same set were bought by
King Louis Philippe and his wife. Mary
| Amelie, of Queen HortenSe.
Hortense. in 1885, halted for a few days in
| Paris on her way to London, where her son
| Louis lay III; wrote TO apprise the King and
| Queen of the French that she wished her
| stay to be quite secret. and hoped that the
| law to exile the different members of the
Bonaparte family would not be enforced
| against her. They went at night to call on
| her at the quiet hotel where she put up,
| and she received them in her bedroom
| offering them the two chairs and sitting
| herself on a trunk. In the course of their
| visit she spoke of her means as Scanty,
| and reminding them that they had still the
| three unmarried daughters and five sons.
| who would soon be looking out for brides,
| proposed TO sell them the sapphire and dia-
mond set that Napoleon gave her They
| gladly bought at the price she named. Her
| son spent it in getting up the conspiracy,
| which burst out in the Strasburg attempt
| or the following year, 10 restore the en-
pire.
| Louis Philippe presented these jewels in
l 1887, to the bride of his eldest son, Helena
| of Mecklenberg. As she never became Queen
| she had power to dispose of them by will,
| and she left them to her two sons for 1.-The
| future Comtesse de Paris and the future
| Duchesse de Chartres." She designated the
different parts of the set that each was to
| nave, provision which she thought would
| prevent her legacy passing to women of
| light manners.
FRENCH NAVY BELITTLED.
The Echo de Paris, a pro-Russan and
| reactionist paper, publishes a long article
on the British navy. evidently carefully
| written by a well-informed person. Its os-
| tensible object is TO attack Marine Minister
| Pelletan, but the true reason. it seems to
| me, is TO discourage friends of Russia who
| want to commit France TO armed interven-
| ton in the quarrel. The writer sets before
| himself the task of proving that almost
| any single British squadron could double
| up all the French naval force which could
be gathered together TO fight it. The author
| of the article processes TO write ii on board
| a British torpedo boat and TO have been
taken over the channel squadron | fancy
| that he showed his copy" to NJ. Delcasse
| before he sent ii TO press.
| They seem to be uneasy at the French
| Foreign Office about possible developments
| in China which might justify Russia in
| calling upon France to help her. or 10 can
| eel the Russo-French agreement.
| The Russian Red Cross Society is in dis
| tress. and the Emperor has conferred with
| the heads OF committee TO the best
| means for making good a heavy deficit.
| All the gifts of late sent in, handsome
| though they be, are far from bridging over
| the liabilities incurred before the breaking
| out of war. Count Orlon Davidoff, who
| lives at Mentone, and used to be command
| er of the Emperor's cavalry guard has Civ
| en- 100000 rubles. The French national
| press subscription amounted TO over 100000
| francs and the gifts of French women are
| spoken of as worth $4,000 francs.
| On the other hand, the Journal de Geneve
| congratulates Japan on the hourishing
| finances OF her Red Cross Society, which
| has had since the Chino-Japanese war a
| regular income of 100000 francs from
| members who pledged themselves to sub
scribe annually at least yen, or $40. The
| Emperor gave 1.c0 yen and the Empress
| 500 year. besides otherwise helping The
| names of counties that contribute gener-
| ously are written In gold letters on tablets
in the royal palace and the Red Cross Hos