The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-12-31
ouEEN NATAIIE OF sERvIA.

Queen Natalie of Servia seems fated to remain
one of the stormy petrels of European politics and
to continue until her dying day a of trouble
and of discord In the southeastern portion OF Flu
rope The Servan courts having decided that King
Alexander succumbed to his mortal wounds a few
minutes after the murder of his consort 1t was his
mother, Queen Natalie, rather than the sisters of
the Inflated Draga, who was the legal heir to hi,
property, consisting chiefly in landed estates and
valued at about million dollars and she placed
in possession thereof Unwilling to make use Of it
herself, as she is rich In her right, and firmly
resolved never to set foot again in Servia, where
she has been subjected to much contumey, she
has presented the entire inheritance of her muir
dered son to Prince Mirko of Montenegro, second
son of the ruler of the black mountain, and married
to the daughter of Colonel Constantinovitch.
| do not believe that Natalie was moved BY any
idea of making trouble III thus dispOsing of the
property, but rather by idea of repairing the
wrong which she had done Colonel Constantinovitch
many years ago, says Marquis de Lafayette, in
Chicago Tribune. The latter, passionately IN love
with her, had In 1916 secured the promise of her
hand, and the marriage was about to take place at
Florence where the beautiful daughter of the multi
millionaire Russian colonel Kechko of the commits
sariat department of the cars army had been
brought up, at well known school, with many
American girls among her schoomates.
Constantinovitch, whose mother, an Obreno-
witch. had been murdered along with her kinsman,
Michael III. of Servia by the Karageorgeovitches
at Belgrade i'll 1868, had asked Milan of Servia,
that is TO say, his first cousin act his witness
and best man at his wedding. Milan readily
scented, but fell in love with Natalie himself and
found but little difficulty in persuading her to iiIt
her betrothed on the of the dav appointed for
her wedding than to accept the share of his throne
which he offered her instead
Everyone knows how wretchedlv the marriage
of Milan and Natalie turned out. Milan was dis
reputable, though genial. scoundrel with whom v-
1,tOlor N,fo
have been infinitely happier with Colonel Constan-
tinoviteh, of means and of honor who enjoys
to this day degree of respect never accorded the
late King Milan.
In spite of the treachery to which Constantine
witch had been subjected BY Milan and Natalie he
always remained the friend of both one and the
other, even when Milan prevented the marriage
which would otherwise have taken place between
his son, King Alexander, and Colonel Constantine
vitchs lovely daughter, and it was the colonel who
the chief mourner at Milans funeral
Mile Constantinovitch has now become the con-
sort of Prince Mirko of Montenegro, and those who
in Servia retain their hereditary aversion to the
KarageorgeOvitches on account of past injuries,
and who prefer to them the Obrenovitch dynasty,
are disposed to regard Princess Mirko as a caudi-
date for the throne of Servia, in consequence of
her being the granddaughter of the murdered Prin-
cess Anka Obrenovitch, and great-great- grand
daughter of the swineherd founder of the house Of
Obrenovitch
Prince and Princess Mrko have ever since Hing
Peter assembled the throne of Servia been regarded
by reason OF the popularity which they enjoy m
Servla as constituting a source of danger to his
crown, and the action of Queen Natalie i'll present
ing them with all the landed estates of her MUIR
dered son not only serves to emphasize the fact that
she regards Princess Mirko as heiress to the dy-
nastic rights of the late king, but likewise gives
them foothold in Servia which they have not until
now enjoyed Prince Mirko's aspirations to the
crown of Servia, warmly supported by his father,
the Prince of Montenegro, said to be viewed
with good will at. st. Petersburg and at Rome
where Mirko is we'll known as the member OF
the house of Montenegro with whom his sister,
Queen Helena and her husband, King Victor En-
manuel. are most intimate
Curiously enough, nobody seems to regard the
only of Colonel Constantnovitch as possessing
any rights to the throne Of Servia, although oil
course, he stands I'm the relation to the Ia'e
King Alexander and to the founder of the Obreno-
witch dynasty as his sister, Princess Mrko. but
then she is, through her marriage, tull-hedgeu
princess of one of the reigning houses OF Europe
and a scion of royalty, whereas her brother Is d
mere commoner. having right whatever to tne
title of prince" which he and his American WIRE
who was Miss Anne Cutting of New YORK luc
divorced wife Of the Belgian Baron de Nrlere)'
have assumed since taking up their residence d.
Paris. Colonel Constantinovitch, himself the son
of untitled Seryian father, never dreamt ol
using any nobilitary title, of being known OS
any other predicate than that of colonel ana UNI
der the circumstances the assumption by ms son
Vladimir of the title of prnce" is as ridiculous "S
it is unwarranted