The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-11-04

Police records show how easy it is
for man in any of our great cities
TO drop as completely out of sight as
IL he had never existed. Usually the
missing person, comparatively obscure
before, Is either put down as the vic
tim of foul play, or the mystery of his
disappearance is forgotten with the
coming OF some new wonder. In many
cases, however, so strange have been
the circumstances or so prominent the
actors that the incidents cannot read
iIy be passed over.
About sixteen years ago the Aus
trian government searched the world
in vain for a member of the Imperial
House of Hapsburg-an archduke and
a possible heir to the throne. Despite
persistent rumors that he had been
seen in various parts of the world, he
was never found by those who sought
him. He had previously abandoned
his birthright, and his final disappear
ance was the last act In one of many
romantic episodes in the domestic his
tory of the great Hapsburg family
While picnicking in the woods near
Vienna in the summer of 1885, a poor
Viennese, named Stubel. and his fam
lily were startled by charge of shot
which tore through the trees above
their heads. They screamed, and
minute later a man in sportsman's
dress appeared to apologize for his
carelessness. Introducing himself as
Johann Orth, a civil engineer, he made
himself SO agreeable that he was soon
regarded by the Stubels as close
friend. In a very short time, indeed,
the enga cement was announced of the
good-looking, pleasant-mannered en-
gineer, a man of thirty-four, and Milly
Stubel the eldest daughter, a singu-
larly beautiful girl with an unblemfsh
ed reputation, who was engaged as
dancer in the Vienna Opera House.
Then Orth said that as he had made
some money in his profession recently
Milly could afford to leave the stage.
Although the family consented readily
enough to this. Frau Stubers suspi-
cions were in some way aroused and
she proceeded to investigate. No
Johann Orth lived at the place to
which they had been told to send let
tiers, and no one there knew of any
such person. ~.
A STARTLING RECOGNITION.
Believing herself the victim of some
trick, Milly was in despair. A few days
later, happening to be with her mother
among the spectators of great re-
view of the troops in Vienna. she saw
ride by at the head of the column the
Archduke Johann, field-marshal and
nephew Of the emperor. With a cry
the girl fell to the ground In the
prince in front OF her the former dam
ciHg-girl had recognized her fiance. the
obscure civil engineer
Milly and her mother at once secured
an interview with the archduke. He
listened calmly to their reproaches that
he had deluded Milly with the idea
that she could ever be his wife. Then
he turned to the mother.
81 shall marry Milly very soon," he
said.
member of the imperial family, who
pleaded with him to remember his rank
and the possibility that he might some
day be emperor himself. With the en-
peror. old Franz Joseph himself, the
archduke had an interview memorable
among all the stormy scenes that SINH
lar romances in the Hapsburg family
have caused. The upshot was that
Johann persisted in his determination
to marry the girl, though. in order to
do so. he was forced to give up all
claim to be considered longer mem
Der of the House of Hapsburg, to
abandon all pretensions to the throne,
and even to surrender his Austrian
citizenship.
For some reason the marriage was
put off for two years, but Johanns
punishment began Immediately. He
was dismissed from his command In
the army and placed on the retired
list. One more member of the imperial
family was in disgrace.
In 1890 the archduke. now man
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