The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-07
p aAa 9
Princess Ena of Battenburg
Objects to Spanish Marriage.
She Has a Sweetheart in the
British Guards.
THEY WERE ENGAGED.
Reasons Of State Prevailed
Against Sentiment.
Ex-Empress EugenieRespOnsible
for the Match.
THEY WE'RE ENGAGED.
By the Countess Of Blanl1shire.

Dppyflght 1896. by Central News and
Press Exchanged
London. Jan. 6.-Society has been
discussing at length the coming mar
rage of Princess Ena of Battenburg
and The King Of Spain. Ena is an Eng
fish princess, her mother being Princess
Beatrice. Queen Victoria's youngest
and favorite daughter. Ena is in
tensely English and, it is whispered,
hates the idea of the Spanish marriage.
She is a tall girl well built athletic
and remarkably good looking. She
would make two of King Alfonso, who
VIII have to grow lot if he wants to
come anywhere near the height, weight
ana general buxOmneSS of his cOnSOrt-
to-De. 1t is q well known fact in in
ner circles of society that Princess Ena
las an English admlrer, a noble lord
ana captain i'm the guards. He is a
magnificent specimen of manhood and
one of the handsOmest of young Eng
lIshmen- Ena and he met at her com
lng-out bail at KensingtOn palace last
summer and have been constantly to-
gether ever since. Gossip says there
was secret engagement and that Ena
was TO follow the example of her cOu-
SIN Mauc, now Princess Royal of Eng
land, ana her aunt, Princess Louise,
duchess of Argyle, and marry q sub
JecI instead of q member of a royal
LamlIy- The match in every way was
suitable and undoubtedly, but for the
proposal of the Spanish alliance would
nave been cOnsuInmated.
When Alfonso Sc w Esna after looking
at all the supny-faced royal princeSseS
OF which Europe does not loudly boast
ne threw his handkerchief in her direc-
ton and the die WIS cast. Ena and her
gallant guardsman made a fearful fuss,
but were quickly sat upon. Ena re-
fused point blank 10 become a Roman
Calhollc, but since then her women
relatives have prevailed upon her to
dc
The guardsman was threatened, ca
1oled and finally his honor and patriot
ism appealed to. This had the desired
result, but the guardsman is still in
London as near his royal sweetheart
as can be, but / doubt if they meet in
public. He is very wealthy. and no
one in society VIII be surprised to hear
that he has resigned from the army,
and is now away on a tour of the
word I question, however if this
tour Will take him out of Spain for Icy
the next summer his princess will be
reisUing i'm Madrid.
The ex-Empress Eugene is the prin-
cipal figure behind the scenes who has
pulled the wires in the coming royal al
lance. Princess Ena is diligently
studying Spanish, and King Alfonso is 1
applying himself 10 mastering the in
tricacies of the English language,
which, like mCst Standards, he speaks
With little accent. The young king is
IN constant cor resWOndenCe with Che
princess, and rarely does week pass
without d budget of news arriving
from Madrid. Princess Ena is charm
lngly unconventional. and now that
Fate has singled her out as Srliu's
future queen, it will be interesting to
note how She viii adapt herself to the
rigid cOnVentiOnaHty of Spanish court
life. 1T is characteristic of the young
princess that when signing the register
at ST.. Georges, Hanover Square after
the wedding of Lady Ruperta Caring
ton, she should have inscribed hersc.f
"Ena of Battenburg," using the pretty
abbreviation of the name of her Span
tsh gOdmother, the ex-EmDress Eu-
genie, and not the more stately 'fVfC-
t0ria Eugenie.' by which she IS deslg-
mated i'm the Court Circular"
Mr.. BalfOur's recent great meeting at
Manchester was attended by veterans
who viii remember an historic Occa-
sion upon which Disraeli, a few years
before his death, spoke i'm the same
city. There is reason to remember it.
for an extraordinary incident occurred
during its progress. Arrived at Man
chester, Disraei desired his host to
procure at once for him three bottles
of white brandy. 1t could not be got
for love or money; the average wine
seller had never heard of such a thing.
At last by a stroke of genius they dis
covered a cOnnoisseur who had in his
private cellar two bottles of the deIec-
table fluid. These were placed beneath
the table on the platform from when
Oisraei had to speak. He was in Door
health and felt severely the need of a
stimulant to carry him through his
task, so asked the chairman TO keep the
glass filled with equal quantities of
brandy and water throughout the
speech. The Instructions We're faith
fully acted upon, but presently Dis
raeli whispered, Stronger, make it
stronger! This he repeated each time
he turned to the table to drink from
his glass 1t was an unusually long
Len inc ,flHT f-..-
hours. The supply of water gave out
Still the speaker must have LIQUID. and
at last 1T came to his drinking only
brandy. Apparently in the excitement
and strain of his effort, he did not no
tice the difference. The brandy was of
course. cOIorless. and nobody in front
of the platform dreamed what the vet
eran was pouring down his throat But
when the speech ended. the two bot
ties, which at the outset had been full
of white brandy, were empty. Disraeli
had drunk the lot!
The Christmas season brought with
it Sir Squire Bancroft's usual reading
of the evcr-delghtful "Chrfstnoas
Carol" Exactly how much has been
handed over to charities as the result
of his efforts in this manner 1 cannot
for the moment say. except that it is
over 100000. He and his wife. charm
ing Marie Wilton that was have been
fortunes faVOrites. Think of it, here
is man who was able to retire from
the stage when little over forty. yet
who. twenty years earlier. had been
thankful to handle a guinea at the end
Of his weeks work. OF course thev
possessed brilliant talent, and they had
the courage to strike out a new line
When they set sail upon their Joint
venture in the old Prince of Wales. the
stage was given over to blood-and-
thunder melOdrama and burlesques
They revived modern comedy, delight
ed London. made their fortunes. and
retired to enjoy them. Sir Squire is a
serious man these days. He has built
his tomb i'm Brompton cemetery, and
ne has addressed a church congress
RE gave the clergy some good advice
too. advice as to the subject-matter of