Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-05
A MODERN CASANOVA
Stirring Story Recalled in Ba-
varian Divorce Suit.
MOST CAPTIVATING DUKE
Abducted the Chief Beauty of Tur-
kish Harem.
ENLISTED SYMPATHY OF QUEEN
Remarkable Career of Crime in Paris
Many Amours Resulted in
Imprisonment.
MOST CAPTIVATING DUKE
ENLISTED SYMPATHY OF QUEEN

Special Cablegram to The Star.
BERLIN. May AIN the stirring chron-
icles uf causes ceebre few more remark
able stories are to be found than that just
unfOldsd in the little Bavaran town of
kempteH, during divorce proceedings
against Georges MaEolescu, so-disant Duke
Of OtrautO and Prince of Lahoyary. most
captivating and irresistible of lovers, most
enterprsing and energetic of Adventures.
most audacious, unab -hed and unblush-
ing of International thieves. This modern
Casanova. to whom all hearts and jewel
cases seemed to fly open at word, was
born in 1870 to Il Roumanian officers fam
lily. and was endowed by nature with quite
extraordinary good LOOKS. perfect form of
figure an ineyhaustible fund of energy,
quick ard retentve mind, and bril!iancy
and brightness which Immediately won
the confidence of every with whom he
came into contact. especially if they hap
pencd 10 be of the female sex. Fretting
under the restraint he fled while mere
boy from the military academy at Galitz,
and making his way to ConstaEtinople,
speedily won the good graces of the first of
his many victims. a high court official of
he sultan, who loaded him with many
favors. These he repaid by the abduction
of the chief beauty of his patrons harem,
whom he carried off to Greece. together
with fat pOcketbook stuffed full of bank
notes Shortly after crossing the frontier,
however. he was arrested and apparently
chagrined at this check to his career. he at
tempted to commit suicide. The handsome
youth was fortunate enough TO enlist the
sympathy of Queen Olga, who had seen
him while visiting the prison sick ward,
Her majesty finally procured his release,
and gave him money enough to return to
ROumana.
Once more feeling that his fatherland did
not afford scope for his talents, he shipped
stowaway at Brai!a on board grain
steamer bound for Marseile. and from that
port literally stole his way to Paris. Com
mencing business in the French capital with
modest shop-liftng. he soon acquired
enough capital to envelope his engaging per-
sonalty in the finest and the costliest of
raiment, which In turn enabled him to per-
petrate robbery from diamond merchant
that put him in a position to rent large
villa in fashionable quarter. drive his own
carriage in the Bots de Boulogne and back
his own horses at Longchamps. He had
many love affairs and these resulted in his
downfall for awhile. The dashing Mano-
lescu disappeared behind the gates of Gail
lon prison for a term of years. On his re-
lease he favored London with visit and
fraudulently obtained enough funds to
maintain himself at a proper level of dig
nifty in Monte Carlo, whence. after filling
his pockets by a combination of luck at
the tables and with imposture away from
them. he left the old world to effect a
conquest of the new.
Posed as Spanish Minister'S Nephew.
Landing In. Canada under the name of the
Duke of Otrantos- he crossed the continent
to San Francisco, where he posed as the
nephew of the Spanish minister at WASH
inston. trip to Japan enlarged his ex-
perience of the world and in Honolulu he
made the acquaintance of a rich widow his
fayorite species of prey, from whom he in
weighed a substantial check drawn on the
-
to have won large sums OF money at the
american game of poker, and re only left
the states when a millionaire, to whose
daughter he had become engaged began To
make lmpertinent inquiries as to his ante
Cedents
Back In London once more he initiated
system of hotel rob5eries which were ex-
pected to prove very profitable in the fu
ture. though the first experiment was a
failure. His plan was to enter a room on
the first floor and If he found no one there
10 shut the door and clear out the valuables
or the absent and negligent guests as rap
Idly as he could. If the apartment was
occupied he apologized courteously for his
mistake and withdrew. On this occasion
the suspicious of an Intelligent walter led
to his arrest. He was found in possession
of jewels to the extent of SIS, 600 and was
sentenced to eight months hard labor.
His next exploit was in Brussels where
he strlck up a friendship with a rich Bra
lillian whom he decoyed into a lonely part
of the town. where they were set upon by
a gang OF hired rufians. His companion
was felled senseless to the ground and Man
olescu, after putting his assailants to flight,
escorted the injured man back to the hotel.
During the journey he took the opportun-
ity Of relieving him of a pocketbo9k con-
tanning $500. fastening to Monte Carlo,
disguised the Duke of-etranto. be there
made the acquaintance of wealthy Hun
garan widow who purchased the fleeing
sembance of his love for the sum of 200. 900
kronen. which. however, he rapidly gambled
away a the tables. hotel theft at Nice
brought him 5000, but also eight months
imprisonment.
Exquisite Manners Charmed Countess.
on regaining his liberty he set out for
Italy. In the same compartment there
travelled the plaintiff In the divorce suit.
then Countess Angelica Wilding Won Kon-
igsbruck a member of one of the distin-
guished families of the nobility of Saxony.
who was going south for the winter in the
interest of her health. She was accom-
panied by her mother and both ladies were
charmed by the exquisite manners OF this
wealthy Roumanlan estate owner, as he
represented himself to be. The three stayed
at the same hotel, where a few days later
Monolescu. who was then twenty-seven
years of age. proposed to the countess and
was accepted. The wedding was celebrated
by the archbishop of Genoa in person, and
the witnesses were the Roumanian consul in
that city. the Marquis Landi and the Duke
of Roberto Berlingort. The bride brought
with her a large dowry, which was ex-
hausted TO the last farthing on the honey
moon, during which her husband was ac-
customed TO lock her in her room at nights
while he went in search Of adventures
In the following March the pair arrived
in Switzerland. where a child was born.
But in the meantime the volatile husband
had embarked with a liaison with another
Id If ia W he