The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-09-22
YEARS. ON THRONE.
BUT MOST UNPOPUL.A R STILL
Ferdinand eff Bulgaria, Otea Of European Royalties Leads
g.ras - Isolated and Unhappy Life

man Bulgaria ever had. that he owed his
elevation. 1t was Stambuloff who Gained
the angry storm of anarchy. who turned
the tide of revolution and restored order
in Bulgaria-the fighting pit of Europe
and placed the weak prince on his throne.
Prince an Migrate.
To Stambuloff Ferdinand owed every
thing, and he repaid his debt with base
ingratitude. In 1895 stambuloff was
shamefully murdered in the streets OF
Sofia The murderers were known as
were those of Alexander of Servia; there
We're no arrests: the crime was unpun-
ished, for 1t was known that the foot
steps of investigation could logically stop
only at the very throne itself
Francis Joseph of Austria announced
that never again could Ferdinand darken
the doorway of his court. and, despite
the princes appeals and implorngs. the
emperor has never admitted him.
Ferdinand married Princess Louise Of
Bour bon-Palma and in the marriage con-
tract solemnly promised that their chill
dren should be brought up Catholics,
Ferdinand was and is Roman Catho-
lie, and SO was his bride, but his idea
was that his children should be brought
up as Orthodox Greeks in order that
they might be more In touch with the
religious sentiment of the Bulgarian peo-
pie. and he proposed to insert clause
In the marriage contract to this effect,
Princess Marie Louise, however, was a
devout Catholic. and utterly refused to
consider the match unless Prince Ferdi-
nand gave her solemn pledge that their
children should be Roman Catholics. The
~ Int v11aI = =
would not sanction a marriage In which
one, Of the conditions was the alienation
Of the children from the Rornish church,
and IN consequence OF the pressure
brought to bear on him Prince Ferdi-
nand gave the required pledge that he
would abandon the Idea of having his
children brought UP as Orthodox Greeks.
Breaks His Solemn Pledge.
His eldest son. Prince Boris. was born
in 1894. and was baptized as a Roman
Catholic by q Roman Catholic priest.
Two years later Prince FERDINAND sud-
denly announced his intention OF having
Prince Boris converted to the Orthodox
Greek faith, and the ceremony Of con-
version was performed with much pomp
and ceremony in the cathedral at Sofa.
The entreaties of his wife to remember
and respect his solemn pledge to her, and
the stern reminder Of the pope that he
Roman fold failed to move Ferdinand.
He desired to obtain favor with his peo-
pie, and little 2-year-old Boris was given.
over to the Orthodox Creek church for
this purpose, The perversion of her boy
was q terrible blow to Princess Marie
Louise. and she never recovered from It.
she was an unhappy woman,
and her early death. after six years Of
welded life, during which she endured
many Sights and cruetles from Ferdi-
nand, was a welcome relief from worldly
sorrows.
4, Tries to be King.
Some years ago, shortly after his relog-
milton by the present car as relgning
prince of Bulgaria, he was on the point
Of proclalming himself king of Bulgaria,
and would undoubtedly have done so had
not Russia vetoed his project In defer
ence to the susceptihilties of the sublime
porte. The veto was II disagreeable sur
prise to Prince Ferdinand, who SO little
expected 1t that he had caused one Of the
leading painters at Munich to design
kings crown, the design taking the form
not of mere pen or pencil sketch, but
OF full-Aedged oil painting, at cost
of $1,000 as
Ferdinand the man is curously jewish
looking, and many of his ncQuaintances
regard him as very like In personal ap-
II not in character to his cousin.
the duke of Orleans. He has fine. artis-
Tic tastes, and should he join, as seems
not unlikely, the, many Kings In eAtle'.
who wander about the continent, he will
make his home in Italy,