Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-21
HAS HEIRESS
LIED DUKE?
SOCIETY ASKS
TITLED ITALIAN HURRIEDLY
LEAVES WASHINGTON
Cousin of King Emmanuel May Have
Failed to Win Miss Elkins
and Her Fathers
Millions
BY Associated Press

By Associated Press.
ROME, March 20.-The duke of the Alb
ruzzi is returning to Rome, according to
report in wide circulation tonight, to Obtain
the full consent of King Victor Emmanue
to his marriage with Miss Katherine Ellins
daughter of Senator stephen ID. Elkins o
West Virginia.
Although confirmation of the report Il
lacking, the fact that no official denial hai
been given out in Rome and the statement
made at Washington that the duke wouIt
again visit America in the near future seen
TO lend considerable weight TO il.
WASHINGTON, March 20.--After q
flying visit of three days to Washing
ten. the duke of Abruzzi left at l.
o'clock today, and unceremoniously and
as mysteriously as he came to the city.
1t is said he will depart from New
York, en- route TO Italy, sailing possibly
-ty the .Cunard liner Lusitania with his
valet.
Practically all of the information OBJ
tainable at the Italian embassy regard
ing the dukes future is that he Will
return to the United States in the
near future.
Whether an engagement between the
duke and Miss Katherine Elkins has
resulted from the royal visitors trip to
America, no one at the embassy Is
willing to say. In fact. no one there
will even discuss the subject.
1t has been generally accepted that
Cne of the purposes of the dukes visit
was to submit a formal proposal of
marriage to Miss Elkins. whose ac-
quaintance he formed about a year ago
4. ~,
jamestown exposition.
Italian Ambassador Mayor Des
Fianches and his official and unofficial
household have uniformly maintained
the greatest reticence in regard to the
movements and doings of the duke,
averring that he was travelling in his
private capacity of a gentleman whose
personal affairs were nobody's business
but his OWN For this reason only the
scantiest possible information has been
made public.
Duke Leaves Washington
Early today the duke took leave of
his host and hostess and went 10 New
York, travelling via Pennsylvania rail-
road. He was accompanied to the sta
tion by many officials of the embassy.
In view, however, of the various pub
locations respecting the dukes visit to
this country and to Washington and
the reputed results, the Italian ambas-
sador consented today to give out
through his secretary an informal
statement bearing on the subject. 1t
was substantially as follows:
The question of an engagement Is
a private matter and nobody has n
right to know anything about 1t. The
statement that there was meeting of
the Elkins family at the italian embas-
sy several nights ago is absolutely
false. No member of the Ellxins family
has been at the embassy either during
the dukes visit, nor for a long period
prior to that time.
1.-THE duke is i'm this country on a
regular leave of absence, granted him
while his vessel, the Regina Elena. is
undergoing some improvements. Tho
vessel is at Spezzia. one of the principal
Italian ports. The dukes leave is now
exhausted and he goes back to resume
command of the vessel. The duke Is
leaving on the best terms with his ac-
uuaintances and friends. To some of
them he has given assurances that he
will he back ir the near future.
Therefore, statements published
here and in various parts of the United
States concerning the dukes visit and
it's result are incorrect and show lack
CT kindness and courtesy"