Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1908-08-14
LARGE LINEN DAMUsK NAPKINS.
TRUE STORY OF MEYERi.lNo.
Locked Up With Princess stephanle's
Memoirs In Safe In Brussels.

/ Memoirs In a Safe In Brussels.
Princess Stephanie, Countess Lony
ay. King Leopold's second daughter
widow of the Crown Prince Rudolph
OF Austria, has made a flying visit
to Brussels, in strict incognito. She
has always been very popular in Bel.
gium and her mysterious coming has
aroused much speculation.
Countess Lonyay, as the Princess
Stephanie is now known, recently
completed her memoirs, which for the
first time are said to give the true
story OF the tragic death Of her hus-
band, the Archduke Rudolph, heir to
the Austro-Hungarian throne, near
Vienna in 1889. The Countess, 1t
seems, has autograph letters from
Rudolph to Baroness Vetsera to show
that the Crown Princes passion for
the beautiful Baroness was responsi.
BILE for the drama OF Meyerling. These
letters are to be printed in the mem
oirs.
Rudolph, 1t seems, hoped to have
his marriage with Stephanie annulled
by the Pope and then to marry Bar.
oness Vetsera. II was when he an
nounced his intention to his father,
Emperor Francis Joseph, that Rudolph
was first told the secret of the birth
OF the Baroness, who was a natural
daughter of Francis Joseph and hence
his own half sister.
Countess Lonyay has deposited her
memoirs, together with autograph let.
ters and other documents to prove
their accuracy, with her Brussels
bankers, which explains the early
morning visits which King Leopold's
MISUNDERSTANDING second daughter
has been making to a we'll known
banking firm in the Rue Royale. The
publication of the memoirs will be
postponed until after the death of the
Emperor.
The Countess has a famous collec-
tion Of laces, and when in Brussels
this time she added to 1t by purchas-
ing historical piece of Alencon lace.
GU vi 4NdlOlCOd
and ornamented with the Napoleouic
bees.
The following story is told about
this lace: Napoleon at an early stage
in his career had realized the great
possibilities of the lace industry in
France. He did much to develop the
industry. and gave a large order to
the factory at Alencon for the EN-
press Josephine.
The order being very large a long
time elapsed before it could be filled,
and when 1t finally was the beautiful
Josephine had been divorced.
So Napoleon directed that Jose
phine's crest, which had been en-
broidered in the lace, should be re-
moved and replaced by the Empress
Marie Louise's crest
When the last stitch was made in
the beautiful point d'Alencon Napoleon
proposed that the presentation of the
gift to the Empress should be at
tended with some ceremonial. But
Marie Louise, being approached ON
the subject, said:
Thank you, but I will not have the
lace; I prefer using what was orig
inally made for me-" 4
How Marie Louise learned of the
change OF crests history does not re-
late.
Napoleon afterward gave the lace
to Queen Hortsnse, his adopted daugh-
ter, who left 1t to her son. Napoleon
IN. The Emperor gave one piece Of
the lace to Nine. de Castignone, after
whose death the historical point
d'Alencon passed into the hands OF
the Brussels lace dealers from whom
Countess Lonyay bought it.-Special
Correspondence The New York Times,