The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-24

4 4. e e
that petition to the young prince
might receive attention. so she adj
dressed letter to him, and sent 1t to
the palace at Madrid, The missiye was
handed to King Alfonso, who opened
and read 1t, and smilingly delivered 1t
to his private secretary, bidding the
latter to follow him.
The King made his waygto the royal
nursery. where he found the Queen.
the young heir apparent sitting up in
his crib. and the nurses. Alfonso told
the secretary to hand the letter to the
prince. which he did. but the baby
fingers dropped 1t on the coverlet.
We'll. what does the prince say?"
asked Hts Majesty.
Really. Your Majesty. his highness
appears to say nothing ut all" was the
reply of the secretary
VERY good" said the King, Silence
gives consent. Tell the woman that
the prince agrees, and pension will
be granted her forthwith
Ruler of Monte Carlo Threatened
Maniac.
VIENNA, May 23.-.The rumor that
Prince Albert. OF Monaco, ruler OF the
little principally that holds within Its
l. DOT0eTS monte SdIlO, LIe WI great
est gambling den, is suffering from
serious brain trouble. is confirmed by
the fact that two mental specialists
have been hurriedly summoned from
Paris to give their opinion on the dis
order from which the prince has been
suffering for some time.
His highness recently started on a
sea voyage on his big yacht. but his
! doctors had to order his return on ac-
| count of his serious condition.
1 1t Is now said that nothing can save
the prince from becoming raving
maniac. His nerves are destroyed and
he shows every symptom of lunacy
Whenever he hears n footstep. he
j imagines there Is plot afoot to XII
Thin, and will not taste his food until a
4 servant first partakes of the dish that
/ is Intended for him..
The prince himself. It IS learned. de-
rives his income from the Casino pro-
4 fits. He has leased the Monte Carlo
4 tables to the Blanc syndicate, and the
contract is worth more than S2b0.Oop
year to him. Two tragedies at the
7 Casino recently have completely un-
nerved the prince. In both cases the
4 players lost their family fortunes and
i as a relief from their misery COM
United suicide The prince managed
! to hush the matter up, and even Went
|; to the expense Of burying the victims
4 himself, and also made provision for
the wants OF the relatives surviving
l Them
j It has been estimated that in the
i first fifteen years OF Monte Carlos
existence. 5000 people committed sui
!; eide as the direct result of losses sus-
tanned at the tables. From actual
: la To a ftar n
period suicides went on ut the rate OF
200 year-there are instances where
7 three have occurred in n single day.
The prince is we'll known In scien-
!, tlfic circles as an oceanographer. His
favorite pastime is to make voyages
lin his yacht, and drag the bottom OF
. the deep sea for wonders of animal life
!, 1t holds. He has unraveled many mys-
!. teries Of the great waters, to perpet-
uate which he keeps team of trained
!, artists on board HIS fine yacht tc
delineate In colors all q his wonderful
captures before their glory fades ir
death. The yacht itself IS fitted ur
J with large laboratories and rooms
where the treasures brought up FROM
: the ocean bed are photographed. They
are then stored in a special room on
, the lower deck till the prince reaches
home waters and can send them to his
museum in Paris
The prince used to tell amusing anec
dotes of the strange creatures his trawi
, ing operations brought to light. O,
t one occasion the nets brought up 500
small crabs. as nimble as rats, which
!, as soon as they got on deck scuttled
all over the ship.
They had immense power in their
i. |,claws, and soon made their presence
: felt, For days the crew hunted them
Every morning some would be found II
the mems pockets, in theiraboots, and
!. in their beds. 1t was the liveliest
!, cargo any vessel ever took on board.
\ Girl NNnltzcs to Death.
i LYONS. FRANCE, May GA pas.
sion for dancing has led to the death
!, OF a girl named Valentine Taravel, be-
! longing to a wealthy family in the
! south OF France. She began to dance
!, at the age of four. Dancing was her