The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-10

doing so sealed the death warrant of l three.
 The hunting party at Meyerling was ] much disappointed on Tuesday morning, l January 20, when Rudolph informed his l friends that a cold prevented him from ! participating in the chase. At about the ] time when the hunters left for the for ] est, Baroness Mary entered Bratfisch' 5 cab in Vienna and was rapidly driven away in the direction of the suburbs. The lovers met at a cross roads, about mile from Meyerling and drove to the hunting lodge together.
 Rudolph and Marie entered the green parlor of the lodge on the ground floor
 and some time later the Crown Prince dispatched the following telegram to Stephany: Sorry I can't come; am in-
 disposed, but it Is nothing serious Love, Rudolph
 In the meantime Baroness Marie's
 mother had learned of her daughters trip and had called upon Count Taaffe, then Prime Minister, demanding that he cause 1 the Crown Prince to send home her daughter. q beseech your Excellency, l said the mother, ''to rescue my little girl , from the clutches of this debauched man." l Fearing that the minister might not act, the Baroness Vetsera drove to her broth CT, the banker, Baltazzi, and asked him to go to Meyerling and bring back Marie. Baltazzi ordered the feetest four-in-hand from his stables and started off, break neck rate.
 Baltazzi burst into the green salon while his niece was imploring the Crown Prince not to forsake her. particularly as she
 was in a delicate condition. Hearing this the uncle flew into a rage and swore-that
 Rudolph must keep his promise to the girl-adding that If he refused he (Bai- tazzi) would inform the Emperor and all 1 the world that Rudolph had broken his l word of honor by once more receiving Marie in his house.
 Don't talk of honor; 1t sounds badly | in the mouth of procurer," shouted Ru- dolph
 The banker at once jumped at his l throat. The Crown Prince tore himself loose seized a revolver and shot Marie's uncle in the abdomen. just as one of the | hunting party, Count Hoyos. entered. l Sending Marie and the Grown Prince 1 from the room, Hoyos summoned several ! trusted servants, and with their aid car i ried the wounded man to an upper cham | ber When they laid Baltazzi on the bed l and removed his clothes Hoyos saw at l once that the man was doomed. So he 1 ordered Bratfsch to fetch priest while 1 the Crown Princes body physician at I tended to the wound.
 l Less than 20 minutes after her uncle ] was wounded to death Marie sat down ] to dinner with his slayer and the hunt l ing party, d dinner at which every one ] drank deeply. About midnight the Crown i Prince announced that his cold compelled | him to withdraw, and ordered Bratfisch i to drive the Baroness to the Royal Hotel 1 fin Baden. This was done for decorum. | After all had taken leave of Marie she l slipped up the stairs and into Rudolph S l apartments.
 
 1 The Crown Prince. who had drank very | heavily. soon fell asleep, while Marie sat | up thinking of her disgrace and her shat | tered hopes She leaned out of the win l dow and saw the room where the doctors were working over the prostrate form of | her uncle. If he died, and he was sure l to die-she had overheard one of the ser
 wants say so-his blood was on her. The Baroness took from her purse a tiny phial of poison she had carried for
 the last six or seven months. Then with
 a pencil she wrote on a block of paper i the following:
 1 Dear Sister Helen: He has told me this afternoon he cannot marry me, that l marriage between us would be a politi- cal and moral impossbility. And he gave l his father his word of honor to have noth- ing more to do with me.
 ''All is over. embrace death joyfully.''
 Dear Mother: Rudolph and I will die We have loved toe much. Pardon both of1us and farewell Your unhappy f Marie"
 A last look upon the sleeping prince,
 q prayer and then the poison.
 Rudolph slept until awakened by the
 horns of the hunting party. In stirring !. he touched Mare's cold hand. Jumping
 up he saw on the floor a a'small bottle la
 beled prussic acid. Then he saw the let
 ters, and after reading them he added
 four letters to tie little pile of corre-
 spondence. The two addressed to his