The Washington herald., 1908-01-05

Old Arch Duke and Arch Duchess
Rainer Of Austria have an adopted child
in Marie Baroness Waideck, now married
70 Prince Henry Of Campofranco, a
grandson Of the royal Duchess OF Berry.
by her second marriage with her Nea-
politan chamberlain. Count Lucchesi
PallL. The Princess. who has already been
designated as the sole heiress OF the
colossal fortune of her foster parents,
the old Arch Duke and Arch Duchess
Rainer. is the only child of the late
Arch Duke Henry, who had ecclesiastical
ly married the actress. LeOpOldine Hoff-
man in defiance Of the commands of the
Emperor. and had been in consequence
thereof deprived Of his hOnors and ban
lshed from Austria. Thanks to the kindly
Intervention Of the Empress. a complete
reconciliation was eventually brought
about between Arch Duke Henry and the
Emperor. who invited him 10 come 10
Vienna with his wife and daughter. then
young girl.
The Arch Duke arrived in Vienna, in
which he had not set foot for twenty
years; took up his residence at the Hotel
Sacher, called upon the Emperor, and
received from him not only, a full and
complete pardon for his disObedience, but
also the restoration of all his honOrs and
dignities. The interview between the
cousins was most cordial. but was the
last that ever took place. For ,on the
following morning the Arch Duke was
seized with a violent attack Of Illness, and
on the evening of the same day his wife,
who had Just been created the Baroness
Waideck by the Emperor, was also pros
trated by a sudden sickness believed to
have been ptomaine poisoning
The sufferings of the arch duke and OF
the new baroness were very brief and
on the following evening they succumbed
within an hour OF each other. leaving
their only child Marie an orphan and
alone in the hotel. The suddenness of
her parents death, and the loneliness
of the young girl who was without any
relatives on her mothers side, and whose
bereavement was rendered doubly cruel
by the fact that it occurred at the very
moment when brighter prospects seemed
to be opening up for the little family,
after their many years of banishment and
of financial stress, aroused universal
sympathy nowhere more so than among
her imperial relatives Arch Duke and
Arch Duchess Rainer, who are childess,
at once came forward, took charge Of
the girl, and adopted her.. the Emperor
conferring upon her the title of countess
in her own right
A few years later she contracted, with
the consent OF the Emperor and of her
adopted parents, a marriage with the
eldest son of the Duke della Grazzia,
who abandoned to his son on the occasion
of his marriage his second title of Prince
Campofranco.
In fact, adoptions of children by princes
and princesses of the blood are far more
frequent than is generally known. Often
romance plays a considerable role in
| connection Herewith; sometimes drama,
and even tragedy. There are cases in
which the adoption may be regarded as
an effort to repair a wrong perpetrated
by others, and an attempt to brighten
the lot of those who seem born TO be the
innocent victims of fate. But this inter
| ference with the course of destiny is not
always attended with success.
Sometimes II gives rise 10 unattainable
ambitions, the disappointment of which
results in bitterness, animosity. and the
rankest ingratitude. In fact 1t is but
the other day that a woman who had
been brought up by a royal princess in
Germany and had forced heT benefactress
10 get rid of her on account of her be-
havior, actually instituted legal proceed
ings against her on the ground that the
princess had not fulfilled the intentions
which she proclaimed of bestowing upon
her the largest part OF her fortune