The Washington herald., 1909-05-09
Br Ex.ATTACHE.

DAY yet Il IS very doubtful indeed WheTh
er she was born on May ., in 1875, a.
asserted IN the Almanach de Gotha- Il
fact. there IS no lady OF sovereign rank
either living or dead. concerning who's,
birth and parentage 50 great an amoun
OF mystery and uncertainty prevails
Notwithstanding that the Gotha gives
her birth as May ;. lS2s. and that Of he
elder sister. the late Duchess OF Alba. q.
January, 1S25. Official Spanish record:
show that Don Cipriano. Comte de Mon.
TITO, who is given as their father, diet
on October 80 1S2S. The pages Of th'
register OF the parish OF Arevalo. which
contained the entry OF his death. have
been mutlated and removed Yet the
judicial records Of the courts at Madrid
make frequent mention Of the date Of
his demise. in connection with several
lawsuits brought by his brothers after
his demise. against his widow.
Not only does doubt exist as 70 the
identity OF Empress Eugenis's father. but
there Is even a considerable amount OF
Popular controversy concerning that Of
her mother. For. according 10 some
stories, Eugenle, as well as her sister,
the later Duchess OF Alba, were IN reality
daughters Of old Queen Christina, the
cOnsort Of King Ferdinand. and were
half-sisters. therefore, OF Queen Isabella
II
Christina is known 10 have given birth
10 q couple OF little girls in Italy, prior
10 her marriage with Ferdinand. They
were the offspring OF an English artist.
Of the name OF Ward. a brother or reia-
tive Of her E0veTness. and with whom
she was secretly and mora or less NOR
ganatically united. II IS claimed that
Christina confded her two little girls 10
the COmtesse de MOnrijO when The latter
was sent 70 italy as duenna 20 attend
her on the voyage from Naples 10 Madrid
on becoming Queen Of Spain Certain
i IS, that, while not the slightest trace
Of resemblance existed between the
Countess and her alleged daughters
Eugene possesses al the Characters
tics and strongly marked features OF the
Bourbons. In fact. there is more Of the
Bourbon in the face OF the Empress than
IN any member of the Orleans branch
Of the family. except the widowed Com
tesse de Paris.
Nor is this all For whereas the old
Comtesse de Monujo has been given as
the daughter Of scion Of one OF the
most ancient houses OF Scotland. namely.
that OF the KirkpatricEs, OF Closeburn.
yet the late Sir James kirkpatrick. OF
Closeburn. father Of the present baronet
and head Of the family has publicly and
IN print repudiated all connection be
tween the latter and Nine. de Monujo's
father. He was able 70 prove. by doeu-
mentary. evidence at the Royal College
Of Heralds al Edinburgh. that the genoa
logical tree and ancestral papers which
Nine de Nontijo's father. who was
United States Consul al Malaga. had
produced IN order 20 overcome the oh
5ectiOcs Of the noble family OF Montsjo
20 The marriage Of one Of its members
10 the daughter Of a dealer in groceries
(for Kirkpatrick was nothing else). were
merely fabricatiOns; and that the Amer
lean consul. Kirkpatrick was not q
Scot but an ITisAman, hailing from Bel
fast. and OF very humble extraction
These are only a few Of the questions
which exist on the subject OF the birth
and OF the ancestry Of Empress Eugene:
and how girl whose very legitimacy
was SO much in doubt that It necessitated
the dOCtOring Of innumerable official
records. and has been the subject of so
much critical investigation and unfriendlv
discussion in print. should have succeeded
in raising herself 10 the position Of En-
press Of the French. which she retained
for seventeen years. constitutes a story
which sCTpasSes in amazing and fmprOb-
able romance the most sensational OF
novels ever conceived by a writer's brain
Il was this uncertainty with regard 20
EUgenie's origin which was among the
arguments used by the late Prince Ma
poleon tJerome} 70 dissUade his cousin.
Napoleon III. from raising her to the
French throne He had known her when.
as a Young schoolgirl OF the Pension du
Sacre Occur. at Paris. she was wont 10
spend her sundays and haif-holidays al
the Passy home OF his old friend. the
Comtesse de Laborde- II was there that
he became acquainted with the mystery
concerning her birth, and with the awk-
ward questions regarding her parentage
and legitimacy. This, however. only con
tTibUted TO interest him IN her behalf
Subsequently he met her again at Madrid.
She had grown into a beautiful woman.
and he fell in love with her But when
the question OF marriage was brOached,
he pTofesSed himself 10 be una bic 10 con
sider II, on the ground OF her origin
This served 10 embitter her against the
prince. whom she had evidently expected
20 wed, and when later on she found that
he was opposing her matrimonial alliance
70 the emperor and was urging that II
there was any union at all. il should be
merely one Of a morganatic character. |
she developed the most intense hatred
toward him. which followed him TO the
end Of his days.
Prince Napoleon. on his part. grew 70
dislike her He was very fond. IN his
way. Of his cousin, Napoleon III. and /
devoted 70 the interests OF France He /
considered her Injurious to both one and /
the other. In the early part Of ISL. after /
the BOnapartes had been driven from 1
France, and when the German army was \
still encircling beleaguered Paris. the /
prince took house IN London. IN the /
neighborhood OF Hyde Park. and was
accustomed TO stroll several times a 4
week over 20 our residence where he 4
would establish himself in a huge arm
chair in my fathers library, smoking /
innUnerable cigarettes. and inveighing
by the hour against EUgenie. 'Cette 1
femme (that womanD as he was wont 1
70 call her. with most whitening con-
tempt Not only would he denounce her
as responsible for the downfall OF the
Bonaparte dynasty. and for the origin
OF the terrible war then waEing. but also
for every other misfortune and disaster
that had overtsken France since the
day when she became the wife Of Ma
poleon III OF the latter. he invariably
spoke on these occasions with warmth
Of affection surprising in a man who
appeared 50 thoroughly STEPPED In eyni-
cism-
On one occasion, some years before
the unfortunate union OF the late King
Alexander OF Servia with the unsavory
Draga Maschin. DR. Vladan Georgewitch,
then prime minister az Belgrade, in the