The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-17

entangled in another love affair, which has been the most severely criticised of his many amours.
 The woman in the case was Caroline Laoroix. whose parents were 1anitors in Paris She was known as the Baroness Vaughan, and so infatuated did the king become with her that he established her In a beautiful home called the Villa Flora, directly opposite his palace at Laeken and compelled the state to legal ize their marriage. This woman exer- cised a greater control over the fckle king than any of her predecessors, and she was treated with far more considera- ton than any member of the royal fam fly. She bore him two sons. and the ques- ton as to whether the oldest Of these would be Leopold's successor instead of his nephew, Count of Flanders, has been the cause for grave concern.
 Gifts to the Baroness.
 The priceless gifts which Leopold show cred on this woman and the magnfficenoe of her surroundings have been severely criticised by the Belgium press, and 1t has been rumored many times that the king would be forced to abdioate, if he persist ed in his mad infatuation- Protests from several of his ministers proved of no avail, but only resulted in more extrava- gance. So great was the power of this woman that she had her brother created a baron by the king.
 She is now about 31 years old, plump but graceful, with a beautiful complexion and skin. and has quantities of chestnut hair. In character, it is said. she is naughty, sharp, irritable and fantastic. Her choice of words Is small, for she has had no education to speak of. She is exi- gent, however, about being treated with respect, and anyone in his majestys en- tourage who failed in this felt his dis pleasure.
 But Leopold's escapades with the deni- zens of the Parisian cafes. the indigna- ties which he heaped upon tho several members of his family, pale into insignif- canoe when compared with the horrible atrocities committed at his instigation In the Congo Free State. The former re- vea1ed him as a sensuous, selfish person without an atom of self-respeot or de- cency, but the latter stamped him as the most unhuman and barbarous ruler of modern times.
 African Empire. Left comparatively poor, as a result of the wealth of his father, and realizing the limitations of a constitutional govern ment, he conceived the idea of establish ing an empire in Central Africa, where his word would be law.
 At the conference Of tho worlds pow CTS held in Berlin in 1884 the charter of the Congo Free State was issued and Leopold was made emperor with the understanding that he would abolish slavery and cannibalism, defend the rights and property of the natives and open the heart of Central Africa to the commerce of the world.
 With his keen insight into com1ner- cial affairs he soon realized the enor- nous wealth that would result from ths development of the rubber and ivory trade of his new domain. He immedi- ately issued a proclamation, which took the land out of the hands of the natives and placed 1t in his own. In order to increase his revenues he then established the famous concessionaire system. This consisted of a number of companies, all of which the King was interested in, being granted the sole right to ''pur- chase the rubber, ivory and other pro- ducts from the natives. This step 1t is claimed, has been responsible for all the inhuman oruelties praoticed in that section of the dark continent and the idea was conceived by one of his fair Parisian companions in crder that her royal lover could supply her with more jewels. It won for her the appellation of the "Queen of Congo"
 An Army Raised.
 In order to obtain quicker results Leo- pold colied a conference in Brussels in 1889 and secured permission to raise an army of 1900 under the pretext of put ting down tho Arab slave trade. The army was recruited from the most sfe- rocious tribes of Africa, many of them being cannibals.
 The natives were then compelled to bring in certain amount of rubber and ivory every day and when they failed they were beaten and tortured and <<fka rAo -o1 A To m of torture was the cutting off of the hands of boys and girls who failed to do the work prescribed.
 In this way tho revenues increased at an astonishing rate and were estimated as high as s10,o00,000 a year. But at what horrible cost! The population was decreased from 25.000, 900 to 15,0o0,o00. the missing 1oooo,ooo having been burned or tortured to death or otherwise extermin- ated.
 A well organized press bureau with headquarters in the principal cities of the world kept these facts secret for many years and the only inkling of the horrible crimes that were being perpe- trated leaked out from time to time through some missionaries.
 Tales of Persecution.
 These tales read like the stories of Nero'sf persecution of the Christians, and were almost too horrible to be cred tied. One told of the case of young native girl who was flogged almost to death. The welts on her body were then smeared with honey and she was left to the mercy of the ants and other in- sects. who swarmed over her body, while the intense heat of tho tropical sun added to her torture.
 Another described the slaughter of the population of an entire village for fail- ing to comply with the demands of the Belgian officials.
 The men and women were slaughtered like sheep and the butchers feasted on tho remains of their victims Then to nroye that he had accomplished his work the chief cut of tho right hands of the victims and took them to head quarters.
 These gruesome tales finally reached civilization and at the beginning of the present century a movement was started fo bring tha notorious morarch's reign to an end. Since then bloodcurd1ing tales of the horrible conditions in Congo have been written by travellers. journalists ana uaissionaries, and finally public opin- ion became so unframed that move ment was made to appoint an interna- tional commission
 Leopoid's Commission.
 The willy Leopold objected to this and annointed a commission to his own lk- ing. The members of this body reached Congo in October, 1904. and made q i've months tour of the interior. Their xrvo mt faa,1az NntiI n