The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-23
From the New York Sun.


 V lantry dates back to the days of \ Cora Pearl, that famous ad- venturess whose adventures amused Eu- rope in the middle of the last century. The women involved since then range from la dies of his court to music hall performers. One was Clara Ward, Princess de Chimay, the American woman whose elopement from Brussels with the gypsy musician Rigo was a scandal 10 years or 50 ago. She is said to have first lost caste in Bel gian society through the Kings indiscret attentions to her. Then there was Mile. Cleo de Merode. the Parisian danseuse who wore her hair over her ears and who made a brief visit to New York in 1Ss7 She thus describes her first en- counter with tho King:
 "one night at the Grand opera fin the ballet of 'LAfricane.' was applauded by . tall man with a long white beard had done nothing extraordinary. had not danced half 50 well as others. Unoriginai,' was my comment to vasquez. our bal let master. when returned to the wings. Go back. quick said vasques. Dance again. It is the King of the Belgians.' I danced again. He stood in the aisle waving his handkerchief. He kept mo dancing for three quarters of an hour. How angry vasQuez was! The curtain couldn't be dropped while tho King ap- plauded. vasquez scolded me for attract ing so much attention, but was it my faultr'
 The acquaintance with the King boosted Cleo at once into fame and fortune.
 It would be tiresoms to enumerate one half the women who shared the favor of this merry monarch. There were stories of his lying hidden in . Swiss chalet for seeking him to consult him on affairs of state. There is story of . supper party which he gave in Paris to 10 chorus girls of the Opera Comiqus, at the close of which each gir1 was presented with . dia- mond necklaee of enormous vstuA There are the stories of his visits to London music halls. where ladies of the gay world conduct beauty show in the foyers and where 1t h said he supplied unlimited champagne to an who attracted his at tention. MT. Stead dragged him into his Modern Mfnotaur" exposures in the Pall Mall Gazette. Perhaps Lsopold's fame touched it's lowest point when . notorious woman. Mrs. Jeffries, was arraigned In London police court on . charge of purveying young girls for immoral pur- poses. Tho woman held . defiant atti- tude in court, maintaining that she was a person of responsibility.
 well. who will vouch for your respect ability7" asked the magistrate.
 why. the King of the Beigians." she imprhdently replied. and forthwith she was hustled into . back room. whore the proceedings that led to her release with 1 a nominal inc were conducted in strict secrecy.
 These notorious acts of gailantry wers not the only scandals that gathered about Leopold's old age. His amazing capacity | for spending money had entansled him in moro than one ugly affair. From the Bsl- gian people he derived an income of teoo. . 600 a year. He inherited . fortune of at least s6,00o0oO from his father, yet he is accused of having virtually embessled and dissipated the dowry of his wife and the widow of Maximilian, once Emperor o8 Mexico, who has been under restraint as insane ever sincs the tragedy of ] Oueretaro in tho middle sos. The amount :, of this estate is said to have been t1o,- ooo,ooo. It was placed in Leopold's trus- teeship, and despite efforts. legal and diplomatic. no accounting of it has ever been ebtained from him.
 The Kings wife was Marie Henrietta. | an Archduchsss of Austria Their married life was most unhappy. He was husband 1 fit to exasperats any wife and she ap- 1 pears to have been . woman with . cold na4uvo anA . spabes4s eevs tenDee yss