Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-12-17

die of the last century. The women in
volved since then range from ladies of
his court to music hall performers. One
was Clara Ward, princess de Chimay,
the American woman whose elope-
ment from Brussels with the gypsy
musician, Rigo, was a scandal de-
cade ago. She is said to have first lost
caste in Belgian society thru the kings
indiscreet attentions to her. Then there
was Mile Cleo de Merode. the Partisan
danseuse, who wore her hair over her
ears. and who made brief visit to
New York in 1897. The acquaintance
with the king boosted Cleo at once into
fame and fortune.
There were stories of Leopold's lying
hidden in a Swiss chalet for weeks
while his ministers were anxiously
seeking him to consult him on affairs
of state There is the story Of sup
per party he gave in Paris to ten chor-
us girls Of the Opera Comique, at the
close of which each one was presented
with diamond necklace of enormous
value There are the stories of his Wis
it's to London music halls where wom-
en- of the gay world conduct a beauty
show in the foyers. and where it is said
he supplied unlimited champagne to all
who attracted his attention.
Monarch Pursued by Fate.
Fate seemed to have pursued King
Leopold quite as relentlessly as En-
peror Francis Joseph. He lost his only
son in so sudden and so mysterious a
manner that to this day a number Of
people are convinced that the lad was
poisoned. Leopold's favorite nephew
and heir whom he had grown to look
upon as son in the place of the boy
whom he had lost, succumbed to vio-
lience while engaged in questionable
intrigue, the mansion in ~which the
tragedy occurred, at Brussels, being
pointed out to all visitors to the Bel
gium capital
Leopold's only sister, Ex-Empress
Charlotte of Mexico, had to be re-
strained as lunatic, his brother-in-
law was shot down by file of soldiers
in Mexico as an adventurer, while his
eldest daughter, Princess Louis, after
running away from her husband and
becoming involved in charges Of for
gerry and fraud, was long confined as
insane in q sanatorium near Dresden.
In 1902 an attempt was made upon
his life by an aranchist, and few
years ago King Leopold witnessed the
destruction Of the greater portion OF
his family treasures by fire, his young
est daughter. Clementine, almost losing
her life in the flames, which killed her
old governess and lifelong companion
For a long time the king indulged in
one great hobby which trust every 9TH
ON, e;J ;,,to L,, !,
This was the prosperity and the growth
of the Congo State. Leopold came near
running himself financially in order to
bring about a successful development
of this part of Africa. He saved him
self in time by quickly realizing $4,-
100000 on the sale of his stock in the
Panama canal just as that stock had
reached the highest point of it's value
Creator of "Free" STATE.
While the Congo state has been a
source of great wealth to Belgium ii
has been somewhat of a millstone for
the small kingdom, when viewed in the
light of the recent atrocities which are
said to have been committed there.
Leopold was the creator of the Congo
State Originally, misnamed "Free"), a
vast empire of 100000 square miles
from which hundreds of millions of
wealth already have flowed into chris
tendon. 1t was in 1876 that Leopold
launched his prodgious enterprise. The
congress of Brussels held that year
and made up of geographers and eN-
plorers, was his opportunity,, AT his
instance the African international AS
sociation was founded. Henry M. Stan
ley was sent to East Africa. financed
by the king and when in 1877 he re-
vealed to Europe the vastness an(
abundance of the Congo basin the ma
chinery was already perfected in Bel
gian hands and especially in the king
! to assume the tas5-and the profits
of developing the region.
Powers Greedy After Frize.
For some years the great power;
looked greedily at the prize but thei!
fears and jaalousies rendered them Inn
potent: Leopold had shrewdly Hgprst
upon this. The advantages of Bel
gium, a county of glaran eed neutral
ity. to assume the tutelage of a noN
state which was to be kept neutra
| and free tn the commerce Of all thu
| world were diplomatica.iy urged On
power after another gave assent TIL
| United States one of the last and IL
| November, 1884, the congress of b rlil
assembled to crown the hopes of tn,
willy speculative monarch. The Fre
State was erected by act of the con
gress on Feb. &c, 1885, and that extra
ordinary history of headlong develop
/ ment. consuli1natc exnloita tinn. an
unspeakable cruelty began to whici
| finis has not been written yet.
In December, 1905, Mark Twail
gave utterance to a savage epigram
Beside Leopold" said he, Nero
Caligula, Attia, Torquemada, Genghi
Kahn, and such killers Of men ar
mere amateurs"
He went on to give an estimate o
10,OO0,000 human beings slaughtered il
| the conduct of the rubber and ivor,
trade of the Congo
Shooting, Flossins and MutiIation.
There was the system of bondag
known as the collection of taxes II
kind, which exacted so much Of the ma
tives' labor that they starved by tn
villageful from inability to raise food
There were shooting, iogging, multi
lation.
But to what extent was Leopold re
lsponsible for these denominations
Probably not at all, directly. Arguing
from his rule in Belgium. it is fair t
think that he would have much pre-
ferred q regime of justice. humanity
and progress in his big African farm
But it can not be denied that he re
| mainad callous, to the conditions tina