The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-07-17
LEopoLDTo cAsToFFDAuoHTga
Belgian Monarch Disposing of His
Property

King Leopold is continuing the sale
of his belongings. He has now sum-
moned a Partisan expert and has ask
ed him TO value everything that is left
in the palaces of Brussels and Laeken
such as silver, chandeliers and furnit-
ure. The king had asked for these
things a much higher price than that
offered by the expert When the next
king comes on the throne" says pa
per he will find his palaces empty.
This is shameful. This continual bag
Cling is extremely painful to the Bel
gians but King Leopold does not want
his fortune to be consecrated to the
payment of his daughter Louise's
debts and therefore he will her
as little as he can"
II is quite evident that King Leo
pold has decided to disinherit Prin-
cess Louise his eldest daughter, with
wnom he has been on terms of bitter
enmity for years. 1t is the kings in
tention to iquidate all his property
and then dispose of the fortune ac-
quired thereby before his death. In
this way he hopes to prevent Princess
Louise from receiving her share due
to her under Belgian law Her law
yer declares, however, that if King
Leopold persists in his determination
suits will be instituted to recover the
princess portion of the proceeds due
from the sale of certain estates and
personal property.
His majesty owned valuable proper
ties in France. which he purchased
under the names of certain personal
friends and recently sold in the same
indirect manner. Princess Louise
will bring actions against the purchas-
ers of these estates. The princess has
an income of $4,000 a year, although
sac spends.over 100000. Her lawyer
declares that the latter sum is more
in keeping with her royal dignity and
that If King Leopold gave his daugh-
ter an adequate allowance she would
not always be in debt.
1t is said that King Leopold recently
offered Princess Louise 100000
year on condition that she abandoned
certain friends whom his majesty con-
sidered Objectionable. The princess
promptly refused The princess law
yer states that owing to the generos-
ity of her creditors her royal highness
jewels will not be sold.
Princess Louise has had an eventful
life. She was married at Brussels in
1875 to Prince Philip of SAKE Coburg
and Gotha but the marriage was dis
solved by divorce at Gotha three years
ago, the princess being ordered to pay
the COSTS
In 1895 the princess met Lieut. Mat
taclick-Kegleyitch a Hungarian cav
airy officer at ball given in Vienna
by her sister, the Crown Princess Ste
phanie. They afterwards eloped and
lived together on the Riviera,
Her lover was arrested on a connect
ed charge of forging the Crown Prin-
cess Stephanie's name TO cheque and
within an hour of his arrest Princess
Louise was conveyed to a private lu-
matte asylum near Vienna at the insti-
CATION of Prince Philip, her husband
Lieut. Mattachich-Kegle was
sentenced to a term of penal servitude
and Princess Louise was removed to
an asylum near Coswig, Saxony after
several Austrian institutions refused
to certify her as insane.
The princess escaped with the aid
OF Lieut. Observation-Disclosures after
six years captivity Rd her sanity was
taen officially estaMshed.