The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-10-21

ment IN thVDT OIL 1ouHi -. ts's'''N'-'
- Erbach, whose sensational mar
rage to Dora Fischer. an extremely
pretty laundry girl, daughter of
washerwoman, created so great SEN
sation some five years ago. The union
has been source OF litigation ever
since, has led to at least haif-a- dozen,
duels, and to the repeated arrests ana
committal OF the count TO insane asy-
lums as q lunatic; until, after MS last
escape, he interested the Reicnstas
deputy, DR.. Thater, OF Wurzpure y; IN
his behalf, and through him obtained
from the most eminent Munich anenlsts
so convincing a diagnosis ESTABLISHING
his sanity, that the BaVarian govern
men; gave peremptory ORDERS that the
count should be protected from an luz
Their seizure and committal within the
borders of the kingdom
Several previous committals In other
portions of Germany had been obtained
at the Instance OF the counts ha.net'
who was able, on the strength thereof
to secure an annulment OF the marriage,
on the understanding that his son mao
not been in full possession OF his reason
when he welded Dora Fischer.
Eventually, however, the old count
seems to have relented. and what con-
tributed to this was the attitude OF
his younger brother. Arthur. VINO was
anxious TO secure the succession OF
the entailed estates, which are e%-
tremely valuable. for himself and for
his own eldest son. Count Conrad Err
bach With this object IN, view Afthur
instituted a board OF arbitration. COM
posed of Prince Christian Stelbufs.
prince Hermann Schonburg and Count
William Solms: and submitted to them
the argument. that inasmuch as young
| Count Erasmus had married the iauH-
| dry girl. Dora Fischer, without the con,
| sent OF his father, and had contracted
a mesalliance in defiance of the family
statutes and regulations of the me-
diatized of formerly petty sovereign
house of Erbach, he must pc deprlysn .
| of all share or participation IN the
| revenues of the entailed property. and
must be excluded from the line OF sue
| cession.
Now Count Erasmus is the only child
| of the head of the family. who. While
he has been ready to do everything he
/ could to break off the match had no
intention of depriving his boy Of MS
birthright. for the sake of his brother
instead OF the foe of the young couple
and gave them liberal allowance
which relieved them of the bitter fl
nancial stress which they had under
tpart OF the old count caused his brother
and nephews to amend their complaint
so as to embrace him within its pro-
/ visions, on the ground that BY con con.
Apparent after he had violated the
/ family statutes, he had been guilty OF
linfraction of the latter, and was there.
j fore unworthy to remain at the heae
l Of the family, or In possession OF tHe
cntailed estates.
The board OF arbitration decided
against. the old count and his son, and
4 their verdict was endorsed by the lower
4 courts of law The old count thereupoI
appealed, and the matter having beer
4 carried from one tribunal to another
has now been decided in his favor, ant
in that Of his son. by the Supreme
A Eourt of the German empire, at Lelpslc
4 The, latter court takes the very sen.
sible ground that there Is nothing y
4 the entail of the vast Erbach estates
relating to mesalliances, or determln
ing the conditions of maria ges, pc
be of legitimate birth, The court like
wise declares that neither 1t, nor an!
other tribunal of the Grrman empire
can concern itself with the rules am
regulations made by families OF m
higher or lower nobility for the discip
line Of their members, and thar y.
judicial cognizance can be takel
thereof On this ground. therefore !, y !
rejects the verdict OF the court OF ar
bitratlon. as We'll as the, decisions g
n the Lowell, courts, and establishes tina
young Count Erasmus cannot pc ds
barred from the succession to the en-
tailed property, and from the chiei
tracted mesallianca. In tact, Souni
Count Erasmus and his father nav
( won a victory all along the line; an
the next stop to be taken will be t!
, obtain a reversal of the decree whicl
annulled the marriage on the grounI'
. that it had been contracted when IN
count was insane, and IN defiance
a the laws of his house. Not until thel
a Will the laundry girl, Dora Fischer
become a full tledged serene highness
!, that being the predicate to which IN
head of the Erbaeh family and NJ
j. Wife as VIII as their eldest son ant
his wife, are entitled in Germany.
n The decree of the Supreme Court
I, of wide reaching Importance, eXtendlnl
far beyond the mare case of tn
Erbaehs; for 1t practically reduces t
anothingness all those family statutes