Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-07

of her couch and blew out his brains.
Another story is that the baroness
wound was In the back, where She could
not inf1ict 1t herself and that the crown
prince after both had agreed to die had
shot her here. in order that her beauty
might not be Uarred. Still another ac-
. count was that Rudolf was shot by a
forester whom he had treated cruelty
and that Marie killed herself from grief
Not long ago a New York paper an
nounced that the crown prince had never
been shot at all and claimed to have
located him in hiding within the United
States. Such is the riddle o. the Meyer
ling tragedy which robbed Francis Jo-
seph of his only son and the only one of
his children who could, under the Salic
law, inherit his throne.
The following autumn this passion of
the royal Hapsburgs for women below
their rank eliminated in another mys-
terry which since has deepened the
gloom that hangs over Francis Joseph
The latter's nephew, Grand Duke John
Salvador, on failing in love with an act
ress, Ludmi.la Stubel ard on discovering
that the emperor would consider such
marriage as only "morganatic" threw
away all Of his ranks ard titles. married
his beloved Ludmilla, bought a ship in
England and with her sailed for South
America. Sailing under the name of
John Ortiz he was last seen at Monte,
video in July, 1880, since VIXEN there have
been conflicting rumors of the couples
whereabouts. Some months ago a Chi
caeo paper located him in that city,
disguised as a machinist. The aged en-
peror still awaits his return. and only
recently extended for ten years the pc
Rod during which his estates will be
held for him against confiscation.
Nor was this half of the family trou-
bles which added to the worries of
Father Franz" Louis Victor, his sole
surviving brother, on becoming involved
in disgraceful scandal several years
ago, was hauled into police court like a
common criminal. Then the emperor
stripped Louis of all his honors. reduced
his income, drew the blinds of his palace
in Vienna. and banished him for life to
an estate in the country, where he is kept
a semi-prisoner. Similar discipline
was melted out by Francis Joseph to his
nephew, the Archduke Leopold, who upon
marrying a vaudeville actress was made
to renounce all of his claims and titles.
after which he was eXiled to SWitZer-
land, where he lives under the name of
Leopold Woifling.
And the emperors niece, Archduchess
Louise. after marrying the Crown Prince
of Saxony, ran away with Giron the
French tutor of her children, and since
has been divorced by her husband, who
now sits on the Saxon throne without
her. Still another rent in the old en-
peror's heart has been caused by the mis-
alliance of his favorite grandchild. the
little Archduchess Elizabeth. daughter of
the dead crown prince. After separating
her from her mother, Princess Stephanie
who has since married Count Elemer
Longay-the emperor was guarding her
against unworthy admirers, when, at the
age of seventeen. she lost her heart to
a handsome and dashing cavalry officer
Prince Otto Windisch Graetz Perhaps
the old emperor felt that his opposition
20 love matches had already caused too
many tragedies in the house of Haps-
burg. At any rate the little princess
wheedled him into letting her marry the
petty prince and the old gentleman dow
cred her handsomely. After the wedding
they went off to live in Prague, but soon
they quarreled violently and she returned
to the roof of her doting grandfather.
where she remains, the solace of his old
age. When she married she renowned
her rights to the crown of Hungary,
where the Sale law does not obtain
But what crowned the tragedy OF
Francis Joseph's life was the murder of
his consort, the Empress Elizabeth, at
Geneva. in the fall of 1898, by an anarch-
list VINO, under the Swiss law, could not