The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-13
GEORGE
STARTS NEWSPAPER
Uses It as Weapon to Slander
Royal Officials
A YOUNG SCAPEGRACE
Wishes of His Father, King Peter
of Seryia-Examples of His
Wild Escapades
BY ARTHUR POWELL

By ARTHUR POWELL
Vienna, February 12.-(Speeial. )--Former
Crown Prince George of servia, whose
cratic behavior has shocked European
court circles and made him the laugh
ing stock of the civilized world, has again
broken out afresh, after a period of COM
paratiye quietude. His new venture is in
| the field of journalism, the young prince
having founded q newspaper, which he
calls THE Reformer," and which he uses
to propagate his reactionary ideas and
uphold the doctrine of absolute mon
archy, divine right" etc. The columns
of this princely sheet are also devoted
to the most Infamous libels on the MEM
bers of the cabinet, who threatened to
resign unless his ather, King Peter, ban
! ished him from the country.
/ About a year ago Prince George re-
nounced his rights to the throne in favor
of his younger brother, Prince Alexander.
Although the Servian people were strong
| ly opposed to him, and the press openly
! denounced him, his resignation came vol
unfairly and was no doubt prompted by
one of his erratlc impulses. It was later
rumored that King Peter desired to re-
instate his mad-cap son, and this was
q signal for fresh outburst from the
| Servian press. who openly denounced the
| young prince as q good-for-nothlng and
worse. This worthy individual added
fresh fuel to the fire by the most rad
ical utterances, which finally resulted in
| the cabinet demanding that he be ban
| ished. The war office then ordered him
| to take command of an infantry in an
| obscure part of the country, and court
| communique was published in the Official
| Gazette to the effect that George must
| oyi1t tac nil
| But the prince only laughed at this
| order and continued his revelries in his
| apartments, not 500 yards from the pal
ace. In order to get back at the press
| and his enemies in the cabinet he has
now established a paper and fills its
columnsw it'll torrents of abuse.
| Prince George is now about Is years old
| and his brief career, to say the least,
has been picturesque. Many times he
| has been reported insane, and for brief
| periods the world would hear nothlnG
| of him. Then he would reappear as
| the central figure in some scandal or
| escapade, which would cause the Eu-
ropean courts to gasp and the world
at large to litter. He received his edu-
cation in the pages school of the Rus
sian court. nest of vice and intrigue.
| But his i'll temper and arrogant ways
| did not make him very popular On
/ the accession OIL MS ldthet " I'M
throne of Servia, however, he mme-
diately became the center of group
of fawning courtiers who Joined him
| i'll his revelries and bore his abuse in
exchange for royal favor.
| His escapades are too numerous to
mention, but they became so frequen;
and so violent that he was known all
over the kingdom as His Royal High
ness the Hoollgan.'
His fiendish nature is fttingly Illus
trated in an episode which occurred
a few years ago. The young prince
| found live mouse in q trap in the
palace. He took it outside and ordered
the guard at the doorway of the palace
to bite the rodents h cad off, The
guard refused, whereupon George drew
revolver aud threatened to blow the
mans brains cut II he didn't obey his
commands. The poor fellow called for
help and fortuna tely his friends ar
rived just in time to save his life.
The young scapegrace. picked quar-
rel with his private tutor, Major Lea
vesseur, and ran that good-natured in
| dividual through the body. This re-
suited in the majors refusal to con-
| tinue in the royal service. At another
time he paid court to the daughter Of
4
carry out his evil designs, he had one
| of his companions dress in a garb of n
| priest and perform mock marriage
ceremony. Later on he deserted the
| girl.
| One of his greatest amusements was.
| to bury cats in the earth up to their
| necks and then tramp them to death.
| Another was to sit at the window in
the palace and shoot a passers-by witt
an air rifle. and in many cases he in
hicted painful wounds.
The inhabitants of Belgrade lived in
terror of their lives for long time, as
the royal reprobate would drive his teams
and AUTOMOBILES through the streets at
break-neck speed. regardless of the lives
or limbs of pedestrians. While on one of
these daredevil trips a short time ago
his automobile vas overturned and. he
was hurled through the guard glass into
the gutter. SUSTAINING painful injuries.
Shortly before ne renowned his rights
to the throne, the young princes valet
died under very mysterious circum-
stances and it was limited that the ser
wants death ha1 been caused by a blow
which his maste; struck in fit of anger
Lately 1t has neen rumored that he is
seeking an American heiress for a bride
aln IL Is Saiu lhat an agent Is III This
country looking over the matrimonial
field with view OF selecting a mate for
this royal reveler.
1t is believed that King Peter has a
warm feeling IN. his heart for Prince
George, despite the young mans erratic
behavior, and his ooen defiance of his
fathers comman Is, and many are of the
opinion that he Will reinstate the young
scape- grace. Al action of this kind,
however, would well nigh precipitate a
revolution, as Crown Prince Alexander is
CU1E - nva n