The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-01

by la MARQUISE DE FONTENOY.
rg7 HE former Count Ferdinand Won
Hofberg, of the princely German
house OF Piess. has been lately
so much in the public eye on
both sides of the Atlantic. in connec-
ton with the publication of his CORE
spondence with tho German Crown
Prince during the trial of the copper
In the latter's conviction of fraud and
consignment TO Sing Sing. that take
II as only fair TO give In these col
, nmns at least portion .o OF letter
icounts father, Count Bolko Won Hof-
berg, who was for 30 many years
director-genera OF all the theatres and
opera houses of tho Prussian crown.
at the court of Berlin. and member
of the Prussian House of Lords.
Count Bolko Hofberg protests with
great Vigor against the inputatlon.
and the New World. to the effect that
| his son had sold the private letters
written to him by the Crown Prince.
The count, with some justice, points
| out that a young fellow who sacrifices
TO ideal.sm. even though wrongheaded.
| his rank in the army, his titles of no.
| biiity. his position at court, and even
| his very name and family, Is not the
mary account the confidential corre-
| spondence of trusting friend. The
count insists that his son. far from
| having derived any advantage from
| the now convicted Barnes. either
| through the surrender to him of the
| Crown Princes letters, or In any other
| manner, was on the contrary mos,
shamefully yictiInized, and mentions q
himself placed ut the disposal of his
son, to invest In the Barnes enter
| prises. and which. of course, Is lost
! beyond recovery.
i MI
Tout that it is not quite fair 10 ascr!be
4 to him the role of a harsh and un-
| merciful father, who has left his son
to starve in America, for no other
woman Of bourgeois. in lieu of one of
noble, rank. He declares that the mere
fact that the girl was of bourgeois
| rank, constituted in his eyes no obsta-
Gle, and that there were Other reasons
| why he and his wife, q former Princess
Carolath, had objected to the match;
| objections to which II was of no use
TO recur, since hts son had become the
father of a little boy. He states that
he still continues. however. to regard
the match as having been an unfor-
tunate one, since 1t estranged his son
not only from his relatives. but also
from mis- friends. and cost him his
position In Germany acd what might
have been very brilliant future there
He adds that it rs perfectly true that
/ he had forbidden the marriage, but
that when his boy came to America
and married the girl here. he at once
sent him money. which his son de-
| clined TO accept. on the ground of the
parental disapproval OF his union, The
old count has still the rejected drafts
which are quite as honorable TO him
self as to his son. and certainly tenc
to relieve the latter OF any imputatioI
of dishonorable conduct in connection
with tratiicking in the letters OF the
Grown Prince.
| The old count ends by saying thai
for the past three years he has beer
reconciled to his son, and that not
only has he during that time beer
receiving regular allowance, but
!. considerably larger than that Whlcl
he received In Germany prior to hi.
marriage: besides which, he gave hin
a large sum OF money TO assist hin
, in the enterprise of Noah Barnes.
Count Boko Hofberg and his eXpa-
Z triated son have been subject to 81
much misrepresentation In connection
) with this entire episode that It is bu
) as they have the effect Of placing boil
of them In a distinctly more favorable
4 light than heretofore.
Cowboy Peer.
Lady Shannon. who has just died Of
the coast Of Portugal, on board tn,
liner Nile. OF a sudden attack of pneu
monia, and was buried at sea at he
own request. her children, tho thirteen
year old Earl of shannon, his ten
year-old brother, the Hon. Bernar,
!. Boyle. and his twelve-year-o sister
, Lady Helen Boyle, being landed at Lis
bon where they remain for the pres
; ent at the English legation. under tn,
care of the envoy, Sir Francis Villiers
and OF Lady Villiers, was Mss Nelli
THOMPSON, whose father, the lat
, England. was, I believe. an American
resident there: another of his daugh
ters, Mrs. Frederick j. Taylor, havins
q homo on Fifth Avenue, in New York
Lady Shannon only survived by tire
years tho husband whom she marie,