The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-04-26
W IS HE'S TO WE'D
RICH AM RICAN
Bogus Prince Michael dc Lusig
nan Wife-Huntins by
Mail.
FINE COLLECTION or TITLES
Claims Descent From King OF
Jerusalem; Is Really Son OF
Waiter.
nv =, u,Ra,IsE DE roNrENoy,,

in the last few years come into
unenviable notoriety through the
arrest and conviction of one Oh
it's bearers at ST. Petersburg for for
country, through the sale of bogus
orders of lfnighthood, and of paintings
bearing the forged names OF famous
artists, once occupied notable place
in history. And III view OF the letter
received by the head of the Marriage
License Bureau at city Han. in New
York, last week, from ST. PeterspurE'
inviting his assistance in securing
blood, namely, Prince Michael de Luz
signan, Prince of Cyprus, of Jerusalem,
OF Armenia Comte de la Alarchc, fifty
seven years of age, and without for
tune it may be Us well to furnish
few notes bearing upon the subject.
The real and authentic house OF
Lusignan, now extinct, took It's name
from the town and castle OF Luslghan,
in the Department of Nienne, some
twenty miles TO the southwest of Pol
tiers. rhe castle and the LusiSnan
FAMILY were founded. according to tra-
dition, by the. fairy Melusine, who ilg
ures so so largely in medieval romance
and in the traditions OF French old
time ohivalry. Descended from the
ancient Kings of Albania, she married
Raymond, sovereign Count of Poitou,
and the children born OF this union
became known as the SlrcS de Lusis-
1lil ACCORDING 10 lIt itbtUtf Hi't
was metamorphosed every Saturday
into a serpent, as Il punishment for
having murdered her father, and her
husband. ignorant of this fact having,
late one Friday night. caught her in
the act OF undergoing this change, Is
asserted to have mmured her in one
of the lowest dungeons OF the castle,
from which she never emerged. If
/ mention this story 1t Is because the
order which the bogus Prince of Lus-
N has ytvith ia
greatest degree of llberality on credu
lous Americans. has been precisely the
Order of Melusine. and II was in the
fantastic uniform of this preposterous
order that the soi-disant Count d'Au.
bly, de Gratisny" figured on the occa-
sion of his marriage AT Boston TO his
unfortunate American wife, Miss Laura
l.unt, Both the psuedo count and the
countess are now in Jail in Paris
CthouGh the woman may possiblys DO
released as comparatively innocent
partyl, on charges of colossal swindles
of Americans by means of the sale OF
bogus paintings, that is TO say. of pic
lures bearing the forged signatures OF
great painters, and which are quite as
ralueless as the Order of Melusine.
which is reserved for male dupes, and
the Order of st. Catherine OF Mount
Sinai. which the prince had the impu-
ton, of the Red Cross Society
King of Jerusalam.
The Sires de Lusignan owned the
petty sovereign countships of Angou
leme and of De la Marche, and one of
them, Guy by name, married Sibylle,
only daughter and heiress of Amaury
L., the penultimate Crusader King OF
Jerusalem, being created on the occa-
sion of his wedding Count of Jaffa and
OF Ascalen. on the death of his faith
er-ill-law Guy Sire de Lusignan, was
proclaimed King of Jerusalem, but in
ri 70. ted NttItn toll r.,
at the battle of Tiberiade, and was
taken prisoner. recovering his liberty
after some time. on the condition Of
his renouncing the title of King OF
resumed the empty title, of which
not long afterwards he made a COM
plete and full concession TO King Rich
ard of England, Occur dc Lion. who
gave him in exchange the Kingdom of
Cyprus. Guy reigned there until his
death, and founded sovereign dy-
nasty of Cyprus which lasted near 800
years, becoming extinct with the death
of Queen Catherine Cornaro, last OF
the line of Lusiguali, who sold her
Venice in 1889. a hundred years later
1t was taken from the Nenetians by
the Turks. and remained in their pos
session until leased TO Great Britain in
1878.
Meanwhile, the Lusignans who had
remained in France lost both power
and prestige, We're deprived of their
countships of DE la Marche and of An
gouleme, and in 15Ii their ancestral
chateau of Lusignan was RACED TO the
ground BY the Duo de Montpensier
There was a distant relative who died
in 1897, under the name of Stephen
de Lusisnan, as Bishop of Lmisso
lwhose existence is COMMUNICATED BY
his History OF the Kingdoms of Jeru-
salem and Of Cyprus" published al
| Paris in 1879, and of which a copy
| Is to be found in the National Lii
brary of France. After that the family
male line, and 1T was only towards
the close of the reign of King Louis
Nv of France that he permitted one
LOT his favorite conrtiers, who coul6
the De Lusignans, to style himself De
I,Lusignan, and to adopt the arms, ere
ating him at the same time Marquis
de 1usisnan. His son, in turn, was
| delegate of the nobility of Gascony, al
the meeting of the States General il
| 1889 in Paris; fled along with the Other
mobiles in 1902. returned to Franco il
1900, and died in the utmost povert,
and obscurity in 1913. without leaving
any issue.
"prince OF Armenia"
During the reign of Emperor Nicho
las |. of Russia, some Armenian agita
tors, on the lookout for man wht
| could serve as a pretender, and consti
lbLt Tue lluCltuS Oh Il lldllOnallSt move
nlent, found an adventurer, a ne'er-d do
Well, the son of u captain in the Rus
sian army, OF the name of Klenko
who was wont to boast that he had i,
his Veins the blood of the former Lus
lyman Kings Of Cyprus For want o
something better they took the MAJ
at his word, dubbed him with the nam
Of Lusisnan and the title of Prime
4 of Armenia" concocted a number o
pcrchments showing in more o
less satisfactory manner that he wa
descended from the Crusader, Guy d
Lusignan last sovereign King of Je
rusalem, whose line had died out witt
Queen Catherine Cornaro Of Cyprus
and proclaimed him some sevent
Years ago as King of Armenia, undo
the title Of Leo VII,
1t suited Russia's policy at the tim
to countenance his pretensions--t wa
: on the eve of the Crimean War, II
, was invested with the honorary ran
Of colonel in the Russian army, an
nailed, not as King. but as Primo
of Armenia. But when Emperor Mich
olas found, after the hostilities la
: been in progress for some time, tina
i the ANmenians could not be relied ,ipo
70 offer the promised assistance to til
kussian army of invasion, he cause
Prince Leo de Luslgaan to be dis
: missed from the army and to he place
on board rnerchssnt 1aouip