The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-11-08

L.
place at Torquay. in Devonshire,
TO the Marquis de Crequi- Mont
fort, is English through her mother
who was Miss Mabel knight. and has
fhe widowed Princess Edmond de
PoIignac. who was Miss Winnaretta
Singer, of New York. Her father is
Prince Camille de Polignac, veteran
OF the Confederate army. in which
ne held the rank of major-general
Prince Camille married as his hrst
wife an American gin. whose name,
however. VIII not be found in the pages
this ducal and princely house. In
fact. this first marriage OF Prince
Camille de Polignac furnishes not only
one of the many romances of this an
| cient and illustrious family of the
! French nobility. but likewise warn
| ing to American girls of the precau-
| tions which 1t Is necessary to observe
| in wedding foreigners The maiden
name of the American wife OF Prince
Camille was de la Bretesche. and her
| father was very wealthy Louisianian,
engaged in extensive enterprises bott
| in New Orleans and throughout the
! South prior to the war. When the
prince applied to him for the hand OF
his beautiful daughter he declined the
| offer, on the ground of the young
/ French cavalry officers lack of means
land notorious dissipation. Prince cam
lille thereupon invoked the assistance
of the de la Bretesche boys, who had
been at school with him, and Who were
! pleased at the prospect OF becoming
/ allied by marriage with the Polignacs
/ With their help the prince made run
! away match with their sister. who
was staying in Paris at the time, the
lfugitives being married in 1856 at the
i Cathedral of Valenciennes, by Appe
/ Fourcaud, brother of the statesman OF
THAT name. Inasmuch, however, as Mr..
1 de la Bretsche had declined to give
i his consent to the marriage. Prince
4 Camille's parents being similarly re- :
luctant, in view of the attitude OF the
4 girls father, no civil ceremony could
4 take place at that time. since for
Y civil ceremony the consent of the par
i ents of both bride and bridegroom was
a sine qua non. according to the terms
lotfer countries of Continental Europe
lit was, however, understood that the
civil marriage was only delayed, and
/ Iwould take place as soon as the con-
sent of both families TO the match
When the Civil War broke out IN
the United States. Prince Camille. find
( ling himself without resources, threw
i up his commission in the French army M
$ Intention Of winning his American
a father-in-l laws good will, and inciden-
tally his pecuniary assistance, by VOL
4 lunteering to fight for the Confederate
! cause. Ills plans were realized. ans
! not very long after the arrival OF the
Iprince and princess with their boy a,
q New Orleans, they had become com
! Ipletely reconciled to Mr.. de la Bre'
: tesche who took charge Of his daugh'
$ ter, and grandson, using his influence t.
3 obtain for the prince coloneicy y
: the Confederate army. Camille de POI.
n lignac served throughout the war, at
: tanning the rank OF major general o..
when 1t. became apparent that the
. cause of the Confederacy was doomed
and when, more over, Mr.. de la BretesI
ellie. found himself a ruined man. " ~, vas q,
considered advisable for 4 pri nee Ga ~
! turn t,l 1t to France, it being understood
9 that the prince would follow her ;
9 little later on. !,
) on her arrival in Paris she was YER yer,
: the English born Princess Jules d
: Polignac, member or the FANNY ", =
. which Lord Rafncliffe is the chlel
4 Princess Jules not only treated heI q
her sons full-fedged Wife, but wa
y wont to show herself everywhere VII
: her. the two, women and the CHI
IS driving out each afternoon In the hol
L. de Boulogne. BY degrees the intlnac
y letters received from her son IN Amer al.ls1
1T lea by the old princess, who eventual
ceased to provide for the wants or ne
daughter-in-law and grands9o :, l;,,,,,. -
: turned to France, he not only mao ma
I,no effort to re1oiii his Wife and chill,
hut declined to have anything TO q
with them, pointing out to the unfortu
mate woman that his purely Te!lglou
marriage possessed no status IN IN
eyes Of French law, and that she wa Y
mot entitled to style herself his WE
Or to use the name of Princess 9
u !tPolignac, while the hoy, moreover, ma
Inc claims upon him, save those pei
haps of an illegitimate offspring, \,
q Several Years later, and during q
lifetime Of his American wife, Y
I5prince, ignoring her entirely IN i, Y
with the enormously wealthy Austria
|heiress, Marie Langenherger, who sc
tied upon him a million francs on u
N after giving birth to a3sdaughter, wi
1 |sinheriled all her fortune save Y
money settled on the prince. who HI
likewise IA life interest In the Langel
" |berger Chateau PodWein, in strl
\ The daughter is now, married TO u