The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-07-20

~ LID UNTESs JOHANN y
SCiAFFGoTSCH. who cele-
~ DRAFTED her golden wedding two
years ago. and whose death last
week has placed many OF the greatest
houses of the German and Austrian
aristocracy in mourning, merited in
many respects the sobriquet or Village
Countess, given 10 that wife OF tins
Lord OF Burleign." whose romantic
marriage constitutes the theme OF one
OF Tennysons most beautiful poems
FOR. although she WAS an honorary
member OF the feminine order OF ST.
Theresa OF Bavaria, 10 belong to when
as regular "chevdllere' requires u
long list of exclusively noble iorbears
she was the daughter OF i poor peasant
woman of Upper siiesia. Her molher
was widow, ana earned her living
most laboriously during the summer
by working IL the nclds, and III the
winter By nelpIng in the laundry work
OF some or the neishboring ehateauH.
wages are still very small IN that part
or the world, and In the early part OF
the last century We're even smaller.
so that Widow Zaborze and her little
daughter Johanna often Went hungry,
their principd! fare consisting OF pota-
toes and black bread.
The people by whom she was en-
ployed were wont TO permit her to
have the chi!d with her during her
work, and one of the chateau owners
by whom she was occaSI onaIiy hired
Rad his notice attracted To her child,
and became interested in the little
thing His name was Charles Godulla.
and ne was a self-made man. hayGn <
worked his way up from foreman OF an
iron works to its ownership. He com
menced by giving presents to the little
girl; then arranged for her education
and for the maintenance OF her mother
and OF herself. Finally. as he and his
wife We're childless, he adopted the
girl. and caused her 10 assume his
name. He had meanwhile become the
greatest ironmaster in Silesia, and
enormously wealthy, and as he an
nounced that Johanna would be his
sole heiress, and as, moreover, she was
an extremely pretty. clever and win
ming girl, she had no lack of suitors.
From among these she selected Count
Hans Gotthard Won Schaff gotsch. eldest
son of the nobleman of the same name.
who was for SO many years grand mas
ter of the ceremonies at the court OF
Berlin.
The marriage turned out an ideally
happy one in every respect, and as
the countess never made any attempt
TO secure presentation at the courts OF
Vienna or of Berlin, she escaped any
have been subjected on account of her
peasant birth, and spent her entire
existence in Silesia. whittier on her
immense estates, or in the capital OF
Sllesia. namely, Breslau, where she
owned palace, beneath the roof OF
which the Kaiser's eldest sister, Prin-
cess Charlotte of Sake Meiningen, and
the latter's husband, the future SOW
ereign Duke of Sake einingen. so
long in command of the troops in Sile-
sia were frequent and welcome guests.
In fact. this Village Countess" may
be said to have entertained members
OF nearly all the regning houses of
Europe, either at Breslau or on her
estates, especially during the manoeu-
vres of the German army in the east
ern provinces, when old Emperor VIII
liam and likewise his grandson. the
present Kaiser, on several occasions
established their headquarters at her
Chateau of KoppitZ.
Honored and respected by all OF the
local aristocracy, despite their char
acter!stically provincial pride and AFRO
gance Of birth, and beloved by all the
working classes, on account OF her
open-handed charity and inexhaustible
generosity, she leaves a large family
Of children and grandchildren, all her
sons bearing the Christian name OF
Gotthard, In accordance with the tradt-
ton that requires that every male
Schaffgotsch should be thus baptized
and that every daughter of the house
Should bear the name of Hedwig.
The haffgotsches are a very an
cient house. who received a barony of
the Holy Roman Empire about the time
#vanced to the rank OF count by the
later. There are two branches. the
chief one being established in Silesia
and according Its allegiance to the
Kaiser while the junior one, now
headed by Count Francis Schaffgotsch.
a chamberlain of Emperor Francis