New-York tribune., 1910-04-27
The Paris Pseudo de lusicnsn.


with regard 10 the Psrisisn soi-dissnt
Prince de Lusignsn." whose name has been
mentioned in the dispatches in connection
With the arrest OF the bogus Count
d'Aubly dc Gatigny." for frauds prsctised
upon Americans by pslming OF upon them
as authentic pictures bearing the forged
signatures OF famous painters. I may men
tion that he Is accorded the title OF King
OF Jerusalem and ~ Cyprus. is addressed
as your majesty and conceded royal
honors b. his coufederstes and his dupes.
but by no one else. He has. however. even
still loss basis for his pretenticns than the
soi-disant Prince de Jusgnsn Of st. Peters
burg. referred 10 above
The Partisan Prince de Lusignan'' Is one
OF two sons Of an Armenian stonemsson.
bailing from Constsntinople. who drifted TO
Venice, where he died penniless. His boys
were educated as rsupcrs st the Armenian
monastery or ST Lazarus al Venice. under
their fathers name Of Kslfs- Both were
reared for the priesthood. and on q branch
school Of the monastery being established
al Paris. they were appointed thereto I'm
the capacity Of teachers. The school. how
ever got into difficulties. and one fine day
was closed by the police. who jailed some
Of the instructors and turned the others
into the street The two brothers kalfs
thereupon made their way 20 Rome,
whence the one went on 10 Constsntincple,
where for time he was known as Khoren
Mar Bey. He subsequently became Arch
bishop and Patriarch Of IN. Armenian
Greek Catholic Rite. OF an intriguing turn
OF mind. he ended by incurring first the
suspicion and then tho animosity OF Sultan
Abdul Hamid. and about sixteen years ago.
at the time OF the great conspiracy for the
restoration Of the late ex-Sultsn Murad,
he died in sudden and mysterious
manner that II was pretty certain that his
end was due 10 foul play on the part OF
Gfdiz lNOsque ernissaries The other
brother drifte1 back TO Paris and in course
of time blossomed forth as Prince de
Lusignan" and a King OF Jerusalem and
of Cyprus" on the strength Of which he
married a foolish widow OF some little
money, % mature years and Of consider
able vulgarity. who. after mssquerading
for some time under the title Of Queen OF
Jerusalem and Cyprus. died. What is e1-
ceedingly amusing about his pretensions is
the fact that even in the biographical
notices which he has written about him
self, in those dictionaries and works OF
reference that are compiled for -he special
benefit OF people who wish TO see their
names and their history (as they tell iO in
print, he does not claim that either his
father or grandfather bore the title OF
Prince de Lusignan He admits that the
name borne by his family is Kalfa, and
the best that he can say as to the respecta-
bility OF his immediate ancestors is that
his grandfather vas the first Napoleon s
mameluke. and was killed at the battle of
Austerlitz. under the name OF Yusuh Bey.
The pseudo prince ADDS that financial and
other circumstances prevented his family
from laying claim to the title and name OF
Prince de BUsignan until he was enabled to
do so BY the money that he obtained
through his marriage
need not add that none of his titles are
recognized by any European government.
nor would his decorations-the orders Of
Melusine and OF St Catheune-be permit
ted 10 be worn at any of the courts OF the
Old World. nor even in public abroad.
People. indeed. would expose themselves
TO arrest in France 81 they were 70 be
seen wearing the insignia OF his orders of
knighthood OF even the ribbon badges
thereof in public places. This pseudo
Prince de Lusignan and King OF Jerusalem
j. an object Of ridicule TO all sensible per
sons. and IL he has escaped until now any
trouble with the police In Paris IL is be-
cause no one on discovering the worthless
ness Of his orders OF knighthood has cared
10 expose himself TO popular derision by
suing the man for the money paid 20 him
under the plea OF chancery fees. These
fees have all been profit, for the King Of
Jerusalem has merely given the patent OF
the order and colored drawing OF the
cross itself. which the recipient thereupon
has had TO have made by the jeweller at
his or her own expense. Needless TO add
that this bogus king in paTtibus does not
belong 70 any reputable club in Paris, has
never secured admission even 20 the half
way smart and cosmopolitan society OF the
French capital snd is in every sense Of the
word q vulgar impostor.
His pretensions 10 the title OF King OF
Jerusalem are all the more resented since
IL forms part OF the heredity dignit'es of
several reigning sovereigns. among them
Emperor Francis Joseph OF Austria, Al
fonso XIII OF Spain and Victor Emmanuel
III of Italy. the last named having taken
the title over. along with the others OF the
last King Of Naples The widowed eI-
Queen of Naples still remains Queen Of
Jerusalem BY courtesy.
MARQUIS DE FONTESOY.
@