Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1910-01-08
THRONE UF BELGIUM
SOUGHT FOR BY A Fight In
THE COURTS.
Late King Leopold Had Mistress Who
Bore Him Son, Now Claimant of
Crown-His Daughters VIII Bring
Suit to Break the Will of Father Who
Gave Most All to Mistress.

DiuoSels, Lee. GA HSnI 10 ODldln
the throne of Belgium for her 5-year-
old son Lucien, the offspring of her
morganatic marriage to the late King
Leopold, is the threat that Brussels
believes will be held over the heads of
the daughters of the king by Baroness
Vaughan to prevent their threatened
suit to break their father S will, in
which he bequeathed the bulk of his
millions to the baroness. The capital
views the prospect with nervous fear.
One other motive, also, prompts the
baroness, and that is to clearly estab-
lish to the world her marriage to the
king, so that she may appear as a royal
widow.
There is absolutely no fear of the
success of such a suit, for the Belgian
law could not be palmer with respect
to the offspring of marriage wherein
the civil ceremony is lacking being in
eligible to the throne.
Wealth in Foreign Property.
The Belgian government is co-operat-
ing with the daughters of the king,
Princesses Louise, Stephanie and Glenn.
entine, in an effort to deprive her of
the legacy, but inasmuch as the greater
part of Leopold's wealth was in for
eign property the government s chances
of recovering any considerable amount
are hardly worth considering.
Woman of Low Origin.
There are conflicting stories regard
inc
Vaughan, but all are agreed as to her
low origin, her surprising beauty, her
questionable life and the suddenness
with which the king fell a victim to
her lures.
Six years ago, when Leopold was
stopping at the Elysee hotel in Paris
he saw from the hotel window the
baroness, then Caroline Lacroix, pass
ing on the sidewalk. She was then a
well-known character in Paris. Leo
pold was Immediately struck with her
great beauty and he ordered that the
girl be introduced TO him. That even
ing the king shocked Paris and the
Belgium court by dining in public with
her 1t was thought then that il was
only a passing within Of the king; that
be would treat her as he had treated
scores Of others. But subsequent
events proved that Leopold was en-
tangled beyond all power Of escape
and that the affair, lightly entered
into, was destined 10 divide the king 5
home, shock the royalty Of all Europe,
make the name OF Leopold a byw0rd
among home-loying people aud eyentu-
ally cost the royal family the bulk Of
bis vast fortune.
One story says that the baroness Was
the daughter Of a porter az the French
legation in budapest another that her
mother MAS q barmaid, and still another
that her mother Nas a eharN0man aud
her father a dissolute actor,
ahe ~ credited viii having married
French officer who posed ~ Baron
Vaughan, from whom she Mas divorced
shortly before meeting Leopold What.
eler her carly life may have been her
mfeilng Nlil Leopold Changed AL, aud
s|lf eeased ~ be d public chaFaeiel,
eAefpi af Aer relations Hiih ile klng
forced NeI lpip iAe llmeiiglf
shortly afieI ilf meelng beiHeeu
ibe baroness end Leopold w ioot hel
on board A|f yacht Qn eluisf NJ ils
Aedlffuanfan leopold bought Az
fllla "1le falms fiiaafed elote 4.
illf l'Rehep ralaee. snd connected alil
Al iy Az underground psssaRf liell
49, Haf lNfialled AZ W. Royal mislleaa
Az lAe ali|nF w " ~ VIA Leopold
speni fAffHl ANaaied iAonsand aol
sll fesl pan NJ ~ mqse} NJ laf
sAee plen lNf