New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-28
DUKE De la CHATRE"
soulIs Noble Who Has Many
American Acquaintance.


anonymously in the recent Travellers
Wv, scandal at Berlin will not be found
.~rhere in any Of the standard works Of
.,.,.nce. such as the Almanach de Gotha,
~. The Individual in question is in re-
.v,v Swiss citizen Of the name of The
..,,s spreng. the son OF a lawyer Of
n.,,. and claims TO have received the title
:, Due de La Chatre through the testa-
..ntary dispositions Of the eighth duke
:, that name who is alleged to have died
s,ort quarter Of century ago.
Now, although there have been Rarons
"a Counts de La Chatre In the history
:, france notably a field marshall in the
,.,sr Of Henry ", and a Count de La
r,s,re who was killed at the battle Of
So,alinguen. IN 1ei5. and who was the author
=. some very curious memoirs dealing with
-. minority Of King Louis XIV, the de
IA Chatre family is now wholly extinct
Zee las. bona fde member was a Count
=. La Chatre. who was created a duke by
Louis XVIII, on the Restoration. He died
=, 1924 without issue. and then. strictly
,ceskins his honors and name became ex-
.,,ct For his dukedom as we'll as the
TILE OF count. which had come to him by
with. were only heritahls in the male
line direct
nephew Of his wife, however. assumed
ho,h The name and the title Of Due de La
cbstre. without any warrant or authority.
e-s PASSED Il on 10 his own son. Raoul.
The latter. neer-do-well. married a
ron,an Of stormy antecedents and peculiar
history. who had as her best friend The
nsora Spreng She was able to induce her
husband 10 adopt spreng and TO af1x his
signature 10 a will by which he beoueathed
:, his friend Theodore Spreng. his name
srd his title At least. that is what the
r,u shows. although Il has been repeated
T., alleged that the documents left by Raoul
re Ia Chatre showed signs Of rnanipula-
tor.
On the strength Of those documents. how
ev4r. such as they were. Theodore Spreng.
Who vas born or Nav 2. 1885. succeeded
n obtaining from the cantonal govern
rent IL Basic decision. dated June 1.
';s-. authorizing him 70 add 70 his name
Of sprAng the name. but not the title. OF
re la Chetre. the cartonal government
holding thet neither u. nor any other gov
errr,entsl body in the Swiss Republic
uss competent 70 grant authorization for
the assumption Of nobiiary title
~ rossibl. right or authority for calling
himself Due De La Chatre and. even ed
hitting that the grand nephew Of the
Duo dA lie Chatre, who died in 1924 without
issue really adopted him, and bequeathed
- him the name Of La Chatre, II Is
very serious question as 10 whether the
srand-nephev in question had himself the
right 20 the name Of La Chatre. since his
own father was merely the nephew OF the
wife ~ the duke, and had assumed the
dukes name and title in 1924 without
roval warrant
During the twenty odd years that Thee
fore Snreng has been rosturine IN Paris
sc Duo De La Chatre. he has never sue
ceedAd in obtaining admission TO any re-
rrtabie club. or even 70 any decent French
society: while Hauterive, the well known
cerealogist. and other experts whose names
count for something IN such matters have
publicly ridiculed his pretensions. Even
the ordinary Paris directories have baked
g. recording him IN their pages under the
TILE that he has assumed. and the only
rsorle among whom he is able 70 mas
erersdA more or less successfully as Duo
de la Cbatre are the visitors from North
and South America and from the Levant
whose ignorance leads them 10 become the
dures Of Just such men as Theodore
Srreng and of the other rrofessionai
gamblers. adorned with equally bogus
titles who have been associated Nth him
IN the Travellers Club scandal. club that
is now extinct They undoubtedly selected
the name Of the Travellers Club because
- IS that ~ one Of the most exclusive cluos
IN London. and Of a club in Paris. on the
Champs Flysees, which started under
very favorable auspices, for the purpose
- b-ingins members Of first-class American
clubs. and Of equally smart American
ciubs urbo banrened 70 he in Paris, into
contact with leading French clubmen. IL
lsa long since. however. degenerated into
gambling establishment. which has been
subjected 20 frequent visitatfons by the
police mainly for the purpose OF arresting
or the premises card sharpers and unoe-
sirahle foreigners whom IL was deemed
wise ~ expel from French territory.
To Revive the Name Of Marshal Sout.
President Fallieres has just affixed his
Signature 10 a decree on the strength or
recommendation by the Council OF state
granting the petition Of the FIVE SONS or inc
late Baron Andre de Reille 10 assume inc
name 81 Soult borne by their great-srano-
father the famous Marshal Soult, VINO was
created Duke Of Damatia by the hrst Nd
poleon and whose empire honors were con-
Nrrn4o nv the Bourbons on their restora-
ton m 1914.
The marshaTs granddaughter and SOLO
heiress. Mile Gensvieye Soult married
Colonel Baron Rene de Reille. VINO WIS
Under Secretary of state in the conserNa-
tive administration Of De Fourtou, durlhs
the Presidency of Marshal MacMahon. Inns
couple had a son, the late Baron Anoie oe
Pei1e. and II is his five sons VINO nave
now received authority from the Counci'
~ State and from the President OF the re-
public 10 change their name from oe heiio
IN soult. the Presidential decree bearing
the date Of June 3.
This does not mean, however that THESE
young men will have any right whatsoever
70 their eat-grandfather's title OF Duke
If Da!natia. although | confidently expect
ere long ~ SEQ one of them decked forth
in his nobiliary dgnities. If he does TINS
IL will be without any legal warrant -,
the first place, as have repeatedly poih'eu
out in these letters. nobihary uties III
France descend only in the male llne ufe'"
and not in the female Line This Is nPe
cially stipulated in monarchical laws sun
IN existence and never yet repealed. IL s
true that the two emperors OF the FRENCH
and likewise some of the kings Of France,
have sometimes revived in men the nobii-
larry honors OF their maternal grandia'hei
or maternal uncle. But this mas always
been by means Of patent and as an ACT Vi
infrequent grace and favor The govern