The Washington herald., 1911-08-14

" men the MISS Julld Oh
New York. after obtaining a South Da-
kota divorce from her husband. Maj
Edward Johnson. of the British army.
married Count George Eruoedy. Hunga-
rian Magyar, she dreamed little OF thus
ever opening the way for a deal with
John Pierpont Morgan, the financial
magnate and famous art connoisseur and
collector of rarities. But such has been
the case. While on a visit TO a near
relative of her husband. the Count Imre
Erdoedy at Castle Golgoe, she beheld
herlOOms of such antiquity and rarity
that She could not refrain from mention
ing the fact in one of her letters TO her
friend, the wife of the Right Hon. Lewis
Harcourt, British colonial secretary. and
a niece of the New York banker.
or course, the expected happened. Mr..
Morgan'S appetite was whetted, his curl
osity aroused, and pretty soon, with the
promptitude of action which Is a domt
nant factor in all his dealings. he ap-
peared at Budapest one day Unexpectedly
and asked the former New Yorker, and
now a leader Of society in the Hungarian
capital. to get him chance to inspect
the heirlooms This the countess did.
curtain, library. and other priceless relics
which the fifteenth century Bohemian
warrior King Matthias Coronius took
from the Turks IN his many border fights
with the Janissaries Of the Sultan.
Mr.. Morgan promptly offered $1,000 flo
rims for the throne curtain, but Count
Erdoedy declined to pa with his heir
loom. But the American was not to be
thwarted so easily. He ascertained that
the relics constituted part Of the heir
loom collection in Castle Golgoe, and hint
ed that he might not be averse to pur-
chasing not only all of these, but also the
castle and the fourteen fideu commiss es-
tates which form the Erdoedy possessions
in the Neubier Komitat in the valley of
the Waag River. so famous for its price,
less tokay vintage
At this stage Countess Imre Erdoedy
herself became much interested in the
offer. She knew that Americans were not
stingy with their dollars, and her Gu
pidity was aroused. She suggested TO her
husband to tell Mr.. Morgan that LOO, 900
would purchase the estate plus the relics.
The financier agreed, provided the deal
could be closed at once.
Then the count took the Hungarian
premier into his confidence. but the latter
reminded the Magyar that the estate
and all its heirlooms and relics were en-
tailed property and could not pass out
of the possession of the family without
sanction of the hereditary "Herrenhaus'
blouse of Lords) and the Emperor King.
The aged monarch, who is now at Schloss
Kaintz, on the Laibach, and still very
weak from his recent grave illness, has
been appealed to, and upon his word
rests the decision whether Mr.. Morgan,
the American financier, Is to become q
feudal baron Of the dual monarchy, as
the rights and titles of the barony 60
to the possessor.
A temporary soJourn Of Mr.. Henry
White, the veteran American diplomat,
who for a generation almost has been
connected with the United States en-
bassies at Vienna. London, Rome, and
Paris, in the city of Berlin the other
day, where he was entertained by the
charge d'affaires, Irwin Laughlin, gave
rise to the rumor in the German capital
that he was to succeed DR.. Hill as
iCdu AiHDdSSduoI ~ tiC ooNSA hhiCht
of the Kaiser. There is no doubt that
Mr.. White would be welcome at the
Berlin court, for he and his interesting
family are very popular there. where
they have often visited.
But Mr.. Whites visit and brief stop
at Berlin had no political meaning. He
was passing through on his way to the
Prussian province of Silesia to pay a
visit to his daughter
Muriel and his son-in-law, Count Her
mann Won Scherr-Thoss' member of
the ancient Slesian aristocracy, and his
one-year-old granddaughter. Margaret, at
their home in Castle Rossnachau. near
The Kaiser. in accordance with his
fixed rule never to retain personal gifts
Of great value or historic association.
has decided to turn the Martin Luther
letter. for which J. Pierpont Morgan, Of
New York. paid s250oo. and which he
later presented to the Emperor as tho
most fitting repository for SO purely
German relic" over to the national mu-
scum.
The Emperor has made II o rule never
to deviate from this custom. When
Count Won schaak gave his famous pic
turs gallery to the Kaiser N Issk he 90
Y T.