The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-07
~ LA MARQUIsE DE roNTENoy.
\ oSEN MARIE. widow of the last
OF the Bourbon Kings of Ma.
pies, and heroine OF the siege OF

4 S-N MARIE, widow of the last
OF the Bourbon Kings of Ma
pies and heroine Of the siege of
Gaeta. will attain few weeks hence.
her SEVENTEEN birthday. Age and many
successive sorrows have laid a heavy
hand upon this truly royal woman.
whose destiny has been in many re-
sPects SO tragic. Her health is sadly
broken. and with this has come a fail
"re OF those mental powers which
were formerly almost masculine IN
'heir strength and vigor In fact ber
relatives are seriously CONSIDERING
.he aneisability OF taking steps for
her transfer from Paris TO her ma
I'VE Bavaria. or at any rate her re
movar from her present unfortn, 70
surroundings
These latter are source ~ Tho -,
most concern not only to her kinsfolk
IN Bavaria. and in Austria. bur even
10 the French authorities. who regard
themselves as more or less responsibIe
Tor her safety, long as she remains
IN Paris In circumstances so strait
ehed during the first fifteen or twenty
years following the loss of her thron.
lhat she was obliged to pawn her own
Jewels and her husbands plate with
Attenboroush. the London pawnbrok-
err She acquired after her husbands
death lutte a considerable fortune
through the demise of her mother
Duchess Macmillan OF Bavaria
through legacies from her sister. tho
Empress of Austria. and the late Prin.
cess Helen Thurn and Taxis. and above
all. through the action of the Italian
treasury, in finally consenting to pay
to her the annuity which the kingdom
OF Naples had bound Itself by treaty
with Bavaria Al the time Of her mar
riage 10 pay to her both ms consort
OF the King and subsequently as a
widow. In fact, when the settlement
was ultimately made by the Italian
treasury. at the instance of the Ger
man Emperor and of the court OF
Bavaria, both directly and through dip
arrears OF her annuity ever since tho
downfall of her husbands throne. In
1852
Some OF this money she spent in
building handsome mansion in the
Partisan suburb OF Neuilly, and which
is known as the Palace OF Naples. Some
of II she devoted TO the establishment
and maintenance OF a shop in Paris
where Neapolitan embroideries and
fancy work OF various descriptions are
sold at good prices. all the profit going
to the poor people producing the WORK
at Naples and in whom the Queen has
for years been interested. But the
larger part of her income. and II is
10 be feared good deal OF her capt
tai. is being squandered by her en-
tourage which is of the most dues-
tionab bic character. and which seems 10
have her completely under its influ
ence.
The leading members of the gang
~ 8
the name of Annie German. and
French woman, Marie Caradee form
erly chambermaids. but who have now
promoted themselves to ladies In wait
ing. The treasurer of the household is
a former stableman OF the name of
Battistelli. who. with his wife. has
recently been concerned in charges OF
theft. There is also woman Of the
name of Julia Boccarde, who seems TO
exercise an extraordinary influence
over her royal mistress and whose ORR
gin Is of a. mental character and an
able of unsavory repute. and in ex
tremely bad odor with his ecclesiasti-
cal superiors in Paris and in Rome
his name is the Able Tedechi-com-
pletes the royal household. and by
them the Queen is exploited in the
most shameful manner
Her encourage are not content with
converting her money to their own
purposes. with no other restriction
than that OF their rivalries for the
spoil They even secure payment from
people. especially foreigners and new
rich. for admitting them to the Queens
table. and in some cases even secur
ing her presence at their entertain"
ments Some Americans who have
been denied presentation at the courts
OF ST James, of Berlin and of Vienna,
have in this way secured invitations
TO the sPalace of Naples, at Neuilly.
and have obtained the presence of the
Queen at their own dinners. the Queen
beine persuaded by her encourage that
she was thus interesting rich and gen.
erous people in her favorite charities
There is considerable amount of
delicacy in the question of interven-
ton by her relatives or by the
French authorities, to prevent her
further exploitation and to remove
her from her environment. which Is so
objectionable as to keep all her form
err friends and all her faithful old adj
herents OF the great Neapolitan aris-
tocracy away from her. BY her mar
riage to the late King Francis of Ma
ples. she became an Italian and still
drawing an annuity from the italian
treasury, should under ordinary cir
cumstances be an object of care to the
italian ambassador. This. however, is
out Of the question, seeing that Queen
Marie is a dethroned italian sovereign.
whose former dominions and even her,
very palaces and their contents have
been appropriated by the reignine
house of Savoy. The French authori-
ties have no right to intervene. since
reigning sovereigns, by international