The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-06-20
TO SPANISH
THRONE is MARRIED
ny Ia MAnaUIsE DE IsoNTENoY.

ny LA MAHQUISE DE FONTENoY.
| q PAINS premier grandee. tho sew
I'D spent some time in the United
| states In 1907. was married at
MA drid tho other day to the. daughter
ding Is worthy OF passing note. By
reason OF the fact that the duke. in
additio to being probably the richest
member OF the Spanish aristocracy. Is d
Claimant TO the Spanish throne. This
| does not prevent him from being the
most Intimate friend OF King Alfonso.
who I. is his junior by only six years. and
ciated since boyhood.
The duke is q direct descendant Of
hing Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
the patrons of Christopher. Columbus
end for him and his family tho dy-
nnsty that now holds the crown Of
spain are nothing moro than usurrr
| Is a chamberlain OF the King, while
MS stepfather. the Duke of Santo
Niauro Is the grand chamberlain and
grand equerry OF the young Queen OF
/ spain, just in the same way as his
! grandmothcr. Dona Angela. the late
\ duchess or Medinaceli. was the grand
MISTRESS Of the household OF Queen
| CriStina.
During the last 400 years. whenever
new King OF Spain takes possession
OF MS throne and is proclaimed, her
/ blazoned with the Mcdinaccli coat OF :
arms. appear before the royal palace.
and protest in the name of their lord.
against the usurpation, set forth the
claim OF the Duke OF Alcdinaceii 20 the
| crown, and challenge In his name every
f, knight who may venture to dispute the
tend his opinion I'm a duel 10 tn.
| death, on the mountain or on the plain,
| by day or by night"
No grandec of Spain mas ever seen
! nor has the royal family offered any
| objection 10 this manner of formulat-
| ing the pretonsions Of the Dukes OF
Medinaceli. and the practice has been
Kept up more us Il sort OF tradition and
hereditary custom, than anything else
! may add that on each occasion Of
throne the Duke OF Medinaceli Tor tf Q
time being sends a solemn note OF pro-
ttsst against the alleged usurpation Of
The crown TO all the foreign courts.
which Is politely acknowledged and
there the matter rests
The duke is the seventeenth Of his
Hne TO bear the title of Medinaccii.
granted by Emperor Charles V when
ne founded the grandezZa. by granting
I to twelve OF his peers. He possesses
about a dozen equally historic duke
doms. and his chief home Is n magnif-
cent palace at Madrid which dates
from the seventeenth century. IS Sit
uated just opposite the Royal Museum
OF Paintings. and is crowded from cell
lar TO garnet with treasures and heir
looms which have been accumulated
by the family during the course Of
centuries.
! lime chvalry and ultra -modcrnity.
some time ago Il was brought 10 his
his name TO large amount. in The
neighborhood of $4,000. Although the
iacrGery was obvious and the young
duke actually held In mis- hand a con.
fession from the fellownoble who had
ptrpetrsted the fraud, he insisted on
,fH ,in the bin and on paying the
iuil amount, taking, like the presen.
Si I'M ips
a lew, years ago in England. and llka
the late Count Ladislas Hoyos, III
the High and ofS sfeana 9 tba, hs
could not permit the signature of the
historic name which he had Inherited,
70 be dishonored, even though it had
peen written by -scoundrel If ever
there was a case OF the old time adage
"noblesse oblige" being put into prac-
ice, II was surely in this instance, and
the yonng dukes conduct, and. above
AL his lofty regard for the honor or
the family name, are distinctly refresh-
ing, when compared with the conduct
ent day in Europe. who resort to all
kinds OF legal technicalities and auib-
bles to avoid the payment. not mere
~ Of tradesmen's bills. but even OF
not hesitate to resort 10 fraud, and
even TO crime, in order to obtain the
resources necessary to satisfy their
extravaganza.
The duke. like his friend King AL
fonso. Is OF posthumous birth, having
come into the world several months af- 4
| ter the tragic death of his father, who
accidentally shot himself in the woods
or Guadarama. falling MORALLY wound
cd at the feet OF his young wife, 10
whom he had been married but few
weeks. Five years afterwards She
married the Duke of Santo Mauro, and
%hen , the late Infanta Mercedes. the
elder sister OF the King, died she was
ter'S motherless children.
The Duke OF A1edinncell is one Of
Inc ea, e5aek polo PLAYERS play Of Spain has
brothers or sisters the present heir
TO his honors and estates being his
fathers younger brother, Fernando,
ish Senate
The will Of missing Archdukc John
OF Austria twho after a disappearance
~ declared dead, by the Austrian
courts of law was handed the other
day. unopened to the Emperor, who
presence OF Count d'Aehrenthal, who is
not only Minister Of Foreign Affairs,
but also Minister OF Imperial House.
Empire; while another person present
was Prince Montenuovo the Grand
Master of the Court OF Vienna, and It's
tents OF the will were communicated
to the various adult members OF the
house of Hapsburg. Si
The will consists OF three auto
| graph documents, signed and scaled by
Archdukc John. Two bear the date OF
! 1878, and the third that Of 1880. the.
! year prior to that OF the testators pre-
| sumed death. This will directs that
lcgacies be paid to his mother (now
dead. to Fraulein Stubel, the actress
| whom he married in London before
accompanying him on his last and fate
J fulisVoyaSe. disappeared Mt the same