The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-21

From Letter by Henry Watterson III
 the Louisville Courier-Journal.
 ~ AP MARTIN is just across the bay from Monte Carlo. It is a O rocky point. well wooded, which, like a great arm reaches out into the sea, forming the Monaco inlet, and serving as a break-water. The ex-Empress Eugenle has villa there. So has Joseph Puit- ger Both go about a great deal and are familiar figures to the natives.
 Around the bend to the eastward is Menton. Still further along, across the Italian frontier, past Ventimille and Bordighera, in San Reno. Beaulien and villefranche lie in the other direction westerly from Monte Carlo-yet, as .t were, within stone's throw. James Cor don Bennett has his villa at Beaulieu. He went the other day with his yacht, the Lysistrata. on little cruise to the Indian ocean, expecting before his return the last of May to visit Calcutta and Ceylon, Mel bourne and Java, and most of the South Sea Islands.
 The late King of the Belgians, Leopold II. made his winter home in a beautiful d Villefranche and Beaulieu. His experience may well be matched with that of the Countess of warwick. More lies have been told about this monarch than about any modern parsonage. To write him down, . regular bureau of defamation was set up in England, Germany and the United States. The last 20 years of his life he was represented not merely as a grasping and avaricious man, cruel and relentless father, but as dissolute gambler and riotous debauche.
 There were both reason and method here. At the congress of Berlin he under took the protectorate of the Congo. No body supposed it at that time to be any thing except burden. It was even thought an imposition to saddle him with it, and he himself said he took 1t at a sacrifice. It turned out gold mine. Then the powers-especially Germany and Eng land-resolved if possible to wrest 1t from him.
 A campaign of systematic calumny was organized. Not merely were newspapers inveigled and subsidized but distinguished writers were hired to write books relat- ing the horrors of the Congo. The anti slavery clements in America were drawn in and did yeoman service in the ever fruitful cause of the man and brother.
 Leopold proved nuts to the foreign correspondents" Half the time they had him disguised in Paris, living with this, that and the other of the frail darlings of the footlights and lettering behind the scenes of the variety theatres. When a famous but disreputable dancer was not at her post in the Folies Bergeres she was over in Brussels with Leopold. He once told me he had never seen her off the stage. Between whiles he was said to have a mistress-a certain Baroness Vaughn-with whom he made merry at Cap Ferrat. When at last he died it was found that this lady had been his wife.
 His daughters seem to have been rather impossible. He was assuredly far rom a gallant either in character or appear ance. He looked like the typical Dutch burgomaster; tall and massive, with how- ing beard! a little lame, walking heavily with a cane extremely benignant in his conversation and manners.
 once asked him what game of chance he preferred and he answered that he had never gambled for penny in all his life AS to drink he was almost total abstainer using only light wine with water.
 He was undoubtedly 8 shrewd man of business and knew how to look after his own. The grandson of Louis Philippe and the great-grandson of Philippe Egalite, he did not show his French blood; the rather Fleming such as one sees every day in the streets of Ghent and Bruges and Antwerp. There was not a particle of foundation forlthe queer stories constantly told about him any more than for the Tranby Croft story told about Lady Brooke.
 But the great, who are not beyond reach of calumny. have no means of reprisal. Except in such cases as those of the King of the Belgians and the Countess of Warwick-singled out for defamation equally infamous and persistent-the vic tims are unlikely to hear of it. As we Zee from Lady Warwick's letter she has not merely heard 1t but felt 1t. as well she might and her protest, late as 1t comes. ought to be universally circulated as .