The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-04-24
Ky IA NARaUIsE DE FoNTEN0Y.
~ OR assuming the title OF princess
L. the lawful Wife OF Prince Eber-
wyn Bentheim. of Bentheim.
hns IL, L.

wyn Bentheim. of Bentheim-
Steinfurt. has Just been scnteno-
cd at Hanover to a weeks irnprison-
mont and TO Il nnc.
Four years ago the prince. who is /,
member OF the former petty aovereign
house OF Benthein and Stcinfurt
(Which was medigtized by the Con
gross. Of Vienna. after the downfall Of
Napoicon In 1870. was forced by fIian.
cial troubles to surrender his rights
Of succession as eldest son TO tho
ehieftninship OF his house. and To tie
control OF the entailed estates EIo
perfectly legal fashion, Trnulein LILY
Langenfeld. daughter OF the former
Mayor OF Homburg. But his rela-
tives declined TO recognize her as
not his equal in BIRTH aud that no
had not obtained beforehand their
consent to the marriage. as required by
the laws OF their house.
These laws are an anachronism, and
arc regarded by many OF the greatest
1urists Of Europe as absolutely un-
constitutional. Each of the now reign
ing houses of EuroDc has certain stat.
uics OF It's own governing tho rcla-
lions or It's members among them
selves. tho division of their cntailed
laws that arc absolutely Indispensable
and which have received due parlia.
mentarv sanction. Thus. only few
weeks ago the national Legislature
ceptance OF the new family statutes
Of the rcignlng house OF s;ervia
When Enipcror NAPOLEON wiped out
Of existence the Holy Roman Empire
In 1906 he incidentally deprived near
100 petty sovereigns of their thrones.
After his downfall. the Conference of
Vienna. In reconstitnting the map of
Europe. found it irnpolitic to revive
all these petty soyereignticS. and. To
compensate their former owners me :
diatized them. that is 10 say, endowed
them with certain royal rights. includ-
ing those OF mating on a footing OF
equality with reigning dynasties, OK
omption from taxation, the right Of
contracting morganntic marriages. etc.
The mediatizcd families have diniin-
ishcd In number. and those remaining
have gradually been shorn of most of
their prerogatlvcs In fact. their as
similation with the now rcigninG
houses has rapidly disappeared, and al
though in tho new Code of the Ger
man Empire provision was specially
made for. the national acceptance OF
the family statutes of those houses
still occupying throne. nothing was
done with regard to tho mediatized
families. Consequently the family
speaking, no legal value $ far as
the empire is concerned.
The fact that Prince Benthcim- Stein
furt should have married Burgomaster
L.angenfeld's daughter contrary to the
wishes of his relat ives and in defianca
of their family statutes. does not con-
Germ the Code OF the Empire. and the
marriage having been contracted ac-
cording to the laws Of England, whore
the prince and Ills wife had previous
~ established their legal homicile, rem
iers her his wife, and as such entitled
"a share his hdnors and position.
Therefore. the decision of the tribu-
nails of Hanover. oondomning tho
princes wife TO imprisonment and hno
for the violation of that law which
renders the unwarrnntcd use OF a no
hillary title penal offense. Is Of eX-
trcmely doubtful validity and Is likely
to be reversed IL carried on final ap.
peal to the Supreme Court OF the en-
pirc at Leipsic.
The fate which has thus overtaken
the bourgeois horn wifo of Prince Ben
theim Steinfurt. is one which Is liable
to fall TO the share of any young girl.
not of royal or mediatized birth, who
happens to we'd one Of the princes or or
Germany. without the consent of his
relatives. Sho can style herself by
his name and title without let or
hindrance as long as she remains
abroad; say In France. England or
Amcricn. But let her set foot in Ger
many or in the Austro- Hungarian En-
rire and sho is liable to share the
fate that has just overtakcn the con-
sort of young Prince Bentheim- Stein
furt. that is To say. Jail nSd fine, be-
Up to oblonuy US bogus princess
or countess as tho case may be.
There Is q good deal of public SYM
pathy with the prince, for he has not
been treated properly by his family.
and he Is now suing for tho annul-
his rights Of succession as an eldest
son. owing to the fact that his athor
hns not fulfilled tho terms of tho
agreement, notably tho pecuniary stip-