The Washington herald., 1911-07-03
The Mysterious Girl Who Liped in Bristol

ing the cause of their curiosity she
shrugged her shoulders. saying that she
saw nothing extraordinary In It; her
father used to ride in carriage drawn
by eight horses.
Who was this mysterious stranger?
From indications gathered from vari-
Gus documents, she seemed to have
been an illegitimate daughter of the
Emperor Franz, the consort OF the En-
press Maria Teresa, of Austria, whom
Frederick the Great fought and de-
feated in the famous seven years war.
1t is a well-known historical fact that
the consort OF the Empress had many
love AFFAIRS and that Maria Teresa her
self used to excuse his many infideli-
ties on account of his inactivity. Once
she is said to have warned her conf
dante, Caroline Pichler, never to marry
a man who had no occupation. Indeed,
Maria Teresas love for her husband
was such that she not only seemed to
ignore the many liaisons of her royal
spouse, but even forgave the objects
of his alteration. One of Franz's fav-
orites was Princess Maria WilhelminS
Josephe Of Auersperg. with whom he
often passed his evenings and who was
present at Innsbruck when her royal
lover died.
The coffin containing the mortal re-
mains of the Emperor was brought to
Vienna and the Empress appeared be-
fore her assembled court for the first
time after her bereavement. She saw
all the courtiers on one side. while on
the other, quite isolated and evidently
avoided by all who were anxious thus
to express their sympathy with their
widowed sovereign, stood the Princess
Auersperg, her tear-stained face hidden
by a black veil. Maria Teresa ap-
preached the friend Of her late hus-
band and holding out her hand, said:
I'VE have both lost a great deal, my
dear" On the day OF his death the
Emperor had given the princess draft
on the treasury for the sum of 100000
forms. The ministers refused to pay
It, but Maria Teresa insisted upon the
signature of her late husband being
honored.
Who the mother of the mysterious
girl of Bristol was remains a mystery
which most probably never will be
solved. The secret seems to have been
jealousy guarded by the imperial fam
lily Of Hapsburg and by all those who
came into contact with this "enfant
d'amour." She had been brought up in
a village in Bohemia, where she lived
in a country house with her mother.
Here she was visited by the Emperor
several times. He used to take her
on his knee, kiss and embrace her and
tell her that she must grow up to be
n good girl, Obedient and sensible. Once
he told her that he would always take
care of her, make her happy, but that
she must promise never to get married.
One day the clergyman, who had
given her religious instruction, came
to inform her that her protector was
dead and that before his demise he
had expressed his wish that she should
be sent to a French convent. She was
then taken to Bordeaux. But the girl
seems to have escaped from the con-
vent. and having learned the secret of
her birth, she wrote letters to several
persons at the Austrian court. The
Marshal RIchelieu, who had been
French ambassador at the Austrian
court. treated her with distinction and
the Duke OF York, Edward Augustus,
brother Of King George III of England,
on his way to Italy, visited her.
The result OF her correspondence was
an order from Vienna to arrest the
young woman. She was brought to
Brussels, where she related. to Count
Cobenzl all she knew of her birth. The
resemblance she bore to the late En-
peror was very striking. She was kept
in custody only q short time and one
day was taken to Quevrin, beyond
Mons. and there, with a purse contain
ing so golden louis as her entire for
tune, was abandoned to her fate. HeI
disappointment, her misfortune, and
her sufferings seem to have unhinged
her mind and she must have wandered
about for at least two years before
she came to England.
The secret of her identity. which the
imperial Hapsburg family was so
anxious to guard. died with her.
Copyright. 1911. by Court Gossip syndicats)