New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-23
kings SENSE OF HONOR
How ItaIy'S Ruler Has Disposed
of Queen Pas Jewels.


held up TO the admiration of the world for
his scrupulous regard for what he considers
N be the obligations of honor. King Hum
hort. il may be remembered, went TO the
most extraordinary lengths TO pay off
the enormous debts contracted by his
father some Of them for obligations that
b. would have had every right to repudiatc.
either because they represented usury. and
sometimes worse. or else because they were
obligations which could be classed as Of an
immoral character. he also went out of
his way to bestow annuities upon INDECENT
members of the Neapolitan branch OF the
House Of Bourbon. Besides this. ne repeat
edly paid the debts Of his terribly extrava-
CANT sister. queen Pia Of Portugal.
Ills son. the present King. is even rill
more scrupulous than his predecessor on
The throne. and has given a notable illus
.ration thereof in connection with the re-
cent death of his aunt. queen Pia Of Por-
-ugaL at the castle OF Stupinigi, in Pied /
mont the other day. She had, when she
succumbed. some very fine Jewels &c the
value of more than $4,000. most of them
qifts Of her Italian relatives and of his
torical value 10 the sovereign house of
savoy especially. a diamond necklace. es-
f.nIf"U TO hf WI atA f-''f''' AAAl4N iNN"A
emmanuel would have had many excuses
for appropriating these jewels. on the
Ground that the queen was by birth a
,rfncess Of Italy and member Of his fami-
" that she had been not only driven out
of Portugal but also exiled by the Lisbon
reuubIic and forbidden ever 10 return, and
also because the gems were for the most
part family jewels Of the reigning house Of
Italy.
Declining TO avail himself Of any Of these
arguments be has minated 10 the Portu-
glese government that he will offer no OBJ
-,ctiou 90 the gems being turned over 10
i+- diplomatic representative in Italy for
tne purpose OF being sold. in order 10 pay
NJ advances. 10 the tune of a couple of
million dollars. that the late Queen had OBJ /
tanned from the Portuguese treasury dur
.-r trr reign Of her husband, son and
n~.rdson All thai King Victor Emmanuel
asks of the Portuguese government is that
t. should be- permitted 90 buy, az "a valua-
zion. those Jewels OF his aunts which are
NJ historical interest TO the house OF Savoy
Victor Emmanuel was, perhaps. also
r-omrted ir this by the doctrine that kings
and queens who have lost their crowns are
accorded. as a matter Of courtesy, the
Same bonors as If still on the throne. Ac-
eo--irg 10 this theory queen Pia was still i
Queen Dowager of Portugal in the eyes
Id the Italian government, and she pos
eaeead fin Italy the same extra-territoriaI .
,rivu-ees as the Portuguese envoy at
Rome In tact. she was, even though an
evr. still theoretically a Portuguese.
Kaiserin Sustains a Loss.
ivory American who has visited the .
court of Berlin. or who has come into con
tact with the Kaiserin. either in Germany /
o- abroad. will remember her courtly and .
.u.ab.e Master of the Household. Won dem .
ryr.sabecz who has Just succumbed 70 an .
ora~arion for appendicitis. in the Red Cross
rrosrital al Cassel. and 10 which he had /
r..r transported. to undergo the opera
,oa from the neighboring palace Of VIII
r--rrshohe. where he was in attendance .
upon his imperial mistress.
tll4 death has been a source Of great .
distress 20 the Empress. who was very
frd of him. since, in addition 20 having
charge of her entire household he was her
chief. adviser and her agent in all the null
rt.rfous philanthropic work in which she
ta- always been interested. In fact, some
.f.r trust 20 be- able 70 give IN these let
..r. complete list OF the extraordinary f.
number OF churches. OF hospitals OF con /
,-.I.-c4nt homes and OF orphanages which /
tl- Kaiserin. in conjunction with her ad-
wiser Won dem Knesebeck. has founded /
and .ndowed during the last twenty years
sometimes with her own money, sometimes
with money placed at her disposal for the
purpose by persons Of every creed and de-
nomination. who were satisfied that II
would be turned 20 good account.
Before becoming the Empress's Grand .
Master OF the Household ne was her chief
Chamberlain and prior 20 that her princi-
pa. Private Secretary. He had Joined her /
household Immediately on the death OF the
Empress Augusta in which service he had .
spent some eighteen years. as Private Sec
r.tarv 4. was the son Of General Won /
Gem Kuesebeck. the last envoy Of the now
oetmcr kingdom Of Hanover 10 the court /
o. Vienna He joined the Prussian army |
on ,le outbreak Of the war with France, /
and served throughout that conflict as a /
fellow officer Of Prince Bulow in the so /
called Bonn Kings Hussars. and won the /
order of the Iron Cross for conspicuous /
eauaut-y on the battlefield. With Bulow /
h- remained on terms of great intimacy /
until couple of years ago. when he as
Well 4s tile Empress. became imbued with /
l.r .lH4, al Lle LLle D4 Tic 9'ilao ti'i4oi4 .
imperial interview in THE London Daily T.
Telegraph that the prince-chancellor |
had -acrfced his imperial master 20 save
himself from public wrath. Won dem |
Kn-s-heck was president Of the headquar-
tiers committee in Germany Of the Red /
Cross. and ln addition 10 all his other /
dlguiues held that Of vice-grand mas
Ter ot the ceremonies at the court Of Ber- |
Iu. He was ID small man. slight bald. ex-
t--m-Iy keen witted. tactful, and so won /
oerfuI.r adr1it ass % be able 20 extricate /
himself from the most difficult situation. /
There is mo- doubt that De exercised an i'm /
melse amount of influence. first upon the /
Empress Augusta and then upon the /
present kaiserin: and as he was penetrat- /
!r- enough to See through all the aspira- /
tons. the ambitions. the intrgues, etc. Of 4
those who approached his two imperial I
m.srraS,es his written comments on the /
people whom DE met and things that hc /
bad seen and heard. would prove of ex- /
'ra0ra.narr interest. Far more so than that .
much discussed book entitled "Societe de .
berlin. which devotes several pages OF /
flHeearv reference 20 Won dem Knesebeck, /
and which. bearing the name a. author OF /
Count Paul VasiH" was in reality /
written by Auguste Gerard. now French /
Amua ador 40 Toxic and who for several /
years after tle war of 1870 was attached 10 /
tle household of Empress Augusta, as /
French reader. az Berlin, where he was .
brought into daily contact with her chief /