The Washington herald., 1911-06-28

The trial Of the suit contesting the
validity of the will of the late King
Leopold OF Belgium discloses traits In
the life of that reprobate monarch that
add to the scandals which have kept the
papers busy when chronicling this aged
bon WANTS doing at home and abroad.
Not since the days Of the unfortunate
Louis XVI has the public heard such
ignoble charges made against crown-
ed head.
When Leopold died a will was pro-
duced leaving 15.O0O.ooO francs to his
three daughters. Princess Louise, the d.
vorced wife of Duke Philip of SAKE
Coburg; Princess stefanie, widow Of the
Inflated Crown Prince Rudolf of Aus
tria (now Countess de LonaO, and
Princess Clementine, who last winter
was married to Prince Victor Bonaparte,
the Napoleonic pretender This inherit
ance was theirs anyway, irrespective OF
Leopold's action. having come to them
from their Coburg ancestors.
But there was another will found stat
ing: "In consequence OF my functions
and by reason of the confidence that
various persons placed in me. large
sums at various times came into my
hands. but not belonging to me-" This
subsequently was found to be bogus
trusts, arranged to scatter 6,0O0,0 ,0OC
francs which the King, in his hatred Of
his daughters, determined they should
never enjoy. Under various aliases he
established companies to whom these
millions were turned over as though
they belonged to them and not to- the
royal estate.
When the Belgian government became
aware OF these facts 1t set about at once
to upset this bit of sharp practice, as
the Congo State was a creation of the
King for Belgium. and these 54,0O0.0OO
francs had been amassed by the late
ruler In his deals in that new territory,
and therefore formed part of the equity
which the state had gained when It as
sumed the sovereignty OF that territory.
The two younger daughters-Stefanie and
lementine-relinquished their claim to
that patrimony, but the capricious Louis
demanded her fathers estate. Thus the
case now before the Brussels court has
for plaintiffs. two claimants, Louise de-
manding her fathers wealth and the
government Of Belgium reclaiming the
wealth OF which the Congo free State
LldQ Detu ueSpOlieu. ne bhuS
far has proved that Leopold was at the
head OF any number OF get-rich-quick
enterprises, and his investments on the
Riviera, his rebuilding OF Brussels and
Ostend, gave him an opportunity to cover
his tracks in the formation Of societies
designed to keep his millions from fall
ing into the hands of his rightful heirs,
his daughters.
l.. rl-f,-
whom Leopold hated most bitterly, owing
to her so-called escapades while heSwifH
Of Philip OF Coburg and since then (she
may have done wrong. but then her hus-
band was anything but a saint and
treated her with unparalleled brutality
who is now the one defender OF the
memory Of her dead father. claiming
through her lawyer that Leopold in
reality had nothing to do with diverting
the millions from the Congo. And YET
for thirty years she had been aware of
her fathers intention to disinherit all of
his daughters. He had avowsd that
purpose repeatedly when they offended
him. either by marrying or getting di-
vorced.
On his death bed even he caused all
his private papers to be brought to him
and he destroyed many of them. At the
last hour almost. when informed that
he could not live. he sent for his con-
fidental valet and ordered him to take
three well-filled trunks to the Baroness
Vaughan, his morganatic wife. The fact
is. that had he acted faithfully as a
guardian, the 15.OOO,OOO of his daughters
maternal Coburg fortune, properly in
vested, would have amounted to the sum
OF s4OO0.000 at the time Of his death.