New-York tribune., 1912-02-26
FATE OF A BARONESS"
Kinu L-eOpoId'S "Wldow" and
Her BOYS DeSpOiIed of All.


ten the woman who, under the name Of
paroress Vaughan, played so important
"a vet unsavory a role in the closing
,nors of tho reign Of King Leopold II OF
belgium. He resorted to the most extraor-
d,nary devices, many of them of an entire
10 illegal character in order TO make mag
n,flcept provision for her and for the two
sons 10 whom she had given birth during
the time when she was living perfectly
onsnly with him. Yet to-day she finds her
self divested Of the whole Of her fortune
and obliged to secure by judicial process
from Durrieux, whom she married eighteen
months ago, an allowance Of $1,000 month
FOR the personal expenses Of herself and
her children. pending the divorce proceed
Ings which she has instituted against him.
Moreover, the two sons Of Leopold's old
age. Of whom he was so inordinately proud,
and 70 whom he was so deeply attached,
have been divested of the glamour Of their
roval parentage: for when Durrieux mar
ried the baroness, who was the widow OF
King Leopold in the eyes of the Church
though not in those Of the law, he express
" declared himself to be their father, and
had q declaration to that effect added to
the registry Of their birth.
When they were born, the one at the
chateau Of Lormey. near Paris, and the
other at Viliefranche, IN the South OF
France their names wene entered by the
physicians in attendance on the baroness In
the local municipal registers as the chill
dren Of Caroline DelacroiX. In the case
of the elder the father was set down as
unknown" and in the birth certificate Of
the younger the father is described as
unnamed" There was, therefore, no OBJ
stacle whatsoever to Durrieux's officially
recognizing them as his offspring, and to
their legal registration as his sons when
he welded their mother.
It is quite possible that his claims are
true, for II has been shown by the evil
dence already produced in the divorce pro-
ceedings now in progress between his wife
and himself that during the lifetime of
King Leopold, and both prior and subse-
quent to the birth Of the children. the
woman was carrying on an intrigue with
Durrieux, testimony being furnished Of the
dates OF her visits 10 Durrieuxs bachelor
apartments in the Rue du Bois de BoU
logne
The two boys, who have hitherto been re-
garded as left-handed sons OF the late King
and as half-brothers Of Princess Clemen-
tine Ronaparte and of ex-Crown Princess
Stephanie, now Countess Lonjay, are there
fore doomed to bear the name of Durrieux
for the remainder Of their days, and the
only advantage which they will be able
10 derive from this is that, having been
recognized by Durrieux as his sons, he will
be compelled not only to make adequate
provision for them until they grow up. but
will also be obliged by French law to be
queatli TO them a considerable portion Of
the fortune which his wife obtained from
King Leopold. but which las now passed
almost entirely into his hands the remain
der of it having been recovered by the Bel
gian government.
Like so many other women Of her type
the ex-Baroness Vaughan, now Nine. Dur
rieux, overreached herself by placing her
whole trust in this man Durrieux who un-
doUhtedly was her "amant de cRur" dur
ing the life Of King Leopold. and to whom
She was foolish enough TO intrust her en-
tire monetary affairs.
When King Leopold died at Laeken, near
Brussels. it may be remembered that Caro-
line hastened off to Paris and there, ac-
companied by Durrieux, paid long visits TO
hugo ransacking his desks, deed boxes,
etc, before the Belgian envoy in France
finally woke up and caused seals TO be
put on everything-that is to say, after
Caroline and Durrieux had removed every
thing which they wanted. Evidence has
been rendered in the divorce proceedings TO
show that luncheons and dinners were or
dered from a neighboring pastry cook and
restaurateur while their search was in
progress. This evidence is certain to be used,
not only by the Belgian government itself,
but also by the creditors Of Princess Louise
of Belgium in their attempts TO compel
restitution by Durrieux and by his wife Of
property Of the late King Of which they
had thus obtained illegal if not criminal
possession.
Leopold 1t may be recalled, made an in
vestment Of about $lOO00,0JO in Coburg,
known as the Neiderfulbach Trust for the
benefit of Caroline and of her two sons.
Princess Louise and her creditors, and also
the Belgian State, went to law in order 70
recover this money; the princess and her
creditors on the ground that it formed part
and parcel Of the Whole of his private es
tate. TO which, as his lawful daughter. she
had right to a certain share, and the Bel
gian government on the plea that the money
IN reality was derived from the Congo Free
state treasury, and consequently belonged
10 the Belgian nation.
The Belgian government won, and the
result is that not only have Nine Dur
rieux and her children lost any hopes of
ever deriving the slightest benefit from
this 100000, by means Of which Leopold
imagined that he had assured their future,
but, morever, II dimlnishes the fortune of
Leopold's three daughters-Princess Louise,
Princess Stephanle and Princess Clemen-
tine, 10 little over $1OOO,OOO apiece. While
this is comfortable fortune for ordinary
people, It is comparatively little for a
woman such as Princess Clementine, who
had been looked on as ready 10 spend mill
ions of dollars in endeavoring TO place her
husband, Prince Victor Napoleon, on the
throne OF France as Emperor; nor is It
likely TO furnish material benefit TO a prin-
cess such as Louise, whose most urgent
debts are Tar superior 10 that amount.
When Caroline Delacroix married Dur
rieuz she did so without taking the pre-
caution of reserving to herself the COM
pete mastery Of whatever property she
mad IL her possession. Consequently her
husband became, according to French law,
the owner thereof and whatever she re-
ceived from Leopold is now her husbands.
Pope's New Grand Quartermaster.
Plus y has Just lost one Of the principal
lay dignitaries of his court through the
death. at nearly eighty, of the aged Mar
auis Urbane Sacchetti. who ever since the
reign Of Piux TX has held the office Of