The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-24
BARONESS VAUGHAN
DIVESTED OF FORTUNE

type. the ox-Baroncss Vaughan, now
Nine. Durricux, oyerreached herself by
placing her whole trust in this man
amant dc coceur" during the life of
King Leopold. and to whom She was
foolish enough 70 intrust her entire
monetary affairs.
When King Leopold died at I.aeken,
near Brussels. it may be remembered
that Caroline FASTENED off to paris, and
there, accompanied by Durrieux. paid
long visits to King Leopold, hat. In
his desks. deed boxes, ste. before the
BelSlan envoy in France finally woke
up. and caused seals TO be- put on
everything, that Is TO say, after Caro-
limo and Durrleux had removed evary-
thing that they wanted. Evidence has
been rendered in the divorce proceed
lngs TO show that lunches and dina 2rS
We're ordered from neighboring pas
t:y cook and rcstauratcur while their
search was in progress. This evidence
Is certain 20 be used not only by The
the creditors OF Princess Louise Of
Belgium, in their attempts TO compel
restitution BY purrieux. aud py his
wife, Of property of the late King OF
which they mad thus obtained illegal.
II not criminal, possession.
Leopold. 1t may ba recalled, made an
Investment OF about sio00o.o90 in Co
burg known as the Neiderfulhach
Trust, for the benefit of Caroline and
of her two sons Princess Louise ana
her creditors. and also the Belgian
state. went TO law in order TO recover
this money: the princess and her credi-
tors on the ground that II formed part
and parcel of the whole OF his pti
yate estate. to which as his lawful
daughter she had right to certain
share, and the Belgian government on
the plea that the money in reality was
derived from the Congo Free state
treasury. and consequently belonged 10
he. 20
eminent won. and the result is that not
only have Nine. DurrteuX and her chill
dren lost any hopes of ever deriving
the slightest benefit from this 100000
600 by means OF which Leopold mag
incd that he had assured their future.
but moreover il dininishes the for
tune OF Leopold'a three daughters,
Princess Louise, Princess Stephanis
and Princess Clementine, TO a little
over 100000 apiece, While this is a
comfortable fortune for ordinary peo
pie. ii is comparatively little for a wo-
man such as Princess Clementine, who
had been looked upon as ready TO spend
millions OF dollars in endeayoring to
place her husband. Prince Victor Napo-
leon, on the throne OF France as En-
peror: nor Is 1t likely to furnish ma
ter!ai benefit to princess such as
Louise. whose most urgent debts are
far superior to that amount.
When Caroline Delacroix married
Durrieux, she did so without taking
the precaution of reserving to her
self the complete mastery OF whatever
property she had IN her possession.
Consequently her husband becGm.. nc-
cording to French law, the owner
thereof, and whatever she received
from Leopold Is now her husbands.
II she neglected to take this precau-
ton, which is almost invariably In
sisted upon by American women when
they marry foreigners 1t wns because
she would have bean compelled by law
TO cnumerate her possessions, and this
would of course. have facilitated the
proceedings of the Belgian govern
n1ent and OF Leopold's thr4e dhuGh-
ters against her for restitution.
purricux is man OF questionable
character. an invetoratc gambler, and
is charged with beating his wife when
drunk. The prese ant divorce suit will
result in either mere judicial sepa-
ration or In a divorce And the best
that the woman can hope for In either
case is an allowance BY DurrteuS for
herself and for the children from the
money which she Obtained from Leo
pold, and which she so toolishly in
trusted to the man. 1t Will remain FOR
the Judge to fix the allowance. From
his attitude thus far, he seems TO re-
gard TIL. woman as quite as vile in her
way and undeserving OF the
slightest sympathy as The man.
1t may be recalled that Caroline
pold on December H. 1909. exactly
eleven days before his death. This
was officially announced by Cardinal
Mercler. the fTiinatS or Belgium
While this deathbed marriage set the
late King right in the eyes OF the
church and enabled him TO receive the
last sacra ments and Christian burial,
with the full rites OF the church. 1t
did not affect the status OF Delacro!S
nor OF the children which she had
borne him IN the eyes OF ths law, for
none OF the legal formalities required
by the Belgian Constitution and by
Belgian. law had bt.n complied with.
The Beleian governinent likewise re-
fused to recognize or 10 give official
sanction to the t1tle of duke and
count respectively, which Leopold had
bestowed on his two boys. y Belgian
monarch cannot bestow any nobiliary
honors without the sanction OF his
ministers. and II was the refusal OF
Premier de Trooz 10 sanction the be-
stowal of the title of Duke of Ter
vuercn upon the elder Of the two
boys that eliminated in so stormy a
scene between the two on January 81,
1907, that the Prime Minister was
stricken with apopleNy, and died al
most at his sovereign's feet.
Copyright, 1912 by tho Brentw God
Company