New-York tribune., 1912-06-01
"A FAMILY CURSE
The Blight of the House OF
Cumberland.

-o,,,rirht. 1912, by the Brentwood Company
IT, those DAYS OF scientific investigation
.a,,g like an anachronism 10 speak OF
Genuine family curse. And yet the oeeth
. ,o,Ing Prince George William or Cum
herIand. killed in an automobile acciden'
obue speeding through Prussia TO attend
tho funeral of his maternal uncle king
frederick VIII of Denmark. and whose
rn interment took place only few days
.oo Is but one more proof that the curse
,bicb has overshadowed the Cumberland
,.niIv for many long years is still fairly
active.
!, will he remembered that when Queen
Victoria ascended the throne OF Great
pritain and Ireland. a separation from inc
t;rgdom of Hanover, to which until that
i'm u had been united, took place, since
,bc salic law. debarring women from sue
.ossion prevailed in Hanover. Az thr
doath Of King William " of England ne
was followed upon the throne of Hanover
-, bis Younger brother, Ernest fifth son
of George III
r,ukc Ernest who had until then borne
the title Of Duke Of Cumberland, was with
ont exception the most execrated member
of the English reigning family. and that
for more reasons than one. Moreover. mat
no had blood on his hands cannot be doubt
Cd. although to this day the crime of which
h. vas accused. and 60 which Is attributed
the curse upon him and his house, has never
been absolutely fastened upon him.
At the time l am speaking OF Duke
rrnest Of Cumberland had in his service n
vouns valet named Senlis, who, one morn
ing was discovered lying In his. room. ad-
ioinine his royal masters sleeping ana
dressing rooms pierced through and through
~. q sword. unfortunately belonging 70 the
d,,Le Snots of blood formed ghastly
track from Senlis's room TO the dukes own
anartments and as II was ascertained alb
so,utelv that no stranger had been near
that part Of the palace during the night
Ernest of Cumberland found himself IN q
terrible position. When questioned he de-
nie6 all knowledge of the AFFAIR, saying
however. that the struggle between Senlis
and his assassin must have taken place In
the dressing room opening into his own
sleeping chamber.
Tho Kings Coroner. member OF the
rovaI household hastily empanelled jury
chosen from among the royal tradesmeh'
who returned the verdict that Senis had
committed suicide. 1t was asserted that ne
had seen one Of the countless ghosts OF
murdered persons we'll known to haunt 81
Jan,es's Palace. and had in a sudden at
tack Of madness taken his own life In
one word. the matter was more or less
hushed up.
Unpleasant rumors continued to be whis-
,ered from mouth to mouth. but all might
have been forgotten had It not been Tor
occurred a little later in
81 Jamess street. Duke Ernest Of Cum
ler,and Was slowly walking toward his
residence when a woman. evidently Tor
cigner. and with her snow-white hair anu
a norton of her face covered by the loose
FOLDS OF a black shawl, suddenly stoon III
lis path. shrieking at him food OF ac-
cusation and denunCiation, and crying aiouo
that he was the murderer OF her fatheriess
son. g..
The crowd that quickly gathered az u
alvavs does on such occasions, saw tne
tall royal prince cringing before the niue
woman IN black his face gray as ashes'
his ewes half closed, and his hanos eA
,ended before him, as in self-protection OF
,ntreatv. Just then the police arrived IN
flnne 10 hear the woman utter the cursS
which still lies so heavily on the Curhoci-
lands For Senlis's widowed mother was
calling down upon the duke, upon mis- chh-
dre, and his children's children, TO the
third. fourth and fifth generations, the
most bitter revenge heaven could wreak
,ror them She was seized by the officers
~ the law and borne away To a place OK
safety. while the duke disappeared
Tncredulous as one may be, the fact re-
,oaips that this curse does not seem 10
have been spoken in vain. for Senlls
rovaI master was from that moment dS
10 himself expressed il, pursued by furies
mat scarcely let him rest Moreover, his
only son and successor, that king George
II Hanover who distinguished himse1l
throughout his reign As the most galianl
and chivalrous of rulers, was stricken
with total blindness in his earliest infancy
and lived TO lose the throne OF hanover
his grandson, the present duke was ooIh
dis1giIred and owes his features 10 plas'c
surgical science alone: and ION MS eldest
oreat- grandson has been brought hcme'
crushed and unrecognizable, from the little
Irussian town of Friesach
Universally popular and positively adorcd
hv his parents, this Prince George had al
ready suffered his full share of the curse
Of the Cumberlands,' II would seem. FOR
a. few years ago the scratch OF rusty na'l
resulted in such serious. case OF bi"od
poisoning that his life was despaired or
Hardly convalescent. ne caught rheumatic
fc>er, and was a long time recovering
When completely cured. he entered the
Austrian army, where ne was SERVING 40
Captain in the 42i Regiment OF IN antry;
He was his mothers favorite. and she will
ind II difficult indeed to withstand the
blow OF so great loss, for Duchess my
hppn dIfOgPtner TO
Aust Indeed at one time her nerves be
came so troublesome that she was induced
10 spend some time In famous Sana,
tori,m near Vienna. Greatly benefited
tHerebv. she is now leading an ideally
a,:iet existence at that marvellous Schloss
Cumberland on the Lake of Gmunden.
An Archduke Shelved.