The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-09-25
Baron Does Not Even Hold
Commission as Reserve Of
hcer of German Arnv.

IA La MAN4tlSE DE FONTENOH.
d ARoN GUSTAV WERTHER al
u though tho grandson of Baron
Karl Werther, who represented
capitals. including Washington. as
minister plenipotentiary and as am
bassador. does not belong to the diplo-
matte service of the Kaiser. He does
not even hold Il commission as re-
serve officer Of the German army.
1t Is only fair that this fact should
be emphasized. in view of the charges
brought by his wife. daughter of Baron
Rio Branco, formerly Minister of For
eign Affairs mt Rio Janeiro, to the
effect that her husband had taken
advantage OF his stay under the OIL
cial roof of his father-in law, to pur-
loin from him a number OF very inn
portant official documents. including
papers referring to the ornaments of
Brazil and the plans of defences Of
that republic. The baroness swears
that her husband communicated these
documents to the German envoy at Rio.
George Michahelles. also directly to the
German government, and that at the
same time he had secured possession
of n number of other valuable official
secrets Of the Brazilian government
which he had disposed Of for large
sums of money TO the Krupps.
The baroness is suing her husband
for divorce Mt Rio, and while she has
other causes for complaint against
him. her principal point In demanding
Il dissolution of her marriage Is that
she does not wish TO be concerned in
the betrayal of her own country. nor
to have anything more to do with one
who has abused the hospitality of her
native land and of her people in such
Ia FASHION. She has made out very
strong case against him, so strong, In
deed. that the baron. who was entire
iy without any means of his own
when he married her, has found 1t pru-
dent to leave Brazil and to hasten
home to his native land
The association of the German lega-
ton at Rio in the affair, as the alleged
recipient Of the baron's stolen secrets
of tho Brazil government Is, to say
the least. awkward. and may lead to
transfer Of Envoy MichahelIes to
some other post. For his position at
Rio is certain to be less pleasant in
view OF these disclosures, than hereto
fore
The baroness is we'll known in the
United States. and spent much of her
girlhood as Amelia iii Rio Branco In
and around New York and at Wash
ington, where her father passed many
years as Brazilian envoy. He has rem
dered great services to his native land.
especially as the plcnipotentiary of
Brazil in the arbitration commissions
organized for the settlement Of the
boundary disputes between Brazil and
France, Brazil and the Argentine Re-
public. and Brazil and Great Britain.
For his achievements as such he re-
ceived vote from the Brazilian Con-
gross Of 100000. and an annuity of
$4,000 n year for his own life and for
that of his daughter, Baroness Wer-
Their. His father was the statesman
most prominently identified with the
abolition of slavery in Brazil
Baron Rio Branco owes his title to
inheritance, and not like so many
other Brazilian noblcmen. to more
purchase. 1t may be remembered that
the late Dom Pedro, last Emperor OF
Brazil, entertained the most profound
contempt for nobiliary titles, and never
lost an opportunity of showing how
little he thought of them.
Finding on one memorable occasion
that there was hardly any response to
the appeals which he had issued for
subscriptions for the construction OF
hopital. which was in course of cree
tlon at Rio, he caused 1t to be known
that the title of baron would be con-
ferred upon every man who subscribed
$500, and that of count upon every
one who gave $4,000. Immediately
a stream of money began to pour into
the Golfers of the building fund of
the hospital The misery Of the poor
and Of the afflicted had not touched
the wealthy. but the imperial appeal
to their vanity.-had not been in vain.
The great day of the opening of the
hospital came. An enormous crowd
was gathered together. Everybody was
gazing up to the portico of tho new
building, over which there was a large
marble slab, on which the dedication
was inscribed in great letters OF gold
and which the Emperor was to unveil
When Dom Pedro. ut the proper mo-
ment, caused the curtain to fall, the
newly minted aristocracy, who had
been assigned special reserved places
at the ceremony. as subscribers to the
building fund, were able to read their
sovereign's estimation Of their nobility
in the following inscription. that stared
them in the face: Human vanity to
human misery"
Frederick Booth Tucker, who, after
having bnlb tbe ofDca Of ictr To