The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-08-01
Count Jules de Lannoy-Clervaux,
of Strange and Unusual Par
entage, Has Ambition.

BY LA MARQUISE DE FONTENOY.
ICOuNT JULES DE LANNoY- CLER-
~ NAUX. of Liege. in Belgium, who
has Instituted proceedings in the
Berlin courts, Tor recognition as Prince
Rheina Wolbeck, of the Prussian no
bility. with seat in the Prussian
House of Lords and the predicate OF
serene highness. has a very curious
history. to which there is an American
end.
lie Is a man Of forty eight, unmar-
ried, in his younger days bore the
name of Jules Corberon. and between
1890 and 1900 acted as croupier Of the
semipublic gambling tables at Spa,
Namur and Ostend. in Belgium In
1902 his mother. Marie Corberon, at
that time woman OF nfty-six who hal
amassed n large fortune as the fav-
orite OF many men of rank and great
wealth. contracted a marriage with the
aged and pennIless Edgar. Prince of
hheina- Wolbeck In the nobility OF
Prussia. and Count Of Lannoy -Clervaux
IN the peerage of Belgium, and In the
ola aristocracy of the Holy Roman En-
pire Thanks to her wealth. he was
able to free his ancestral castle of
Bentlage. in Westphalia from the
heavy mortgages by which it was en-
numbered. and TO repair it in such a
iashion az TO become once more habi-
| table Marie Corberon, however. be-
fore conseptinG to wed the, at that
tine, septuagenarian prince stipulated
that he should officially recognize ms
his offspring her then thirty seven
year-olG son. Jules Corberon. the ex-
croupier, although he had never met
the lady until 1901. Now this act of
legal recognition in Belgium had the
erect of legitimizing the ex-croupier
III that country. at the same time en-
downing him there with the prince 8
Belgian name of Lannoy -Clervaux. 1t
hn,
eyes OF Prussian or German law. and
consequently he has Inherited neither
tho dignity of count of the HOLY Ro-
man Empire, nor the Prussian name
and title of Prince OF Rheina- Wolbeck
! last fall
! 1t is difficult to understand how tho
eN-croupier. instead OF remaining sat
lsied with the late princes Belgian
| patronymic, which is OF n historic char
acter. can have been so foolish as IN
seek to obtain the title OF Prince OF
Rheina- Wolbeck, and the seat In the
! irussian House of Lords bclonetng to
the late prince. For he has not the
slightest chance OF winning his case
seeing that the prince could not have
been his father. while the trial will
merely call attention to his question
aoie antecedents. to his illegitimate
| birth. to the indiscrctions and the story
of his mother, besides Involving him
! In no end OF heavy expense
Had he not thus caused the liruelipht
to be turned upon himself. few would
have taken the trouble to investigate
| the reasons why in the page of tho
| Alinanach de Gotha devoted to tho
enumeration of the dignities of the late
! and last Prince of Rheina- Wolbeck. he
the ex-croupicr, figures NJ Jules de
| Lannoy- ClervauN, with the mystic mi
tails of IL. Z. S. NJ" pretixed thereto
| These initials stand for 'Iegitime mar
suite marriage"
! What may be described as the Ameri-
can end OF the story is the following
| In 1897 the late Prince Edgar OF
! Rhcina Wolbeck, sought. by corrcspon-
/ dence with persons on this side of the
| Atlantic, rich wife and caused a mum.
| Der Of letters to be addressed from hi.
Brussels, by his secretary, Coun,
Nyprueck. 10 several people or thi.
side OF the water Offering n commits.
sion OF 100000 to any one who would
secure for him bride willing to set
tie upon him a million dollars on the
day OF the wedding.
Among those who received letters OF
| this kind from the secretary, was NJ
s. Lustig, OF 20 East Ninth Street, New
York. who at that time conducted the
Atlantic Hotel at Long Branch. Some
| of the persons TO whom Count Nyp-
rueck communicated tho offers OF the
! prince. In the latter's name, thought
| IL we'll TO make the matter public and
Mr.. Lustig, on being interviewed, ad-
I mitted that there were three women
! one in Boston. one In San Francisco
and one In New York. who each OF