Evening journal., 1913-05-13
GOSSIP OF THE COURTS
BY FL AN U R.


The Judgment of the Court OF APP
pcals or 9ussels in the suit of iho
Processes Louise and Stephanie
Countess Lonyay) bars further pro-
ceedings They arc also saddled with
the costs. which must be heavy. The
Princess Clementine. wife Of Prince
Victor Napoleon, had the prudence
not TO join in the suit This saves
her from bearing any Of the expense
OF the litigation. Had her sisters won
she would have won with them. free
OF the lawcourt charges, third OF the
big sum they claimed-70, 100000
francs, with accrued interest that
brought It up to nearly 76,OOO.OOO
francs. The judgment must sap the
Bonapartist campaign which has been
going on in papers, subventioned from
Belgium and engaged in the "appease-
ment" and "Bonapartist agitation"
The tribunal refusing to deal as in
competent with the Niederfulbach
foundation, apprised at SO,0OO,OOO
francs, the Baroness Vaughan still
holds her position as its boss" She
really is everything in this curious
creation of Leopold II, a creation
meant to obviate those paragraphs of
the civil code restricting the powers
of fathers to disinherit their children.
She would even Independently of the
Niederfulbach foundation, roll in
riches. Her second suit against her
present husband, Mr. Durieaux IS
pending. The tribunal that will deal
with il, may or may not, If II sees
cause for divorce, give her the guar
dianship Of the young DUO de Tervue-
rem and Comte de Ravensberg (titles
conferred on them by their father, the
late King Leopold, but cannot pre-
vent Durieux remaining in law their
father, he having with every legal
formality recognized them as his sons
when ne married the baroness.
Princess Louise is In debt to the
amount OF 16,000,00O francs. Two
thirds of this sum is due in France.
II the Belgium state should think the
duty Of providing for her a family af-
fair. her daughter. the Duchess Ernest
Guenther, of Schleswig- Holstein; the
King of the Belgians. and her two
sisters, both rich, might between them
create q fund sufficient to maintain
her with some appearance OF royal
dignity Her son-in-law, Duke Ernst
Guenther. ranks among the great
landlords of Silesia, and is a brother
of the German Empress. He has no
son, and his heir presumptive is
Prince Albert Johann, Prussian Of
ficer, though born at Windsor and a
grandson of Queen Victoria.
The Princess Victor Napoleon has
secured between three and four hun
dred thousand pounds out OF the pa
ternal fortune At any rate, she is
able to stimulate the zeal Of Partisan
papers, working for syndicate OF
Bonapartist agitators.
The Countess Lonyay (widow OF the
ill-fated Crown Prince Rudolph OF
Austria) has a rich husband and a
snug pension from the Emperor or
Austria. and the fortune of the King
of the Belgians places him almost on
a footing Of equality in wealth with
his nelghbor, the Queen Of the Meth
erlands
There being no longer imprison-
mont Tor debt in France. the princess
cannot be sent to Clinchy prison by
her creditors. Nor can she be charged
with swindling, as they knew, as we'll
as she did her exact pecuniary stua-
tion and they believed less than she
did in the possibility OF the success
of her suits against the Belgian state.
II would be interesting TO know all
that has happened behind the diplo-
matte scenes in respect to Rumania's s
demand that Bulgaria shall give up
her eighty miles or so Of coastline on
the Black sea, including the ports Of
Varna, Burghas. and Shebolu.
Rumania now possesses only river
fleet of little value, and some months
ago a subscription list was opened for
a national sea fleet Rumania, with an
cxtention of its coastline, means to
purchase battleships to balance the
Russian naval farce in the Black sea.
Whatever may be Rumania's future
relations with Russia, il is significant
as a well-accredited diplomat tells me
that the Rumanian government has
set aside sums of money TO encourage
desertions from the Russian and Bull
garian armies. not that few thou
sand soldiers would make any differ
ence If ever war broke out. Rumania
certainly is not acting alone in this
matter Undoubtedly, she has an ar
rangement with Austria, whereby she
passes to the latter products of hel
"desertion office"
Such an office actually exists. There
is in the home office, at Bucharest, Z
special department, to which desert
/