The Washington herald., 1913-06-01
lcopyrishi. lsl,. by A. D. J.oos-on.l

tCopynghf. ISIS. U A. d. Jaooo>onJ
The most interesting as well as the
most talked OF betrotnal In Berlin high
life Is that of Miss Nancy Leishman. the
second daughter of the United States
ambassador to Germany and Mrs. Leish-
man. to the youthful Herzos Duke,
Karl Won croy. by far and away the
greatest catch of the season not only in
the F'atheriand out on the European con-
tinent
While the official announcement has not
yet been made. the fact of an engage
ment is not disputed. Yet to an Ameri-
can mind there Is something in this con-
tempiated union that appears 'infra
dig" to the freeborn citizen who boasts
of the equality of human beings. II was
Miss Leishman who so successfully ma
nipulated the match between her oldest
daughter and the Count Won Gontaut-
Biron (under rather complicated circum-
stances, as / understand, for there was
peculiar lawsuit as the result of that
weddingD. But II she is determined ."
make still larger inroads upon the an
cient aristocracy by having her second
daughter wear>a crown. Mr.. Leishman,
"Excellenz," should see to II that II viii
be so. He should stand upon his dignity
as an American citizen and forbid that
which according to genealogical experts
awaits the young lady. which. In fact.
appears unavoidable, namely to see MS
child become the ''morganatic" wife OF
any man. no matter how high his sta
ton.
/ grant that the Croys are an excellent
and ancient family of high lineage. one
of the most distinguished among the
Prussian magnates, and that II would be
an exceptional piece of good luck for
.x~al aH NJ
thirteenth Duke of that name. that Is, al
ways provided las our friends the law
yers say) that he really makes her his
Duchess. But the Croys are what Is
known throughout Germany as me
diatized' family, meaning that once upon
a time they were sovereigns and hence
"ebenbuertig." that is. of equal birth
and rank with the reigning houses Of the
present day. These are not permitted to
contract a ''mesalliance." no matter how
much the bridegroom may desire II.
The Ducal estates are In the Prussian
province OF westphalia, In the county
huhey say "Kreis'' circle) Of Coesfeld-
The family seat is the castle of Duel
men, and should the prediction of the
genealogical wiseacres prove Ntrue. our
beautiful. charming and willowy Nancy
will become Frau Won Duelmen." but
riage The house laws of ''mediatized"
German families are as inexorsble as
fate itself Miss Leishman may be the
Dukes wife de facto." but never ''de
Jure." Her children cannot inherit the
entail nor their fathers name In this
case they would have to take their
mothers name: Duelmep.
The Croys (Catholicsl are a remark
able family. They are OF French origin
and first are heard of in 12O7 as Seig-
neurs de la Picardie. Aegide de Croy
(Crouy) the founder OF the branch still
extant. was the third son of Philippe
de Croy, Count de Chimay. CThe Chi
may who welded that little Detroit girl
who went wrong with the Hungarian
fiddler is a relatively The Dukes of
Croy to this day enjoy quite a large
number of the highest French titles,
among them that of Due de Cory in the
French peerage. The Prussian estates
at Duelman were acquired through the
marriage of the Tenth Duke alfred to
the Princess Eleanore Won Salm-Salm In
the early part of the last century. Ever
since the family has been domiciled in
Prussia where the heads of the house
are hereditary members of the House Of
Magnates
Duke Karl CEngelbert Rudolph Philip
Leo) was born at Prussels in 1859. and
succeeded his father in 1905 upon the
alters demise at his Hungarian castle os
Karapanosa. He Is only twenty-four
years of age and a lieutenant in the
Prussian regiment OF the "Garde de
Corps" the finest troop in the Kaiser's