The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-08-01
EX-CROUPIER SEEKS TO
BE PRUSSIAN PRINCE

them possessed the necessary financial
qualifications. and were in negotiation
with him with view to becoming n
Prussian princess and serene high
| ness by wedding the prince. but who
were hampercd by the fact that their
property vas almost wholly in real es
tate. which they found difficulty in
realizing on at the time. But the nego-
tiationS did not materialiZe. and the
prince. looking elsewhere for rich
WIFE found the somewhat notorious
and elderly Marie Corberon.
L have referred above to the house
of Lunnoy Clcrvaux as historic. Now
virtually extinct, since the claim of the
eX-croupicr to perpetuate the line Is
| preposterous, IL was tiourishing already
! in the twelfth century. In li5l It gave
its name to town in Flanders, which
John III. OF Lannoy caused TO he forti
| fled by means OF high walls and moat.
1t was a Charles de Lannoy who. as
| Viceroy of Naples. in the early part
of the sixteenth century, took prisoner
King Francis l. OF France at the bat
tie of Pavia, and received In recogn-
ton thereof the title of count vi the
Holy Roman Empire from Empe vor
Charles V. who in the patent described
him as his "Cognatus." that is. rs his
kinsman. Another De Lannoy. Hugh
by name. was Stakeholder of the
Netherlands in 1893. and no less than
sixteen OF the family have been KING hts
of the Golden Fleece. The title OF
Prince of Rheina Wolbcck was be-
slowed by King Frederick William ".
OF Prussia. in 1910. upon Count Florent
Lannoy -ClervauN, by reason of his mar
riage to Princess Clementine, OF Looz-
Coswaren. and her inheritance OF the
Westphaiian estates of her family.
The late Prince Rheina- Wolbeck was
! the grandson OF this union.
| The pretenSionS of the eS -crOuplnr 70
the princely title, and to the seat in
the Prussian House OF Lords are be-
ing contested in the name of the
! Princes OF Looz -et-Coswaren. The
principal contestant is Prince Louis
Looz ct CoswRren. who makes his
/ home ut the Chateau ofsBonlez. in Bel
GUM. and who insists, with some JUS
tice. that the principalty OF Rheina-
Wolbeck originally belonged TO the
/ lIooz -Coswarens. who are mediatized
or once petty sovereign house. and that
the title, being only one of the many
which II owned was surrendered to the
| King of Prussia for bestowal upon
| Princess Clementine at the time of her
| marriage with Count Lannoy -Clervaux.
| Consequently. IL her dcscenda n 3
have become extinct, the title should
revert to them, as its original posses
! sors
The head OF the house of Looz-Cos-
warren Prince Charles. seventh Duke
of Looz and Coswaren. Is confined in an
! insane asylum. to which he was com
mitted. in order to save him from be-
ing held to legal account for the in
Vulnerable and altogether gigantic
frauds which he had committed and
which led to his being brought back on
an extradition warrant from London to
Brussels some years ago. chained hand
and foot.
| One of his victims was the late Mrs.
| Bloomfield Moore. of Philadelphia,
! financial hacker of the Kelley motor.
, AT one time she was on the point of
marrying him. the date even being
fixed for the wedding. But she was
| fortunately warned in time, and broke
of the match; not before, however, he
had taken advantage OF his engage
ment to obtain large sums OF mon ey
| and jcwelry on the strength of his
impending union to II multi millionaire
| American widow.
He is. through his mother. who died
in an insane asylum, a grandson of
! Manuel Godoy Prince of the Peace the
execrated favorite of Charles " OF
Spain. and OF his Queen Louise. and
who was also Prime Minister and die
tator of Spain at the beginning Of the
| nineteenth century.
| Copyright, 1913. by the Brentwood
| Company