The Cape weekly tribune. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1914, 1914-08-28
AUSTRIA'S RULER
REPORTED DYING
Death Of the Pope Caused
Fatal Relapse, Says
London Report

DUBOOn, August Z4,---An ex'
change telegram from Copenha'
gen reports from an authoritative
souuce that Emperor Franz-Jo.
saph's condition is much worse
and that death is q question 81
hut q few hours. The death Ot
Pope Plus * is believed to have
been responsible for the sudden
relapse. =
Vienna, Aug. 23.-Franz Josef has
been called the Emperor of Sorrows
.of Austria because Of the long record
of tragedies that attended his reign.
"The Curse Of the Hapsburgs" haunt
ed him in his declining years. OF all
the figures in contemporary history
his was at once one Of the most mag
nificent and the moth pathetic. With
long and eventful life behind him,
a life overcast by disasters that would
have unseated feebler ruler and sad
,dened by sorrows that would have
}, wrecked a weaker man, in the even
:. ing Of his days he bore the burden Of
4 the dual crown unbowed.
His was the proudest house in Eu-
/ rope, and his the most solitary and
isolated of all royal lives. There was
I. little comfort for him in his sorrows,
but he worked on unrelentingly and
died "steadfast" at his post.
( There were many who said that the
unprecedented list Of family disasters
that attended his life was due to a
curse that hung over the house Of
Hapsburg, uttered by the aged Coun-
tess Carolyn, whose son was put to
death for participating in the Hungar-
ian uprisihg4of 1s4s. She called OIL
Heaven and Hell to blast the happi-
ness Of the Emperor, to exterminate
his family, to strike him through those
he loved, to wreck his life and ruin
his children
Franz Josef WAS horn August Is,
1880. He was the son of the Arch |
duke Francis, son of Francis l, EN-
preor Of Austria He came to the
throne in 1S4S AZ the successor Of
his uncle, Ferdinand ], who had been
forced to abdicate-
4 The Emperoris first task was to
subdue the Hungarian revolt and to
effect the paeificatinn vof Lombardy.
This being accomplished, An era Of re-
action began In 1RF9 I,ombardy was
ceded to Sardinia and by the war with
Prussia in 1866. Austria was altogeth-
er excluded from Germany. At the
same time she nas Forced to hand
over Venice TO the King Of Sardinia,
who had fought RS THE ally of Prus-
sia. Il
After this the Emperor. adopted a
policy of conciliatioD toward the ma
ionalities within his daminion. A few
years later he became King of Hun
gary and took the oath ON the Hun
yarian constitution.
II was in 1854 that the Emperor c
married the Empress, who finally died
~ the hand Of an assassin in Swift r
'rland more than forty years later.
jhe was the Princess Elizabeth of Ba-
aria. His mother had intended that a
e should marry the Princess Helena, Il
he oldest daughter Of the Ravarian t.
luke Max, and had fully negotiated n
he match. Franz Josef acquSesced In n
is arrangement, and set out for Duke "
lax castle to complete the formal be- N
rothel. While he was going through ri
ne park on his way to the castle door to
e saw, wandering among the trees ii
n dshfubbery little girl in shorS
ress. The gchild's extraordinary charm et
nd beauty at once attracted his at in
ntion and won his heart. He soon is
armed that the young girl was the tn
rincess Elizabeth, the younger sister co
his intended bride. He at once can in
lied the engagement, which his pl
other had made for him, and swore Sc
at he would never marry anybody -
it the lovely gtfi he had seen in the st,
lrk. The plan suited the Duke Max, 70
no promptly gave his consent, and it da
as not objected to by the Princess tn,
elena, who was not in love with the
nperor and rather welcomed her re- Je
ase. bo
Storms Of protest came from his Or,
m family and from the nobility of ste
lrope, who insisted that the Empcr- ;
of Austria should not wed the roll
unger daughter Of penniless Duke the
10 was not even by birth a "royal
yhness," Franz Josef, however, turn tri
a deaf ear 10 all these objections of
d married the girl he loved sto
- ing
FAINTER, AT WORK, ROBBER. J