The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1914-08-07
.SERVIA, THE STORM CENTER
AND THE EUROPEAN IANGLE
Murder of Archduke and Duchess
Starts European Volcano.

Il Dta4IS european volcano.
The Balkan States, that storm center
of Europe, has probably furnished his
tory with six-tenthslOf its tragedy. The
family trees of it's royal houses are so
grated and interlaced that veritable
jungle Of social and political questions
has overrun the five little States and
matted them in its grasp.
Now Servia is accused by Austria
Hungary Of Matching political plot
whose outcome was the murder of the
Archdu6 and Duchess Frances Ferdi-
nand Of Austria. These royalties were
at the head of the aristocratic faction,
or conservatives Of their country. which
had long cast greedy eye upon little
Seryia, and had snatched Bosnia from
them years ago.
In bis Commentaries, Caesar writes
of. the lovely flowers and fruits Of cervia,
and Of her grapes which rivaled the
grapes Of Canaan when the Israelites
went to spy out the land and found the
wonderful vineyards of the Philistines.
This, Caesar found on his march with
his Tenth Legion. Hundreds OF years
afterwards, when Servia had passed from
under the protection OF the Roman
Emperor, to that OF Napoleon, the same
kind OF trade made TO the United States
with Louisiana was made to the Otto
man Empire with Servia.
The first governor of Servia was
Kara George, or Black George . He
was man Of great influence, and fear
ful OF it. the Turkish powers behind
the executive chair had him killed and
another swineherd put in his place.
This governor was Milan 0bren,
founder Of the Obrenovitch dynasties,
which have warred continually with the
Karageorges since that time.
Milan was as influential a governor as
Kara George and braver one. He
won the sympathy Of Russia, estab-
lished a capital at Belgrade, an army,
and threw off the Turkish yoke. After
some years of his ruling, his people
began to feel dissatisfied, and seeing
this, Obren called his son to the throne,
abdicating in his favor
But there were some Karageorges,
outraged at being put off the throne,
got themselves educated in Paris for the
job Of being king. Returning to Servia,
they succeeded in arousing some sym
pathy and killing enough Obrens to
grasp the scepter.
The murdered Obrens we're Prince
Michael III and his sister, Princess
Anka. Prince Michael left no de-
scendants, but Anka has son, Colonel
Constantinovitch, living yet, who is the
last OF the Obrenovitch family.
Alexander Karageorgeovitch, father
Of the present King Peter OF Seryia, was
tried aud convicted Of completely in
these murders and expelled from Seryia.
The deposed Karageore was succeeded
by two more Obrens, father and son.
The father was fairly good king, but
his wife, Queen Marie, ran away with
Prince Couza, King OF Roumania and
predecessor Of the presentking, Charles.
Prince Couza was forced by his peo-
Pile to sign his abdcation papers and
leave the country. Queen Marie was
chased out OF the royal palace and
through the streets in her night clothes.
The son OF Milan Obren and bis
tickle Queen Marie assembled the throne
in 1869, marrying Natalie Keskho,
daughter Of Russian Army officer
Natalie was beautiful and knew it.
She wrote silly poetry, wrote worse
music, painted bad pictures and con-
sidered herself a connoisseur. She
craved fiattery and loved to visit the
court Of st. Petersburg where
it was furnished. She tried to influence
her husband to establish such court
At Belgrade, but he only succeeded in
establishing an appetite for gin and
American poker.
Natalie went to visit at her beloved
81. Petersburg To celebrate her de-
parture the King gave some large and
rather questionable parties. At one Of
hem court lady left behind, one Draga
MecIin, a widow de grasse, imper-
,onated Lady Godiva.
When Natalie returned and discovered
Ihrougbher dear friend, Draga MecIin,
hat the King had been misbehaving,
she got divorce with a promise that
her. son, Alexander, when Of age,