The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-04-05
Baron Maurice De Forest Shivers
at Mention of Name
of Eichorn.
nY IA MAKuuisE DE Eo>TENoy.

n Al;ON MAURICE DE FOREST, al
~ ready u multi-iniilionairc. has
just come into possession of au
additional si0.ooo.0oo, under the VIII
Of his adaptive mother. the late Bar
oncss lIirsch, who. willie leaving him
AN immense fortune which he received
on his majority. arranged mat he
should inherit this further bcqucst on
his attaining his thirty-iifth year.
Under the circumstances, the fact that
he should have just placed ON the mar
kct for sale his magnificent medieval
castle Of Eichorn ana thc huge estate
by which it is surrounded. in Moravia,
requires some explanation.
Two years have elapsed since tho
baron u natuiuliIed Enplishinan, with
an Austrian ttlc, AMI whose former
name was Bisclonshcim. has set root
ut tichorn. Nor is thorc any liEoIi-
hood Of his tenants and rctnincrs there
ever setting eyes upon him again 1t
seems that the peasantrV of tho estate
from which the domestics of the castle
arc !argc!y recruited, have ever since
the death Of the late Baron lIirsch.
been treated with tho utmost nargI-
ness. not To say cruelty. and that bv
means Of contracts the pcnsAntrv ;,rc|
reduced to absolute scrriom Thcv|
naturally hold Baron de Forest rcsuou-
sihlc for the terrible hardyhips ana
wrongs which Trey suffer. and when
ne was last there in the carly bart of
III, an attempt WAS made 10 assas-
sinate him
inc details Of the case have alwnv.
remained shrouied IN "A certain amount
on mystery. Eut tn" fact is undispl.t-
ed that the baron led In Inc midd,c
OF me night from the castle Tor his
liic to the ncighborinw citI Of Hrjun
ana from thence to Vienna where tho
hiliSh embassy. the British CONSULAR
agent at Erunn, as we'll A. the Mora
wan authorities, doctors and lawV.r=
were charged To Investigate. a Wild
*'SrN 10 the effect thar he had uarrovr-
~ escaped death at the hands OF his
people According /" ono tale, no was
poisoned. according 10 another. nc was.
almost Drained by ono Of his game
Keepers. Although the baron was alb
solutely terror stricken. aud shiVcrs NJ
the very name of t.lch0ru. nothing
ever came Of tho charges, and r,c rro-
ceedings were taken by the nu,hori
ties against those incriminatcG.
The baron wants sl.cDo.p00 FOR tho
place and. in view OF it's vast extent.
and Of tho magniiccncc of the castle,
the price iS not excessive. The castle.
which dates from the twelfth century.
Is perched on a rocky crag. ON u NOUN
ttir the slopes OF which ar" covered
VIII oaks ANA fins It commands q
glorious panorama OF tho surrounding
country. is reached hy Il genuine draw
bridge. after Which ore passes beuoath
It irowning pOrtCullls. uud enters uu|
Immense courtyard. = grand stair
case OF rough marble. broad enough
To permit the passage al Il compile az
coaches and iour being driven M side
10y side, leads Up TO the state apart
mcnts, everything about the place con
NcNtng the Impression OF great autiQui-
t. blended with the last eNtrcmc ~
ninctccuth and tWcutioth ceuturr luN-
nry ana comfort. l.iup Edward was
entertained there - Prime. of wales
hy the lake Baron Hirsch. and NUM-
h"r 81 w"ll known English prupIe such
- the Marquis If Eipou. Admiral lyorG
Charles Bcrcsford and others, Hnvc
taken part iu tho great Shoots which
iarou liirsch was wont TO organize
Tor hls friends.
When the old baron died. he lof, the
huIh of his fortune 10 his widow. who
Was = sister Of The Belgian banker
Bischonshcim. II was size. ami not her
husband. who adopted Maurice ana ms
brother Raymond, ANA who gave them
her maiden name Of BischoTsheim
IheHe Aas always becn "A doubt as 10
their purcntagc. tho general impression
being that they were natural sons o,
Baron iiirsch, who. however TOOK very ,
little motto. OF them when he was
alive, though they mad" their home
from thcir childhood with Ills wife
Nor did he tuentiou Them in ms Will.
although he left q Legacy 81 .,Ouu,onp
francs 10 the natural daughter OF ms
only son IuCicn, who pred.cv1scd hiin.
When Baroness Hirsch died. Sin" left
the fortuna" bcuucathed u her hN l"r
husband. as We'll as her own wealth, ln
equal shares TO these two adopted sous
OF hers Ran mono TeCt.NinE The great
estate Of st. johann. III itunEArt, "iid
the elder, Maurice, receiving lsichorn.
Il Ia ron
OF the Austrian empire with the name
Of De Forest, in recognition OF TN"
enormous charitable requests % hoth
Baron and Baroness iiirsch TO Austro-
Hungarian charities.
Maurice married MS his first wife
Nine Albert Menicr. widow Of the ~
NOUS French chocolate manufactures,
and daughter and heircss Of Eugene
Ictelicr. founder and owner of the
great Partisan newspaper lie Journal.
The marriage did not turn out happily,
was aunullcd alike by the courts aud
by the church. and thcrcupon Baron
Maurice dc Forest took up his resi-
dence In England, secured letters of
naturalization as an English citizen,
obtaincd through the influence of King
Edward 4 commission in the Icomaury,
and eventually entered Parliament as
member for West Ham, a suburb of
London.
In 1905 lie married the Hon. Ethel
Gerard. sister Of the present and third
Lord Gerard. There was a sensational
elopelnent OF the baroness with the late
Lieutenant Frank Ashton. OF the Sec
ond Life Guards. II was said that she
had found life intOlerablc. OWING TO
her husbands foreign ways, ana his
inability to '3ccustom himself 80 Eng
lish ethics and prejudices, iit spite OF
his having been educated 1T Elton and
oxford. The affair received no end OF
publicity, owing TO Il couple Of sen
sational lawsuits The one was
brought by Lord Knoilys. the Kings
secretary. against a London newspaper
which had mentioned, without the
slightest warrant. tile name of his UNI
married daughter as The lady particI-