The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-05-02
Old w orld Gossip
DY LA MAHaUIsE DE roNTENoy
:. MPERoR WILLIAMS visit recent

Giiegio, near Porto-Fino. about eight
| miles out from Genoa, after disen-
barking at the latter port from the
imperial yacht Hohenzol.ern, on his
way home from Corfu, naturally tends
to give color to the reports, according
to which Baron Mumm is very shortly
TO succeed Gottlieb Won Jagow. as
Secretary OF state for Foreign Affairs
at Berlin.
Won Mumm was obliged TO retire
about three years ago from the post
OF ambassador To Japan. owing to an
affection of the eyes, from which he
| ~ now entirely recovered. He is well
known In the United States, where h.
spent several years, connected with
the German embassy at Washington.
acting on NUMEROUS and important
occasions as charge d'affaircs. lie was
on terms of considerable intimacy witt,
| Theodore Roosevelt. and familiar
figure Mt Bar Harbor, Newport and
Tuxedo
The skill with which he solved sew
erai intricate questions here, and af-
forwards at Picking and In Japan, won
for him many tokens OF imperial :ecog-
milton, among them the Office of cham
berlan, and the title of baron. While
the latter is, therefore. of modern date,
the Mumm family is Il very old ono,
ana mas Inquired for hundreds of years.
IN fact. ever since the beginning of
The sixteenth century, among the
patriciate OF the--until ISG6--indepen-
dent city OF Frankfort on-thc- Main.
The ancestral Castle OF Schwarzcn-
steii. ha.l been in the possession CT
the Munms since I5l4.
Baron Muinm took the place Mt
PektnS Of tho Inflated Baron I<cIteler,
who 1T may be remembered, was muir
tdered there at tho outscc of tho RoXcr
troubles. leaving an American widow.
4 bachelor, and very rich he gathered
lntst al
curios and art treasures, both in Chin,,
ana Japan. many Of which he has pre-
scented TO the Berlin Museum lie has
always managed 10 retein the good
VIII OF the Emperor. who has a very
high regard for his abilities: and that
the Kaiser should interrupt his journey
back to Berlin, in order to pay n long
promised visit to the baron, ut his
CASTILLO GiorEio villa. IL naturally giv-
ing rise 20 {. great deal OF comment.
Nine Jeanne Negroponte, who has
Just resolved at Paris IL medal from
the King of Greece. for her services
in connection with the Greek ambulnnces
IuurinS the last war in the Balkans, is
no other than Jeanne, the favorite
granddaughter OF Victor Hugo. the
idol OF his old age. and for whom he
father"
y woman OF great beauty and OF
much cleverness and fascination, she
divorced. first of all, Leon Daudct, son
Of Alphonsc Daudet, the famous novel
list, and now leader of the action
toyalistc" faction of tho Royalist
party in France. Then she married
Or. Jean Charcot, OF Antarctic OK
ploration celebrity, and who was the
late Cornelius VandcrbiIts medical at
tendaNt throughout his last stay in
Europe. under the direction Of his
f.a,l I'll
nervous malauies After she had di-
vorccd DIR. Cnarcot, Jeanne gave her
hand 10 Captain Negropontc, OF the
Greek army, and stcpson OF the late
Victor de Les5epG,
Victor de Lcsscps was the younger
of the two sons Of old Ferdinand de
Lesscps, By his first marriage. and
spent many years in Egypt as the resi-
dent managing director of the Sucz
Canal 1t was there that he met his
wife, a sister of the Greek AleXan-
drian bankers. Constantine and AM
broise Sinandinu, and who was al tho
time The widow of George Negro
ponte, whose family had played n no.
table role in the Greek war of liberia
ton III the early part of the nineteenth
century.
Victor de I.esseps regarded her son
by her first marriage as IL he were
his own offspring, and young Negro
pontc was treated by old Ferdinand de
Lesseps as ii he were one of his
grandchildren. When he grew up,
young Ncgroponte entered the Greek
army, attained the rank Of captain
and. being very rich through ms
mother and her brothers, married
some years ago Jeanne Hugo, the cX-
wife OF Leon Daudot and Jean Charcot
The union proved Il very happy one;
but il has just been sundered through
the death Of Captain Negroponte iii
Paris. as the result of an operation
for appendicitis. AS soon as the now
Sriefptrickcn widows period of
mourning is over, sho will doubtless
lake TO herself Il fourth husband For
nobody dreams OF Jeanne Hugo re-
naming single.
Among the most iiustrious houses
OF the European arstocracy is that
OF Harcourt. which for the past 9U0
years has played so notable Il role In
the history Of Franco and OF England.
II has just lost the chief OF the en-
tire clan in the person Of old Marquis
Bernard dllarcourt, ut the age OF
scventy-two, and at his funeral In
Paris the other day the entire an
cienno noblessc, we'll as all those
who are anxious TO be considered as
belonging thereto, Were present, tho
crowd being so great that il was nee
cssary TO hold simultaneous services
in two separate churches, ut one OF
which the attendance was composed
entirely Of men. headed by several
princes of the house OF Bourbon and
Russian grand dukes. while at the
other there were nothing but ladies,
with the venerable Duchcssc do Char
tres, widow OF that gallant French royal
prince who served on the staff OF Cen
eral Mcclellan during the War OF the
Union iii America, occupying the front
rank.
Tho old marquis Is succeeded in the
| family honorS by his only son; like
himself a member OF the Jockey Club
and OF the Agricole. and n former cav
airy officer The Due d'Hlrcourt, and
or Beuvron, is the chief OF Younger
branch OF the family.
The Harcourts trace their origin to
Hernard the Dane. cousin OF Rolo.
Duke OF Normandy, by whom he was
invested I'm 1912 with the seignory
OF iarcourt. i'll what is now the De-
partmcnt OF the Icure. The Harcourts
took an active part In the conquest OF
England. under William OF Normandy.