Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-10-10
Grief Over Position of His
Country in War Has
tens His End.
CABINET WITH ALLIES
Ruler a Sympathizer With the
Germans, Yet Monarch
Over a Latin People.

London, Oct 10.-Telegrams from
Amsterdam and Petrograd announce
the death of King Charles of Rou-
mania
The story of his career spanning rs
years is that of German prince elect
ed to govern a Latin people, out of
which experience Roum2nians or
those who have followed the fortunes
of that buffer state will recall much
that is stirring If not romantic.
Prince Charles was born a Hohon-
zollern ,an older branch of the family
than that of Emperor William of Ger
many, but none the less proud of its
blood. He was the son of Prince
Charles Anthony of Hohon3ollern-Sig
maringen, who Voluntarily resigned the
Hohonzollern regentship in favor of
the Prussian crown and subsequently
became prime minister of Prussia
1t was while Charles was serving, at
the age of 81 years, as an officer of
high rank in the Prussian guard, that
the Turkish provinces of Wallachia
and Meldavia united to call themselves
Roumania and, casting their eyes about
Europe for foreign prince to govern
thenl-since no native prince had been
ccessful-took the advice of Napol-
con I'LL, and invited young Charles to
be their prince.
Marries at Thirty.
At the age of so, the young prince
paid court to Princess Elizabeth of
Wied, with whom he fell in love at
first sight when he met her in Co
logne, and the marriage was celebrat-
ed on the banks of the Rhine in the
fall of 1869. The queen has since be-
come beloved among her people for
her devotion to good works and fam
Gus throughout the world as a poet,
with the pseudonym of Carmen
Sylvia"
A boy was born to the couple, but
he died at the age of six and they
had no further children. The renown
of Prince Charles spread, and four
years later, out of a cannon he had
captured at Plevna the Roumanian
people cast him an iron crown. With
the consent of the powers they placed
it on his head in 1881. From this
acknowledged the leader of his adopt
ed people and the kingdom of Rou-
mania became factor in international
politics. She held aloof from the COM
mon Balkan war against the Turks,
but was stirred in her own behalf by
Bulgarian greed for territory, and af-
ter the wars King Charles pressed his
countrys claim for $500 miles of ter
ritory as compensation for the neu-
trality Roumania had preserved, and
started an invasion of Bulgaria The
Bulgars soon sued for peace and hand
ed over the coveted strip, extending
about 100 miles inland.
by ourselves alone" are the words
which ornament the iron crown King
Charles has worn. He was never a
party to international alliances, al
though groups represented in both the
Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente
have been said to be courting Rou-
manian support
Nephew His Successor.
The bill of particulars as to the
country when Prince Charles entered
Roumania was discouraging in every
detail. That which rs hands over 10
his successor. whom he adopted in the
person OF his nephew, Prince Ferdi-
aand, is one which includes an eff
cient army of nearly half million
when on war footing. agriculture de-
veloped along modern lines, oil pro-
duction on vast scale, railways
spreai widely. foreign commerce de-
veloped TO degree which exceeds that
of all the other Balkan states put to-
gether and national credit that
needs no special guarantees.
The one blot on the escutcheon re-
Gently has been an alleged widespread
of the Jews. of whom there
are some 00,000Fscattered among the
100000 inhabitants of the country.