Imperial Valley press., 1914-07-20
Countess Naldersee.

CNh4~tNSo AHSAS 1>SN'ANA -
dcrsea. the widow of the field mar
shall who commanded the allied i'll
tclnational forces in the Boxer re
bellioa in 1906, born the daughter of
New York merchant passed away
on Saturday at her home in Han
over, at the age of rs years. The
carcer OF the countess was remark
ably Interesting. She made the most
brilliant foreign marriage of any
American woman, having welded a
royal prince on early terms and be-
ing IN 70 sense wife morganatic.
Of her it was said that she was the
cnly one of her sex Bismarck was
afraid of.
1t is related of her that in 1866
she was Marie Esther Lee. She mar
ricd the uncle Of the present En-
press of Germany, Prince Frederick
of Schleswig- -Holstein, who gave up
the prerogatives Of royalty to make
his status the same IS hers, taking
the title of Prince of Noer, while
Miss Lee became Princess of Nocr.
The prince was an old man, whose
daughters were i(inS.e- friends -ef
tfSCMerican girl. He fell IN love
with her through seeing her in her
rounds of charity among the poor of
Paris, her mother being a leader of
society in the American colony ard
long resident in France.
The prince died on his wedding
tour to the Orient, and left to his
bride large fortune, including sorle
Of the royal jewels Of Denmal k,
which he inherited from his grand
father. Christian VII, King cf Del
mark, as we'll as jewels which he
longed to his grandmother, the i'll
fated Caroline Matilde, sister Of
George III Of England These the
widow seldom wore. although il was
well known that she possessed them.
1t is believed that she has bcquea bod
them to the German Empress, her
liece by marriage.
II 1874 Princess Noer made i dcs-
era5, love match with Count Alfred
ron Waldcrsee then an inconspicu-
Gus officer in the German army, but
later the successor of Count Won
Moltkc as commander-in-c chief of the
military forces of the Fatherland.
The two became engaged after q few
meetings and were married almost
Immediately in little country church
near the German estate which Mr..
Lee Fept up with another daughter,
who had become the wife of Baron
Waechter-Lauterbach. a diplomat vino
represented Wurtemberg at the court
# Napoleon III.
Alter this Countess Won Walder
see was intimately identified with th Q
German court and spent much tin9e
in Berlin. Empress Augusta, wife
Of William ], made her a confidanta
and Cften asked her advice on po-
litical affairs. The two together
worked against Bismarck and it i;
said that Countess Waldersec was the
only woman Bismarck was ever real
ly afraid of.
Impress Frederick gave the Amer
lean woman the same confidence, and
the present empress treated her with
great Difference, often seeking her
counsel. Once a year the countes7
was expected to visit the empress al
the royal palace in Berlin or at Pots
dam. Last year she was too feeble
so do so and the empress came to
see her in Hanover, in strict incog-
nita, but exactly as she goes to visit
royal relatives.
1t is believed that Countess Wal
dersee had a certain amount of in
fuence in bringing about the mar
riage of the present emperor's only
Princess Louise, TO tn
Duke of Brunswick, claimant aftef
his father to the Kingdom of Han
over. Although thoroughly identified
with Prussia and ranging herself on
the side of the emperor, as far as
the possession of sovereignty in Han
over was concerned, the countess
lived so many years in Hanover that
she could appreciate the attitude of
L.. .1nncnndnnfc of thn Hannunf.ian u