The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-07-14

peror of Austria and King Of Hungary
TO mention only his - eff honors) |
was born at Schonbru&- August Is. |
1880, son of the Archduke Charies /
ana the ArchducheSs Sophie (born a
princess Of Bavaria. the most bitter
enemy of his people could hardly
nave wished him all the tragedies
which have been visited upon him.
ms last shocking murder Of the
Franz Ferdinand and his
Sreatiy-admired and respected NOR !
ganatic wife. the Duchess of Hohen-
berg. In the Bosnian capital. will prob
ably be the last he will be called upon
to bear.
In 1854 the Emperor. then a hand
some youth of "a. was married to
Elizabeth. a Bavarian duchess of
striking beauty Of II years. He had
gone to be presented to her older sis
ter with an idea of marriage. but be
lore he had SO much as met their
mother he had seen a vision in the
park and fallen in love with it. The
vision was none other than the beau
tiful madcap Elizabeth. who was rid
ing her favorite horse in the widest
fashion with her magnificen hair
streaming out behind her. Her hair
was her one vanity.
Alas, they were not happy eve
after.
Her beloved herO-theh who
was to have been her lover through
life and all eternity-tottered on the
little pedestal upon which she had
place. him.
One adoring biogra pher makes her
out a combination angle-goddess and
Greek nymph-Christian virgin-rather
a complication.
But. at any rate. her radiant beauty
brought her the devotion of her hus-
band and most gratifying grandeur,
she was the first feminine figure in
the proudeSt and most exclusive en-
pire, had unbounded wealth., castles.
jewels and the most brilliant sur
roundings.
She also had a mother-in-law who.
it is said, thought it ridiculous for her
| august son to be so under the Inhu-
| ence of a mere child. 1t has been
| limited thatshe threw in his wa nu-
merous court bea uties who had little
difficulty in winning his attentions.
indeed, it has been declared that the
one flaw in the haracter of Austria
Emperor has been his intrigues with
women. For long years he has con-
fined his attentions to one favorlte,
who was an actress.
The Hapsburgs have always beer
reputed slightly insane, but surely
Elizabeth proved herself quite "a
much 50 with her iHcognito voyages
ncI mysterious jour IIcyo " iohO' hSi
private circus and any number OF
peculiarities. Her asst wandering
were in Geneva, Switzerland whence
she had gone from the Riviera. |
was on a boat on the Lake Of Geneva
that a wretched assassin, L.ucchenl
stabbed to death the still beautlfu
Empress Elizabeth in September
1898.
The had already lost hi:
brother. the martyred Macmillan O
Mexico, whose wife. Carlotta, Is IN al
ASYLUM. and had wrested from hin
Italian States.
Undoubtedly the greatest of thes'
tragic blows was h death or th'
Crown Prince. On January 80, 1883
was enacted the dreadful scene whlcf
Mortified the civilized world Rodol
nhe and the Baroness Marie Vetse-s
were found dead together in the roya
hunting box at Mayerling- Despit'
the many true of That DC
| casion all that is known IL thai tn
! Crown Prince and the beautiful Bhro
ness were found dead, the scene be
ing one Of great disorder. tie rHSui
, Of a suicide pact or murder
: Rodolphe had married the Princes
, fStenhanie (now the Lonyay
! i'm 1881 and they had grown wear.
Of each other before he met the Bar
: oness in 1888. The Emperor had ask
ed him to honor the Polish bali
He went. somewhat dejeetedly. bu
in a short time he saw q
girl. the Baroness Vetsera, and lost n
. tive in meeting her. S+rangef
enough. there had been some goSsI
q about the mother Of Marie, a RE
Greek beauty who had married a
Austrian noble, and who. in tn enron
: ia1e scandaleuse. was said to have t
t have enjoyed the EEaperors favor
Extraordinarily lovely and perfect
e formed. it was little wonder that tn
t Crown Prince became Ter arden
Hover.
v This flame was famed by the Count
ess Larisch. who herself had ha
8 hopes OF marrying the Crown Prince
She had pointed out to him all of h
y wife's failings, and then eeing h
g admiration for Marie. she cultivate
e the Baroness Vetsera- chaperohing tn
+ DAUGHTER and throwing hei into Re-
dolphe's company as much as possible
9 In her own book she "a vs. that sh