Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1914-10-12
New News Of Yesterday
The Man Who Knew the
Empress Maria Louisa
By Holland.

In the early summer Of this year
an American family visited Venice,
purposing remaining there until late
fall. The visit was somewhat en-
forced, for the head OF the family
had been strongly recommended by
his physician to spend three or four
months in Venice. since there he
could, it was thought, better recu-
perate from the effects cf a severe
surgical operation. The American
family was recalled by the news of
the probable outbreak Of a general
European war, an intimation of that
kind having been received from DR..
Nicholas Murray Butler. president Of
Columbia University, who was in
Germany just before the declaration
of war was made.
The sudden departure from Venice
of this family made il impossible for
them even to bid good-by TO one of
their closest friends, an Italian no
bleman who, both in his personality
and his experience as a diplomat, was
an extraordinarily interesting char
acter. This nobleman was by name
HenricO Capri, and he bore the rank
Of count, with a long pedigree of as
sociation with the aristocracy of
Italy
Count Capri, in his early life, or
until he was past sixty, had been in
the diplomatic service OF Italy, and
in that relation had met almost all
of the distinguished European diplo-
matists of his time.
In conversation with Count Capri
early in the summer he said to the
convalescing American:
81 can give you some very inter-
esting accounts of many of the ia
nous men and women OF more than
two generations ago. You wonder
why | am able to tell Won something
OF those who were prominent at
least sixty years ago. Well. | will
explain that by telling you something
about myself
Il am going to confess my age
to you, for l am proud CT it. l am
now in my ninety-sixth year. Ny
| hearing is good, my eyes ght is eX-
cellent, my appetite is al that any
man could ask. and I enjoy life as
much as ever did. I Ike to 70
about from place TO place and meet
the distinguished persons Of the pre-
sent time spend a few weeks la
| Venice. a few weeks in Rome and n
/ ihC right season am ~ my home r.
Flor ence. and then occasionally I e;
| Ia Vienna and wen tC Paris.
g, have now one ambition, and 4
] -.
/ fall me I feel confident that ! shall
! realize i'll am ambitious to live
long enough to be able to say that
am one hundred years OF age.
Nov will tell you of enc incident
which may interest you. I am GER
tain that I am the only living per.
son who met and talked with Mari;
I Louisa, who was the second wife o.
Napoleon Bonaparte. She was, as
you know. a princess OF the rOya
house of Austria.
when l was about thirty years o.
age and in diplomatic service I wa.
invited by Maria Louisa. who wa.
then living with her third husband, t.
dine with her and her family. &C
cepted the invitation and coulC
| see, Notwithstanding the fact tina
she was then an old woman, trace.
of that vivacity and charm which
distinguished her when she went tC
France as the bride Of Napoleon anC
the Empress Of France. l have made
many inquiries and have been unable
| to learn that any one but myself nov
/ lives who dined with and was en-,
tertained by Maria Louisa"
I