The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1916-11-24
Emperor Of Sorrow" Had
Spent Last Days Amid a
Reign Of Tragedies.
NEW EMPEROR OF
AUSTRIA ONLY 20
Assassination of Dead M0narch's
Son Was the Cause of
European War.
Special Dispatch to The Tribune.

Vienna, NOV. 2l--Emp2rOr Franz
Joseph is dead. Early this morning
the aged Emperor's physician made
the announcement that the Monarch
had succumbcd. Outside the palace Il
great throng stood anxiou5ly awaiting
since early in the afternoon. Like
wildhre the news spread. Bells were
tolled all over the city. The Emperor
was 81 years old.
Charles Francis Joseph, grand
nephew Of the dead Emperor, vii! be-
come Emperor. He is % years old and
has been commanding the troops on
the Transylvanian front.
Franz Josef had been called the
emperor of Sorrows Of Austria be-
cause of the long record Of tragedies
that attended his reign. The curse Of
the HapSburgs" haunted him IN his
declining years. Of all TIE figures in
contemporary history his was at once
one Of the most magnificent and the
most pathetic. With long and event
full life behind him, q life overcast by
disasters that would have UnseaJed Il
feebler ruler, and Saddened by sorrows
that would have wrecked weaker
man, in the evening Of his days he
bore the burden Of the dual crown IN
bowed.
His was the proudcst house in Eu
rope and Ills thc most solitary and so
lated ct Ill rcy;,i ives; tnorc vas little
comfort for hlm in ms sorrows, but
he worked OF unreientiIgly and died
'steadfast" at his post.
There were many who said that the
unprecedented list o. family disasters
that attended his life was due TO =
curse ta@t hung over she io4sc Of
Hapsburg, uttered BY the I'D Ioun-
tess CAROLYN. whose sen w. put 10
death for participating IN the Hun
garian uprising o. ISIS. s." called on
heaven and hell TO blast the ...ppincss
Of the Emreror,to eXtermina,e his fam
lily. to strike HIM through those that
ne loved. 20 wreck his life and ruin his
children.
Franz Josef was born Aug. Is, 1880.
He WIS the son Of the Archdul,c Fran
els. son OF Francis I. Emperor Of Aus
tria. He came TO the throne in 1918
az the successor Of his uncle, Ferdi-
nan |, who had been forced to abdi-
cate.
The Empcrcr's first task was to sub
due the Hungarian revolt and TO affect
the paciiication Of Lombardy. This be
ing accomplished, an era Of reaction
began. In 1889. LDmbardy was coded
to Sardinia and by the war with Prus-
STA in 1866, Austria was altogether
excluded from Germany. Nj the same
time. she was forced TO hand over
Venice to the King Of Sardinia. who
had fought as the Ally Of Prussia.
After this. the Emperor adopted 4
policy of Cancellation toward the ma
t;onaIities within his dominion. \ few
vc&rs ls.ta. he became King of Hun
gary and took the oath on The Hun
garian constitution.
1t was in 1884 that the Emperor
married the Empress. who finally died
by the hand Of an assassin in SWltZ-
crland more than 80 years later. She
was the Princess Elizabeth Ct Bavaria.
His motherhad intended thaj ne should
marry the Princess Helena. In" oldest
daughter Of the Bavarian Duke Max
and had fully negotiated the r1"tch
Fran Josef acquicsced in his arrange
mcnt. and set out for Duke MaX's cas-
tie to complete the formal betrOthal.
While he was going through the park
on his way TO the castle door, he saw,
wandering among the trees and shrub
berry. little girl in a short dress. The
child's extraordinary charm and beau
tv at once attracted his attention and
won his heart. He soon learned that !
the young girl was the Princess Eliza !
beth, the Younger sister Of his intend F,
ed bride He at once cancelled the en-
gagement, which his mother had made |!
FOR him, and swore that he would never .
marry anybody but the lovely girl /
he had seen in the park. The plan !
suited the Duke Max, who promptly F.
gave his consent, and it was not OBJ |
jected TO by the Princess Helena. who
was not in love with tie Emperor and /
rather welcomed her release.
Storms Of protest came from his
own family and from the nobility Of
Europe, who insisted that the En-
peror of Austria should not we'd the
younger daughter of a pcnniless Duke
who was not even by birth q royal
highness." Franz Josef, however,
turned deaf ear to all these ubiec-