Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1916-11-29

Of the United States, England and
| Prussia.
Then followed the burning to death
Of niece in Vienna; sister met
similar fate in Paris; and a cousin
drowned himself in Stahrenberg
Lake. Yet these were but minor
tragedies in comparison with that
which befell the ancient house Of
| the Hapsburgs in 1889, when Rudolf,
the imperial prince upon whom the
Austrians planted their hopes, met
! death in a mystery which to this day
! is not cleared.
Graves hold the secret OF that fate
! full night at a hunting lodge in Mey-
| erlng. There have been dozen
versions Of what occurred. One
true story" relates that the Crown
Prince was struck dead by Baltazzi,
a hungarian chevalier who loved
the Baroness Marie Vetsera and who
was frenzied by finding the girl and
Prince Rudolf together in the castle
of Meyerling after the Crown Prince
had given his pledge not to see the
girl again. Another that the Crown
Prince killed the uncle OF the young
/ Baroness when he came to rescue
! her, and that both OF the young low
ers afterward committed suicide.
{ The truth is not known.
Clouded in still deeper mystery. if
7 nnSSihlp fhn lj
same year OF Francis Joseph's iav-
! orite nephew. the Archduke Johann
Salvador Heir TO the throne at the
! death OF Rudolf. he renounced his
. Imperial dignities and fled the coun-
/ try as John Orth. captain Of a mcr-
chant ship. never to be heard OF
again. The next OF kin. the Arch
duke Francis Ferdinand, who be-
came heir presumpti, =. added a fur
. ther burden to his uncle's heart by
morganatic marriage to Sophie. the
| countess Of ChOtek 1t was he and
! his wife who were assassinated at
Sarajevo in June, 1914.
| Empress Stabbed.
But it is doubtful if any or all Of
these reverses weighed more heavily
upon the Emperor's heart than the
tragedy at Geneva. when the En-
press Elizabeth. who had been called
| the most beautiful woman in Europe,
was stabbed to death by mad Ital-
Ian anarchist, in 1898. True. she
! long had been estranged from the
! Emperor. but he had never ceased to
! respect and adore her When a cou-
rier brought him the news of the
crime he exclaimed: Alas, nothing
can be spared! me--nothing!"
After each blow he renewed his de-
+ hc:ng in harder work. He labored
prLdisiously. I!e was beloved for
his kindliness. his modesty and rec
.iiude, and his high moral courage
! made it possible for him to hold in
leash the Czechs, the Poles, the
serbs. the Ruthe mans and the Pull
gars. who made up the mosaic OF ma
t:C alitieS in his dual empire
Gossip dealt plcntiiully WITH I's
private life, filled with romance ard
misfortune. Ii is related that his
mother intended him to ma "
Princess Helena, eldest daughter OF
Duk, Max OF Bavaria. With passive
indifference the young Emperor
agreed TO his mothers wishes. and
set out to pay court to his intended
bride. He got no further than the
park surrounding the Dukes castle,
where he spied a little girl whose eX-
traordinary beauty attracted him.
He learned that she was Princess
( Elizabeth, Younger sister Of his in
tended. He resolved that Elizabeth
should be his bride, and so she be-
/ came in 1854
In addition to her beauty Elizabeth
! was highly endowed with talents, but
she found no welcome at court. The
/ Emperors mother would hardly
countenance the match, and all of the
! Eicnnesc aristocracy held alooi from
! her EliZabth returned scorn for
ScOrn. Her enemies bore her every
/ tale that could wound her pride and
cstrange her love. At last they sue
! cccded. In burst OF pique she fled
to her native Bavaria. She came
back. but the Vienncsc never forgave
! her. They charged her with loving
| foX-hunting in Ireland better than
her duty. and preferred to remember
! her always as the absent wife.