The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1916-01-21
MURDERED KING AND QUEEN OF
SERBIA SLEEP IN NEG
LECTED GRAVEYARD.
LAST OF OBREN0vITCHS
Press Correspondent Brings Back
Story Of Tragedy OF Twelve
Years Ago.

Belgrade, Jan. 15.-The last of
the houses of Obrenovitch. the MUIR
dered Alexander. lies in little chapel
in the Belgrade cemetery. forgotten
by conqueror and conquered alike.
Beside him rests Queen Draga, the
woman for whose sake he broke off
relations with his father and whose
influence upon him undoubtedly led
to the sordid tragedy that extinguish-
ed this royal line.
The chapel stands in the center of
a neglected graveyard. 1t is primi-
tive building, a larger sample of the
without ornamentation of any kind.
1t is of brick. rudely plastered on the
outside. Only q cross carved into a
tablet giving the date of erection
shows that it isnot an ordinary house
or even a substantial barn. Bullets
have bored neat holes thru two Of the
plain glass windows. and have made
blisters in half dozen places on the
plain sheet-iron doors. The street
fighting was Q half mile away, but
the modern infantry rifle has a long
range, and the chapel stands on
ground elevated somewhat above the
scene of the street battles.
A few Hungarian soldiers are
quartered in a building hundred
yards away from the chapel. None
of them had any idea where the key
to the chapel was to be found. The
Associated Press representative fin
ally crawled thru small hole in the
wall. which appeared to have been
made by a shell which failed to ex-
plode. Scattered bricks and mortar
lay on the floor inside.
The scene was depressing. In the
middle of the floor lay box contain
ing books, dust-covered and in disar-
ray. The high altar had been showed
back into small anteroom. The sa-
cred vestments some Of them torn
and muddled. were strewn about the
floor and on the altar. A picture OF
saint, its projecting glass splinter
ed, lay face down. A bullet had
found its way into one of the crude
mural paintings. Mortar dust lay
deep over everything.
Humble Resting Place.
The correspondent had been in
formed that the murdered king and
queen were buried in this chapel
but there was nothing in sight ever
remotely resembling a royal tomb
Near one corner was q plain lettered
slab. fianked by two wooden crosses
In Cryillian letters on the slab were
the names of two soldiers Of the old
er members Of the Obrenovitch fam
lily. Right and left stood crude Ro-
man cross of wood. On the cross
bar of the cross at the right was rude
ly lettered Alexander Obrenovitch.
The corresponding bar on the cross
at the left bore the name "Draga
Obrenovitch." There was not an.
other letter on either cross. no date
of birth nor death, no word to indi-
cate that the persons buried here
had once been king and queen Of the
country.
In the more than twelve years that
have elapsed since the murder, the
crosses have not even been set up
right. They are simply leaned
against whitewashed wall. A nickel
ed candlestick stands near the squat
i'd tomb: at the other side is a tall
cylindrical sheet-iron stove. sole
means of heating the chapel. No
guard rail separates the tomb from
the place occupied by the worship
pers.
The mean tomb in the little chap
ell recalls the regicide that stirred all
the world--with the exception. ac-
cording to the contemporary reports,
OF Serbia itself-in June. 1903. Trou-
BILE had been accommodating for years
at the Serbian court. Alexander had
alienated his father Milan and often
ded various European courts by mar
rying Draga Maschin. widow OF an
engineer and former lady In wait
ing of Queen Natalie. Nepotism and
general fsvoritism still further en-
Filtered the old court at Belgrade