Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-11-22

owing to the strict censorship in Aus
trla,. there was no confirmation of
such a report.
Directly Precipitated War
Ihe ultimatum OF July 23, 1914,
which Francis Joseph sent to King
Peter OF Serbia, denouncing the anti
Austrian propaganda in that country
and demanding prompt punishment of
the assassins of Archduke Ferdinand,
was supposedly dictated by Francis
Joseph himself and it was this docu-
ment that directly precipitated the
war now ravaging Europe. Five
days later, after Serbia had complied
with all the demands with the eXcep-
tion of agreeing to allow Austrian
authorities to enter Serbia to stamp
out the alleged anti-Austrian con-
spiracies, Francis Joseph declared
war.
In his manifesto of that date, July
2S, he said:
THE intrigues of a malevolent op-
ponent compel me in defense of the
honor of my monarchy and for the
protection of it's dignity and the Sc
curlty OF its possessions to grasp the
sword after long years of peace.
THE hope that Serbia would keep
It's word has not been fulfilled; the
flame of its hatred for myself and my
house has always blazed higher.
I'm this solemn hour / am fully
conscious of the whole significance
Of my resolve and my responsibility
before the Almighty. 1 have ex-
amined and weighed everything, and
with serene conscience set out on the
path that duty points"
Eventful Reign
Aside from the great war Francis
Joseph's reign was one of the most
eventful in history. From his i'm
per1al vantage point he saw the
French monarchy go down. the Second
Empire rise and crumble, the Com
mune fare briefly, and the Republic
of to-day rise on its ashes; he saw
eagle stamped on the flag of the new
German Empire - later to tower
threateningly over Austria itself; he
saw the papacy shorn of it's territorial
demesne, while about a blickering
family of petty principalities was
welded into united Italy; he saw
Spain, once the greatest of colonial
powers, lose the last of her depen-
denotes In two oceans; he saw Japan
opened to Western civilization, and
later defeat the sprawling Colossus
OF two continents; he saw the most
absolute espotisms-Russia, Turkey
and Persia-concede representation
the United States cement it's fedora
tion with the blood of a great interne-
cine war, and he saw his own brother
prove that monarchy could not take
new root on American soil.
In his own country he faced in
ternal dissensions and external ag-
gressions from the moment he came
with France and Sardinia, he was
forced to cede Lombardy to Italy; by
force of arms and treaty he lost the
Duchy of Holstein to Prussia and
Venice to Italy; and by the revolt of
Kossuth. the Hungarian patriot, he
barely escaped having his dual en-
pire cut in two.
But in human interest his personal
sorrows overshadowed all. One after
another they came upon him. In
1858 the list of tragic incident began
with an attempt upon his own life.
In 1867 his brother, the Archduke
MaXimilian, after three years expert
ment as Emperor of Mexico was cap
tured by the army of the patriots
martial whose sentence was executed
Notwithstanding intercession in his be-
half by the governments of the United
States, England and Prussia.
Violent Deaths i'm Family
There followed the burning to
death of a niece in Vienna; a sister
met similar fate in Paris; and 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 pin
ned their hopes, met death in O mys-
terry which to this day is not cleared.
Graves hold the secret of that fate
full night at a hunting lodge in Meyer
ling. There have been dozen ver-