Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1916-11-24
AUSTRIAN EMPEROR DEAD.
Reign of 60 Years Was the Longest All
thenticated in History-His Ultima
tum Started the War.

tum Started the War
Emperor Francis Joseph died Tues.
day night at clock at Schoenbrunn
castle, according to a Reuter- despatch
from Vienna, by way of Amsterdam to
London.
The death of Francis Joseph is a
remarkable climax to the long list of
tragedies in the Hapsburg family-a
list unparalleled in any other reign
ing house in Europe. He dies in the
midst of the world IS greatest war,
which he himself largely brought about
by his determination to avenge the act
Of assassination of his heir, the Arch
duke Francis Ferdinand, as the result
of an alleged Serbian conspiracy while
on a state visit to Bosnia on June 2S,
1914.
Francis Joseph, was So years old at
the time of his death. He was born
Aug. Is, 1890. He was only 10 years
of age when he assembled the throne OF
Austria upon the abdication of his uncle,
Ferdinand l., Dec. 3, 1913, making his
active reign extend over period of 6S
years, all but the first 20 of which he
was also apostolic king of Hungary. 1t
is doubtful that if in all history there
has been an active, authenticated reign
that was longer.
In November, 1915, on the occasion
of visit Of Emperor William of Ger
many to Vienna, it was rumored
that Francis Joseph was about to make
possible move for q separate peace,
but owing to the strict censorship in
Austria there was no confirmation of
such q report.
The ultmatum of July %, 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 preeipitated the war
now rsvaging Europe. Five days later,
after Serbia had complied with all the
demands with the exception of agree
ing to allow Austrian authorities TO en-
ter Serbia to stamp out the alleged anti
Austrian conspiracies, Francis Joseph
| declared war.
Aside from the great war Francis
Joseph IS reign was one of the most
eventful in history. From his imperial
vantage point he saw the French mon
archy go down, the second empire rise
and crumble, the Commune fare briefly,
and the republic of today rise on its
ashes; he saw the black pinions Of the
| Prussian eagle stamped on the flag of
the new German empire-later to
tower threateningly over Austria itself
he saw the papacy shorn of its terri
torial demesne, while about q pickering
family of petty principalities was
welded into united Italy; he saw
Spain, once the greatest Of colonial
powers, lose the last Of her dependen-
cies in two oceans he saw Japan
opened TO Western civilization, and
later defeat the sprawling Colossus OF
two continents; he saw the most abso
lutte despotisms-Ru Turkey and
Persia-concede representation to the
people; he saw at distance the United
States cement its federation with the
blood of a great internccinc war, and
he saw his own brother prove that
monarchy could not take new root on
American soil,
In his own country he faced internal
dissensions and external aggressions
from the moment he came to the throne
By the war of 1859 with France and
Sardinia, he was forced to cede LON
hardy to Italy; by force of arms and
treaty he lost the Duchy Holstein to
Prussia and Venice to Italy; and by
the revolt of Kossuth, the Hunga rian
patriot, he barely escaped having his
dual empire cut in two.
The death of the Crown Prince Ru.
dolph in 1889 was the greatest person
al tragedy of Francis Joseph IS reign
greater even than the tragedy of the
empress S assassination, since, owing
to the practically sale law of Austria
and the fact that the emperor had nc
I.other son it became impossible for his
own flesh and blood to succeed him,
on the throne. The death of the
crown prince was long a mystery. Ru
dolph had been married in 1881 to
Princess Stephanie, the vain, il-tem
pered and unattractve daughter OF
King Leopold of Belgium. The mar
riage was altogether unhappy and the
fault was chiefly Stephanie's In 1885
the crown prince met beautiful
young girl, Marie Vetsera, the daugh
ter of noble who had married famous
Grecian beauty and heress, to whom
years before the emperor himself had
paid marked attention. The prince
fell madly in love with the girl and
soon after sent private note to the
pope begging him to grant a divorce
The note was returned from Rome to
the emperor. The interview that en-.
sued between father and son lasted, ii
is said, all night and at its close the
prince emerged from the emperor s
room haggard and with burning eyes
looking as if he had seen a specter in
the night, while the emperor was
found unconscious in faint. Two
days later the world was startled by
the news of Rudolph s death. The off
cial announcement was that he had
died lat his hunting lodge of Meyer,
ling, near Baden, from rupture of an
aneurism of the heart The facts
were that he had been found there in
his room lying dead on the floor with
his head shattered by self-inAicted
revolver shot while on the floor be.
side him lay the body of Marie Vet
sera, who had died from dose of
stryehnine. Both the prince and the
girl left notes saying that after what
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