The Washington times., 1917-05-02
FORMER PRINCESS
EXPLAINS TANGLE
Says the Radziwill Convicted Of
Forgery Was Relative.

| We" 1Of1h, May "a toAO WIN
the fascinating strangeness Of Rus
sian court leagends is told by Mrs.
Catherine Kolb-Danvin, formerly the
Princess Catherine Radziwill, to ex-
plain how the forgery record Of a GER
tain Princess Catherine Radziwill IN
South Africa almost barred her from
this country as a felon.
Mrs. Kolb-Danvin was born Cath
crime Rzewuska about sixty years
ago. She had a near relative, she
said yesterday, of about the same
age whose name was Catherine Mary
Rzewuska and who bore the rank of
Countess. Each girl married Prince
Radziwill. The husband of Mrs. Kolb-
Danvin was named Adam Louis Will
lam Radziwill, and he was known as
Prince Adam; that Of the Countess
Catherine Mary was named Adam
Charles William Radzlwill, and of the
three given names he used William.
Princess Divorced In 1909.
The further history of the Countess
Catherine Mary is related in the AL
manach de Gotha. In 1906 Prince
William Radziwill divorced her, and
a short time later she was married
to Charles Emil koIb, a civil en-
gineer OF Petrograd and Munich. She
had three daughters and one son,
WGclaw, who was killed in battle In
1914 near Lodz while fighting, in the
Russian army. One OF her daughters
married Count Blucher de WahlstattS
who now is serving in an English
regiment.
1t was this Princess Radziwill, ac-
cording to Mrs. Kolb-Danvin, who
was implicated in a scandal at the
Hotel Carlton, in London, about six
teen years ago, when her valuable |
jewels, alleged to have been stolen,
were found to.have been pawned: 1t |
was she who was convicted of forgery |
in connection with notes for 100000 |
alleged to have been indorsed by |
Cecil Rhodes, and who served more |
than a years sentence with Kaffir |
women in Capetown, South Africa.
She died, Mrs. Kolb-Danvin says,
about a year ago. though no record of
the fact is made in the Almanach de
Gotha. Prince William Radziwill
died In 1911.
Prince Adams branch of the family
is not represented in the Almanach
de Gotha. Mrs. Kolb Danvin said a
certain oung officer in Napoleonic
times married a divorced woman, and
the church did not recognize his chill
dren as legitimate, so that his de-
Prince Adam among them,
were deprived of their lands and
technical recognition. though socially
they were as prominent as any branch
of the family. -,
Prince Adam Dies; Widow Reweds.
hxr /
IN the same year as did the similarly
named Prince William, and his widow
By still greater coinci-
dence, she again paralleIed the career
II the Countess Catherine Mary, for
her second husband. was named
Charles kolb. He was Alsatian, how.
sver, and his full name was Charles
louis Kolb, while the Countess sec
md husband was a Prussian officer,
Charles Emile Kolb.
When the present war began a dis
Ike of the Teu:onic sound OF Kolb
,aused Charles Louis to hyphenate It
With Danvin. a family name which
lad been dropped for reasons OF con.
'enience.
The oddly parallel history Of the
wo relatives persisted, for Mrs. Kolb-
OanVin also lost a son in the Russian
lrmy in the first year of the war. His
lame was Vadislaw, as distinguished
rom that OF his kinsman waclaw.
In support OF her story. Mrs. KoIb-
Oanvin shows a death certificate OF
Prince Adam William RadziwilI.
lated 1911, in which she is mentioned
IS his widow. 1t was this document.
he says, which convinced the Ellis
sland board Of inquiry that a mis- ,
AXE had been made in confounding
Ter with the felon.
Expected Such n Mistake Here,
an Europe they would never make
mistake like this" she said in her
partments at the Hotel Algonquin.
They know all about prominent
antilles. or course ! could not ex-
ect that you would here in America"
That she had not asked the Rus
ian consul general for aid Mrs.
explained by saying she
onsidered that as a person who had
cen absent some time from Russia
hey might have confused some of
he intricacies of Russian family his
Dry.
Plans for Mrs. Kolb-Danvin's series