Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-11-16
CHARLES, PLAIN MAJOR
WHEN WAR BROKE OUT
Unpromising Hapsburg Soldier
Became Austrian Heir With
Murder. of Archduke
Francis.

Former Emperor Charles / of Austria,
King of Hungary. was an lnpromlslng
major III nm Aust ran infantry regiment
when the shot of the assassin who killed
HE irchduke Francis Ferdinand on
/ June 2S. l9l made him The heir apparent
Ia the throne in the "IIawk's Castle
on the banks of the River Aar.
Two hundred or more monarchs oi tins
historic house Of lIapsburg ruled for cen
turies the land of Magyar, Slnv and
Tcuton centuries Of bolodshed, tyranny
and aggression and slept their last sleep
IN the wonderful crypt of the Capauchln
| Church in Vienna. Emperor francls
Joseph. the aged predecessor q the youth
| ful harics, seeing the han1writing ON
| the wall " had hoped to unto the dis-
curdant elements among his 80 0Uo, ,OBl
| subjects whose rnciaI autagonlRtns were
complicated by the absorption bv Anstrla
of the Serbian provinces OF l'osnia and
| Herzegovina ON 1908.
It wns the Archdukc Francis Ferdinand .
determination to bring about triune
empire mnde up Of Magyar, Slav and 'cr-
rnnn staics, II is generally believed, that
/ lei To his assassination m f~ara Jcvo
| Francis Ferdinand feared tho dual mon
arehv might he ended upon the death OF
Francis Joseph tlv the iptcrveni ron OF
Huesra or Germany and sought thus to
| forcstall II
Charles | vas born August II, 1881,
| the son of tht, late Archdulc otto Of ~ay-
ony lie married the Princess Iita Of the
Bourbon house Of Parma tltalanJ IN III
| When the Nnc l)nnttis wa@ sung tnT ms
dead gran,Iunclc. the Emperor Francis
Joseph TIM. only achievements Of harlce
brought 10 public notice were that he was
keen sportsman. m excellent shot and
motorlst Frequently he WIS secn ~ the
parks oi lcnua wheeling ono ot las young
In. III 4 bahv rcrarnbulator Nhcn hc &C
crded 10 tie throne on December 80, 1916
Austria hungary, torn ly four years q
wnr. san the first falnt gicam 81 pnsslf,l'
pcace
The course 81 the now ruler was rr9u
lated largely from Berlin and for 'h'
llrst slx months of hts reign AustrI
Hungary vas regaried rs i mere GcrnaT
st.te fflntleuftlrg successes u
tallela IN lgi6, u WIuch Charles sharof
l4 = colmnander III thr fields, gave th
ytalne rnunach j prestige which enable
hrf 10 hold thc hIsfrlan - the Centre
Powers until tit rollapse If l.ulgarla M
Turkey trd Tire fna crash
Nufnertus peace oyertures and manGn
vres characterized tho diplomacT of I'll
tlaal monarchy after Francis Joseph
deaih prccipitated doubticss by bros
rlots and other outbreaks ihrnughoH
Austria | nable to MAINTAIN hls pledge
filt .cruan Emperor - continue ~" ~
- the end Cbarles made nsc If tic f9fno'
Dear 9lstus" letter, an atuagrapae
missivc written III April 1913, to Pnnf
-ixtus dc Bourbon for transmission to n
French government IN winch the mnnarc
I ! II, f.rrrs ar
was Juatlhcd.
, Although the letter was denounced
a forgery IN vienna the Foreign Oih'
claiming IT had been written by Franc
: eccIcslastic who had been artng is confc
scr 10 the Empress Ilta Subsequent even
} pravesl it, authcntIrlty Il was the fir
revelation Of tie break between tho Ge
rnau Emperor and hls vL-sai k!ng- Pr
pIo!sly. Emperor CiArlcs had indicate
his deslre for peace. however IN 5pecch'
: before tile Reichsrat IL December, I9I
I he deear.d hls WIlingne-s to con lut
!, peace WITH the Allies + they Won
guarantee the integrity ot AustrH
Hungary.
Conditions IN the dual monarchy We
rapidly growing worse here we're mar
cabinet changes and 3ssa--lnail0ns. II
j. M4gvars Czecho->lavs and other nations
ItIeS were elamorlug for constitutional T
: forms and autonomous government.
! Thereafter Charies lot y 5 s.trfron neH
: happy one lie WAS reporieti - nave
f sed to send Austrian troops to the wes te
: : battlefront despite the German Emperor
! importantly In ever way ne endeaFor'
10 stem the tide oi revolution VIII
: seemed 10 be rising He p omlsed all san
OF reforms ana - a sop - hls discomfort
subjects pardoned u prisoners awaiti
: trial II Saraiepo for high treason.
On October. l9l>, he announced pia
: for the liberalization ol AaStrla-Iunga
2 and IN IN address 70 the II HgarIan ID
4 frankly admitted Ms throne wts "a pert
\ day or two later Count haro.yi lead
{ oi the Hungarian republicans, aunounc
1 the success of a bloodless revolution
a Budapest and declared hungary II
aud independent state. Still later Z
Z German aud other provinces declao
G their purposes to become autonomo
q entities and the House Of the Hapsburi
a once the leader Of the Holy Roman Fl
I pre-, seemed to bc about 70 collapse Il
i a house OF cards.