The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1918-05-23
A STOLEN KING

Chronicfed by ALLEN UPWARD

excellency'S very choice cognac after
dinner, that there is no one who can
write the secret history of Europe fer
the last few decades
But, M. Ambassador" were
in Paris-"surely it is impossible for
any event of real Importance to remain
concealed?"
mot in the least, my dear sir.
will give you an instance. You re-
member that supposed illness long ago
Of the king of Spain, then but child?
His young majesty was no more ill at
that time than you and l are at this
hour Alfonso XIII had been stolen!"
And, lighting a fresh cigar, the am
bassador proceeded to give me the fol-
lowing astonishing narrative:
ut was several years ago, as you
will recollect, that the press of Eu-
rope was filled with reports of a mys-
FERROUS illness from which this young
monarch was said to be suffering. This
malady was described as being of a
highly infectious character, though not
exactly dangerous. At the same time
the world was called upon to admire
the maternal solicitude of the queen
regent, who, it was said, in order to
nurse her son, had shut herself up in
his apartments, with only two attend
ants, refraining from all intercourse
with the rest of the palace while the
critical period lasted. The only other
persons who were permitted to have
access to the sickroom, besides the
physician in attendance, were Father
Olivia, the kings tutor, and Senior
Guastala, at that time prime minister
of Spain.
"In the meantime, what had really
happened was this:
Con the day before these reports be-
gan to appear-which was, think, a
Monday grand review of the troops
forming the Madrid garrison was to
come off in the city park. The review
was In honor of Saint Jago, the patron
saint of Spain, and it had been pub
licly announced that the young king
would be present, together with his
mother, the queen-regent 1t was, in
effect, to be an imposing celebration,
and all Madrid was expected to be
there. On the very morning of the re-
view, however, a letter came to the
palace, addressed to her majesty, and
marked urgent. On being opened this
letter was found to contain the alarm
Ing intelligence that there was plot
on foot to attempt the kings life. The
anonymous writer went on to add that
the conspirators hoped to carry out
their design during his majesty's pres
ence at the review.
"This letter bore the postmark OF
Pamplona.
Her majesty showed this letter to
Father Olivia, in whom she reposed
great confidence; and, as was natural,
they decided to keep the king at home,
giving out as pretext that he was
unwell The regent accordingly set
out to the review without him, taking,
instead, his elder sister, the princess
of Asturias Alfonso was greatly dis
appointed, but they succeeded in paci-
flying him by the promise of a huge
box of lead soldiers, a toy which has
always given him supreme delight.
"As soon as the queen was gone,
Father Olivia took the king into his
study, and commenced to give him his
lessons as usual An hour passed in
this way.
AT the end of this time a closed car
rage drove up at a furious rate to the
principal entrance of the palace, and
there alighted a percon in the uni
form of a general officer attended by
an aide-de-camp. This parsonage, who
appeared to labor under considerable
excitement, announced himself to the
porters in waiting as General Espinosa.
He stated that he had been sent by
the uueen-regent to fetch the king to
the review, and demanded to be taken
Immediately into his majesty's pres
ence.
Thoroughly overwhelmed by the
manner of these officers, the lackeys
fastened to conduct them to the room
where the tutor and pupil were at
work. Here as soon as the servants
had withdrawn, the general repeated
his statements, adding to Father Olivia
that the troops had shown grave symp-
toms of dissatisfaction at the kings
absence, and that serious consequences
were apprehended if he were not I'M
mediately forthcoming.
"You can we'll understand that in
Spain, the land of pronunciamentos,
where the army has so long been ac-
customed to regard itself as the mas
ter of the government, and is always
seething with sedition, such intelli-
gence was not to be trifled with. The
generals uniform and the presence of
the aide lent an air of reality to the
story; and, in short, the priest appears
to have been completely taken off his
guard.
mo doubt it would have been more
prudent on his part to have insisted on
accompanying his pupil. But the sud-
denness of these mems arrival, and
the alarming character of their state
ments, deprived him of his usual pres
ence of mind He sent for the child's
hat. and allowed him to depart with
the emissaries. The king himself. it
is needless to say of a mere boy, was
only too eager to go. He is daring as