South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-04-27
BEHIND THE SCENES
With Rulers and Leaders of Wartime Europe
By the Princess Rddziwin
Copyright
Copyright, 1S1A

he ought TO look for a more bril-
liant alliance. The young man.
however, had promised the Coun-
tess Strachwitz that no matter what
happened he would make her his
wife. and he had given her a ring as
a token that he would keep his
promise, telling her that so long as
she retained possession of it he
would consider it his duty TO remain
faithful To her.
The dukes parents somehow
heard about the incident. and one
day while the countess was going to
church she was seized by masked
men who carried her off and con-
veyed her to a convent. where the
mother superior was told to keep
her in close confinement until she
received permission TO release her
from the emperor Of Austria him
self. At the same time the ring
given to the girl by her lover was
taken away from her and returned
TO him with a supposed message
that she wished their connection to
young man was incOnsolable, then
he yielded to his fathers and moth
er's entreaties and married a prin-
cess of SaXony.
Finally Released.
In the meanwhile the parents Of
the Countess Strachwitz had tried
in vain TO learn what had become
of her and il was only after some
months that they discovered where
she was kept a prisoner. 1t took
them a considerable time to obtain
her release, as the mother superior
Of the convent where she was de-
tanned absolutely refused to set her
free. But Count Strachwitz also had
friends. who secured at last the
consent Of the emperor of Austria
TO return TO them their daughter.
But it was too late 10 save the lat
ter from an open scandal, and a
few weeks after she had returned TO
her fathers house she gave birth TO
child who ought to have been the
rightful heir TO the estates and titles
of the dukes Of Dessau.
II seems that the brain Of the
unfortunate girl snapped under the
weight OF her shame and misfortune.
and she became a raving lunatic.
dying very soon afterward. Before
she expired she is said to have
cursed all the Anhalts and to have
predicted that they would never
have an heir in the direct line. The
prophesy has been strangely full
filled. because for 100 years no
sovereign of that duchy has been his
direct pOsterity in the third genera
ton, and the succession has always
passed TO distant relatives of the
reigning duke.
other MisfOrtunes.
Apart from this fact. misfortunes
have crowded. as have already
said, upon the Anhalts. I have al
ready mentioned the numerous trials
that have fallen upon the now Wild
owed grand duchess of MeckIen-
burg Sterlitz. The youngest brother
Of the reigning duke. Prince Albert
Of Anhalt became the hero of so
many unpleasant adventures that at
last his wife, the Princess Marie
A<DNl0E VI ~ llAtcN * f1OlELElns the
daughter of Princess Christian. and
the granddaughter OF Queen Vic
toria, was compelled to divorce him.
Another Princess Anhalt was the
wife of the late Grand Duke Adolph
OF LuNemburg who lost his duke
dom Of Nassau during the war OF
1856. Altogether a strange run of
Ill luck had logged the footsteps Of
almost every single member Of that
family. in spite of its great wealth
and splendid position.
IL must here be mentioned that
the dukes OF Anhalt are considered
among the richest OF the minor
German sovereigns Apart from the
many millions Of ready money
which they possess. and which are
located in almost every important
bank in Europe, they have coal
mines in northern Prussia. and
their residence-the castle OF Bal