The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-11-17
Course Of Hapsburgs' May Have
Cause Suicide of Famous Beauty

eide or been shot dead by hey royal
lover Mrs Stcane and her baby boy
were seni hp ihe late en1peror's or
derS to Trieste 81 the care OF the
boys. maternal grandmother. who,
IN tho chtjd'S behalf. received $780,
0oo from the emperor. giving In re-
turn nm unANrsa king In writing that
she would never make any claim for
the boy az member OF the Haps-
burg dynasty and heir to the throne,
/ Mrs Steanes husband, Captain
Cedric Strane whom she had mar
( ried herc August 80 last, testified
al tho iroueqt yesterday that his wife
/ had to'd him:
J both MY parents committed sui
eide ana feel my mother Is calling
! me at tho hunting lodge"
Primer Rudolf owned q hunting
/ fo1rc at Nevering. few miles from
! Baden Early ono morning a wood
, cutter. according to his testimony.
found the prince dead and also the
! body Of his beautiful morEa natic
wife. both shot through the head.
The Austrian people however, gem
orally believe the prince is really
still alive and lives somewhere In
obscurity
Alma Notsora Steane unquestion-
nhlv looked like the Baroness Mary
Fctscra. who was well known In the
aristocratic world
Tho Mcvcrlin~ tragedy always has
been considered one of the great
mysteries OF European ROYALTY. Ow-
ing to the care with which such
things are usually concealed by in
tcrested rArties, the most painstak-
ing search has failed to unenrth the
true story Of the princes disappear
ance
One pet story in connection with
the drama Is that important papers
/ relating 10 it are locked in a trunk
! which is not to he opened until 1910.
by order Of the late Emperor Francis
Joseph,
According 10 Countess Iarisch,
! daughter Of Prince Ludwig Of Ba-
varia and who was great friend of
! baroness Nctsnra. Prince Rudolfs
married life with Princess Stephatie
! Of Belgium. was not IL hanpy one.
! The prince met Mary Vetsera. an I'M
usually handsome woman. through
! Countess Larisch.
But since there is no record Of a
! daughter born from the morganatic
union, Alma yetsera Steane's story
| does not for the present at least
hold water" officially, though there
is plenty of unofficial circumstantial
evidence to bear out her dramatic
tale.
II ia known Mrs. Steane was taken
to America when ehe was six by II
Polish priest, to whom, II is said, she
was entrusted by people of prom
( inence" who pledged him to have her
well educated She was placed, 1t is
said, in ~ convent in America, but
after some years returned either to
+ Poland, her native country, or to
Austria.
to Bu"nos Ayrcs and from there at
back to- America She was always
well supplied with money. No trace
has been found Of the priest The
{ girl lived with friends in New York
and when she arrived to young wo.
manhood she met HAYNES. a wealthy
Canadian. They lived together hap
ply. but were finally divorced in New
+ Jersey, Mrs. Steane's son. whom sh"
/ loved passionately.f liz now thirteen
and is going to school in England
/ After her divorce from HAYNES, Mrs
Steane plunged into the ray life OF
/ LGnaon's west end, where she soon
made Il host Of friends Sla was ford
Of rambling. but even more fond Of
dress. In hnr fiat in Duke street
where She ended her life. after an un-
successful suicide attempt Some wears
/ AGO. she was a lavish entertainer,
GiviuE some arti9ticaliv perfect dim
rers and dances at which army and
navy officers were particularly well
represented
She was beautiful, vivacious wo-
man Of twenty nine with curly hair
and remarkably nratty ewes Of indis-
tinct color and dreamy depth.
AT "a gay marty In &sw York DUR
ing the war she met an -car
! named Andrews with whom she fell
IN love at first SIGHT They we're mar
ried. but the ron at1ce was short-lived
ending in divorce. Returnin, to Lon
don she be anne the central figure %
many Of the gayest fashionable gath
erings. being noted for her gorgeous
dress and lnViRhness in spending.
For II white tf1eA eyes of. Scot Ian Z
Yards and of the American secret ser
vice were fixed upon her doinfs. hIt
nothing discriminating was ever found
against her
a year or 80 ago she met prom
tnent London society man, whose
name ia still undivulged Her en-
easement with him was broken on
and she is said to have attempted sui
eide IT the time,
Today it was learned that not long
ago she tried to return TO the United
state. but was officially prevented
When she was fourteen she went
10 Rmenos AYres and from there at
tempted Vainly to proceed to New
York
Much mystery still surrounds tho
life story Of the beautitul suicide
British officials apparently know
raore than they are willing to tell
about her connections with person
ares closely watched by the foreign
office and Scotland Yard