El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-04-04
Germans Haze
No Respect For
Aged CarIOtta
Former Empress Of Mexico
Mistreated During Bel
gian Occupation.

/ Paris, France, April IA dispatch
from Brussels. Belgium. to the Paris
edition Of the New York Herald, says:
Full details OF the ignobIe efforts
made by the German and Austrian au-
: thorities TO disturb the restful old
age Of princess Charlotte Of Belgium.
formerly empress Carlotta Of Mexico,
and also to despon her OF her large
fortune, have just been communicated
Z to me on most excellent authority.
also learned that king Albert has
himself only just learned the facts,
which were related TO him q few davs
ago by members OF the princess
household on the occasion OF his first
visit to his aunt at the Chateau
Bouchout since the war.
The story has been unpublished
hitherto, but I an IN a position to
state that only a few weeks after
they entered Brussels. the German au-
Ihorities expressed their intention OF
Quartering a regiment and its staff
, in the Chateau Bouchout, where prin-
cess Charlotte, then IS years old, leads
q lonely but tranquil life, oblivfous.
owing to mental arrangement OF the
. terrible events Of 1864-1S6T, which
eliminated in the assassination Of her
husband. emperor Macmillan Of Mex
leo, who was shot by Juarez at Quere-
larO, on March 70, 1857.
Danger OF Awakened Memory.
It is highly probable that, had Ger
man or Austrian troops actually en-
. tered the chateau, the princess mem
DRY would have reawakened to its
awful recollectious, for even the roar
OF artillery. audible during the Ger
man advance on Brussels and the
BON bardment Of Antwerp, had been
q 81 70 - HwrHr ErTF -7n 10
fever.
Princess Charlotte's household, sup
ported by the highest Belgian legal
authorities. fought hard to prevent
the requisition Of the empress home
by the barbarians and at last sue
ceeded. Soon afterwards, however,
military delegates from Francis
Joseph, then Austrian emperor. ap-
peared on the scene, backed up by
German bayonets. and threatened TO
commander all that the Chateau
Bouchout contained which might be
useful TO military ends
There was another successful legal
struggle TO debar the invaders from
such an outrage. Undeterred, how
ever, by these two failures, the invad
+ ers returned once more. this time
claiming the whole Of princess Char
lotte's foretune on the pretext that,
owing to her marriage with Maxi
P
the Habsburg family and ought con-
seQuently to nay her share toward
the war expenses Of the Austro-Hun-
garian empire and its allies
Fortune Of G0.OOO.OO0 francs.
The Austrians were fully aware that
this fortune had grown, first under
the trusteeship Of King Leopold I, and
then under that OF prince de Ligne. TO
more than $4,000. GOO francs.
Unsuccessful in their first attempt,
the Austro-Germau vultures. time
after time. entered the Chateau Bou-
chout and very nearly came into the
presence Of the pitiful victim OF the
old Mexican tragedy Finally they
were forced to abandon the coveted
prey, owing TO the death OF emperor
Francis Joseph and to the threEt Of
public exposure and appeal to inter
national justice.
King Leopold ms venerable sister
has now recovered the calm OF old
DAYS. She still practices on the plano
from time TO time or walks wistfully
about the grounds OF Bouchout castle
But had the Germans conquered she
would have become a penniless pris-
oner at their mercy and IN their
hands