The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-12-19

who would sure,. denounce them to the
world. .....
A revolver was raised and she fell dead
with a outlet through her head.
This .rsion Of the tragedy. which was
told e &C long ago. has recently been pub
licly confirmed by the former Archduks
Leopold Ferdinand. . cousin Of the EN-.
perez. Leopold was an original chasacter.
who abandoned his imperial rank long b.
fore the fall OF the Empire and married an
actress. ......-,
Some of the highly placed persons In
vplved In the tragedy told tho Emperor
what had happened. He was 30 over.
whelmed with horror and grief that hs
simply gave orders to suppress the details
Of the affair as far as possible because Of
the disgrace 1t would bring on his .oerial
house. That 10 why It has alws been
invo.ved In mystery, and probabi sfways
will be. -,
TT Q church bells of Vienna began 10 ton
when the Grown Princes death was an
nour ced. Then the rumor spread that he
ringing. The Emperor sent word that
thern was no truth in the rumor and they
toilet again. ,..> "a.
In order to conceal the horrible ARRAY IN
which he had died the Crown Princes
skull was restored to a natural shape by
means Of wax and hair. This work was
done by a well-known court sculptor, long
in the confidence Of the Emperor. Thus
prep ired, the body looked presentabIe as
1t lay in state for the customary period.
The body was buried in the crypt of the
Capuchin Church. where the Hapsburgs
have been laid to rest for eight hundred
years. Before the body could be placed
there the Emperor had to answer q strange
old medieval list Of questions concerning
. the dead. One question was: Did he
die by his own hand?" The Emperor an
swered no and followed the coffin alone
into the vault .,s... .-.
Then came another problem for tho
cynical court officials III vienna-to hide
the late Of Baroness Marie, 20 that tho
court fiction might be upheld that there
had been no scandal and that Rudolph had
died accidentally. The Baroness's mother.
Baroness Helen vetsera. was ordered by
the Emperor. on the day the tragedy was
known. to go Immediately to Venice and
there give out a report Of her daughters
death by drowning.
The details OF tne secret burial Of Marie
Vetsera have bee, given correctly, I be-
lieve, by Countess Marie Larisch. who was
a first cousin Of Crown Prince Rudolph.
She was daughter by morganatic mar
rage Of Duke Ludwig Of Bavaria, brother
of the Empress Elizabeth Of Austria. The
Countess Larisch acted as an Intermediary
between Rudolph and Marie Vetsera and
she had better opportunity than any
other person of learning certain details OF
their tragedy.
On the day following Marie's =. -
Count Stockau end Alexander Pa'.a.,i.
both Incles Of Marie, received order -rnit
the Emperor to proceed to Meyerlinr e.
the evening They were taken there ~ .
large closed carriage. The chief OF -"
secret police sat beside the coachman
The uncles were taken Into the ,r.U
room, where Marie's body had been hidden
in basket. They were informed that the
corpse OF the Baroness was to be fuzzy
dressed and prepared to look as though
she was still living and then her body was
to be taken to the carriage.
you are to support the body" said tho
functionary significantly, in such way
as to make It appear that the Baroness
still lives"
The poor uncles were forced to tako
part in dress ne up the dead. They
smoothed her heavy hair and pinned Il up
In a great twist. They washed away the
blood stains from her face. DR.. Wieder-
hofer, the court physician, had bound up
the shattered skull with lawn bandAge.
This broke and Count Stockau bound up
the W Jund with his black silk cravat
They dressed her In her dainty under.