The New York herald., 1921-09-04
Again the Meyerling Mystery.

The real solution OF what in the
passing Of years has come to be
called the Meyerling mystery, the
tragedy in which Crown Prince Ru-
DoLPH, only son of FRANCIS JOSEPH
and heir to the throne OF Austria.
and the Baroness vEczARA met their
ceath, is offered by BERrHoLD FRrsCH-
AUER of Vienna, a friend OF RU-
DoLPH's and one OF the first men at
the Meyerling hunting lodge the
morning after the Crown Princes
death was discovered.
So long as the Hapsburgs reigned
there was no possibility Of a revela-
ton or an explanation of this tragedy.
The companions of the Crown Prince,
the courier who brought to the En-
peror the information Of his sons
death, the aold seryapts at the hunt
ing lodge. all Of whom were more or
less familiar with the circumstances,
never violated the pledge of secrecy
imposed upon them. II there were
any documents on the matter they
were never uncovered, the name Of
the Crown Prince ceased to be spoken
at court, and the lodge where the
tragedy occurred was razed to the
ground and the surrounding land
scape altered. FRANCIS JOSEPH willed
there was no tragedy, even no
Meyerling.
Since the January morning thirty
two years ago when the Austrians
were shocked by the news OF the
sudden demise Of their Crown Prince
there have been given to the world
at least ten different versions Of his
death and the circumstances leading
up to it. 1t was officially announced
that he had died Of heart failure.
The fact that the body Of the Baron
ess vEczARA, with whom the Crown
Prince was known to be deeply infat.
uated, was also found in the lodge
could not be concealed Ofncial Aus
tria remained silent. One story was
to the effect that RUDOLPH had been
killed in drunken brawl by one Of
his companions, another that he had
been shot by a member OF Baroness
vEczARA's family and that the Baron.
ess had then killed herself, and other
stories with many more complica
tions and involutions attributed his
death to political or religious plots
The publication OF book o year OF
more ago which promised to make
new and complete revelations merely
revived interest in the tragedy with
out satisfying 1t.
In none OF the revelations was
there ever complete confidence: they
were theories built up largely around
stated conditions and II was readily
seen that upon these conditions other
equally plausible stories could be con
structed. Herr FRrscHAuER says that
the sole reliable source Of what took
place at Meyerling was to be found
in a pamphlet written by Baroness
vEczARAs mother and published q
few days after her daughters death
The Government Immediately seized
these pamphlets and destroyed them
Herr FnrscHAuER, however, made .
stenographic copy OF one Of them
and still has It. This shows con
clusively that both tho Crown Prince
and BaroneE vEczAcA voluntarily
committed suicide. Both left letters;
the one written by the Baroness tt
her mother was published in the con
flscated pamphlet. The Crown Prince
wrote to his wife, Crown Princess
SrErHANrE, and to his under secre
tary, SzooENy. This last letter wal
placed by It's recipient in tho roya
archives, but IL was evidently mad,
away with, as no one has since beer
able to find 1t.
The statement Of the forester tha
the Baroness's body was carried
away in a wooden box to an unknown
burial il denied BY FBIscHAuER