The Ordway new era., 1921-03-18

Lustgna1 died in poverty at Milan, leaving an only
son n,imed Michael. Michael earned precarious
living MS a waiter at Milan and at Florence. ana
repeatedly endeavored to ameliorate his lot by
marrying some rich woman. About ten years ago
he addressed to the head of the marriage-license
bureau at the New York city hall, a remarkable
letter inviting the assistance of that official IN
securing rich American wife for "a prince OF
royal blood Prince Michael de Lusignan, Prince
or Armenia, Cyprus. and Jerusalem; Comte de Ill
Marche, ffty-seven years of age, and without
fortune" His matrimonial designs were as frult-
less in America they abroad however,
and he died in October, 1912, at Petrograd in the
Oboukofsky hospital, in the utmost poverty ana
obScurity, and without leaving any heir
With him there disappeared the sole and only per-
son who in modern times has ever been ohlclally,
If enormously, recognized by any foreign govern
ment as entitled to bear the name of Lusignan
More than questionable was his own status, ne
was tired of denouncing the sol-disahl
Prince Guy de Lusignan of Paris. and the latters
Leon, utter frauds.
With regard to this Prince Guy de Lusignan
who persuaded number of credulous Engiish
and Americans into a belief In the authenticity
of his claims, and induced them to accept the
bogus orders of knighthood which he conferred
upon them, his real name was Kalfajan He was
the son of an Armenian stone mason, and was cd
ucated by public charity at the Armenian mon
astery of San Lazzaro, at Venice.
-
of the great Napoleons famous Mameuke,
Roustan, and subsequently blossOmed forth as Guy
de Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, Cyprus and Ar
menia. 1t was previous to this that he had sue
ceeded in winning the hand and fortune OF the
wealthy widow of of the great French arr
dealers. After her DEATH he married rich Eng
lishwoman named Broadley; and it was on the
strength of the money thus acquired that ne
adopted his royal titles and founded his ridicu-
lous orders Of knighthood These last were the
nfM
ancestress of the real Lusignan family. and the
Order of St. Catherine of Mount Sinai, which was
restricted to women and which this self-styled
King of Jerusalem had the impudence to confer
upon Miss Clara Barton, then mead OF the Ameri-
can Red Cross.
No sketch of the Kings Of Jerusalem. past and
present bogus and authentic, would be complete
without mention of the dethroned kaiser's extra
ordinary pretensions to the title. He boldly as
sumed 1t on the occasion of his theatrical entry
into Jerusalem in 1885, when he rode into the Holy
CITY arrayed in the white mantle of the crusader
soyereigns, and carrying their emblem cross
In the almost blasphemous sermons that he
nreached on the Mount of Olives and in the
Iutberan church at Jerusalem, he emphasized his
claim to the kngly title once held by Frederick
III of the old German empire. At home, how
ever he never included 1t In the official list OF
bis multifarious honors as German Kaiser and
autocrat of Prussia
The former Kaiser was not content to ascribe
his rights in the matter to descent from one of
tho medieval rulers of Jerusalem. He goes back
to an epoch much more remote-to King David
~ the Old Testament, whom he claims as an an
cestor. Hanging in conspicuous position In his
,yorkroom In the Neues Palais at Potsdam is or
was a huge and beautifully framed genealogical
traa showing the name of King David at the root
ond that Of the Emperor William at the top Ac-
corfne to this tree. the dethroned Kaiser is de-
scended from King David through the eldest
sangbter of Zedekiah, who, with her sister. fed
to ireland in charge of the Prophet Jeremiah. to
~ ,,arr,ed TO Heremon. King Of Ulster.
This genealogical tree is the work of clergy
,,.r Of the Church OF England, named Glover.
In, devoted most Of his life to the study of gene
s,,v In 1869 he wrote to Queen Victoria, inform
~ Ier that he had discovered her to be descended
=. a., ,,nbroken line from King David. The queen
=. cont for him to come to Windsor, and to hiH
go 80, cement Informed him that what he thought
-. mad been the first to discover had been known
=. ~ herself and to her late husband. the Prince
Consort, for many years.
II "a quite natural that victcria's grandson, the
former Kaiser with his intense. II somewhat CURL
ons RELIGIOUS ideas, should have been deeply In
ferested In this family tree. Soon after his ac-
cession to the throne OF Germany he requested
hIs grandmother to let him have copy. which
Vas sent to him handsomely engrossed and gorge
ously framed. Its contemplation naturally tended
tc increase his belief 10 the divins osigin qf ~
6ox6eeigny. s. 81 K, S' S