The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1921-02-03

III
- the House of Hapsburg in the last
20 wears As a mystery these deaths OF the helr
to a great empire and his lovely lnamorata nave
ranked high among the great mysteries OF hlstOIy'
But murder will out as the ola SAYING n Ia,n
ft-and the truth of the killing of Rudolph is told
at last Who tells it? None other Than a pIacK
sheep of the Hapsburgs-the Archduke Leopolu
Ferdinand son of the last regning Grand Duke OF
Tuscany, nephew of Emperor Francis Joseph anu l
a cousin of the murdered crown prince 1O NC
sure this black sheep bears the name OF
Leopold Wolfing He ended his archducal ca
reer long before the Great War stripped the
Hapsburgs of place and power by denounclng MS
great rank to wed a commoners daughler'
whom he later divorced And, strangest OF 0H
this civilian Hapsburg tells the story OF the Kill
ing of Rudolph in newspaper, the Berlin Morgen-
post
At the time of the tragedy all the power Of the
emperor was used TO suppress the facts. The
newspapers were allowed to state only that
Rudolph had died of natural causes. No refer
ence to the death of the baroness was permitted
Nobody prosecuted, but several men hgh IN
court circles disappeared from public life. Every
body Of inferior rank who could possibly have had
knowledge of the facts vanished from the face
of the earth.
OF course the world talked. Half dozen YER
sons of the tragedy became current. One
that the fiance of the baroness broke in and killed
both the prince and the young woman. Another
was that the prince, forced by his father to give
I'D the baroness killed her and himself A third
was that the prince and the baroness were killed
because they would not give Cp each other. Out
OF the mass of conjecture legend was finally
evolved to the effect that Rudolph, preferring
death to separation killed his companion with
her consent and then followed her into the
known Romance and pathos you see well
as tragedy!
First word as to Rudolph. whom legend now
presents as a liberal likable, democratic sort of
young fellow Probably the correct picture is
that of the most dissipated OF the Hapsburgs
All the hereditary evils had set their mark him.
OF frail physique, neurotic, his eyes blinked and
his hands trembled constantly. Drinking and
other excuses had increased his natural defects
Rudolph was married to Stephanie daughter
of Leopold, king of the Belgians Apparently
they never knew moments happiness. He de-
ceived her shamefully and she did all in her
power to infuriate him. Rudolph made no secret
of his dislike and her failure to produce a male
heir to the throne intensified the situation. From
his youth Rudolph had been noted in Vienna for
his shameless pursuit of virtue. He employed
many creatures of all ranks to minister to his
desires-from a gobetween countess to private
cab driver, whose duty it to convey women
! to the secret entrance in the lane back Of the
Hofburg, which led to the princes apartments
| Rudolph met Marie just about year before
the date of the tragedy. 1t was case of love
at first sight with both: at any rate the beautiful
young girl was completely infatuated with her
prncey admirer. And the baroness young
beautiful and good The vetseras were of Greek
blood the father of the baroness was a state
official The family not rich, but its social
standing was good. Rudolph and Marie met fFe-
/ auently and scandal soon got busy with their
names.
The affair became known at court and there
/ was much ado Princess Stephanie ragged. The
Yetseras demanded that the emperor should call
his son to account. Hektor Baltazzi, Marie's
fance. furious. He was Vienna elUbman
| and horseman of Macedo-Greek origin, very rich,
and although no member Of the nobility proper,
| a fayorite in the highest society, his
brother Aristide. The Baltazzis were distantly