Gunnison news-champion., 1922-12-01
HIS TuRYx
MYSTERIES
TtsE LOST GRAND DUKE

THOSE familiar With the pomp ana
= ceremony which hedged In the
former court Of Austria have always
maintained that the tragic. disappear
ance Of Johann Salvador. archduke Of
Austria. prince Of Hungary and grand
ducal prince of Tuscany. cousin Of
Francis Joseph and son Of Leopold II.
was due as much to his radical tend
encies and the Net that he persisted
In airing his views In print as to his
infatuation for Ludmilla Stubel. the
beautiful daughter Of Vienna shop
keeper. In furtherance OF this opln-
ion. they advance the unsssailable evi-
dence that Kaiser wilhelm Insisted
upon the punishment Of Archduke
Johann when the latter urged nm ALL
ance between Russia and Austria In
order To curb the threatened DON'T
nance OF Germany In European poll
tics.
Whatever the cause. the young arch
dukes reaction to the discipline In
dicted by his royal cousin was to re-
sign all his honors. strip himself Of
his titles, convert large portion of
his estate into cash. and. as the crown
Ing insult TO his relatives. to elope
with Ludmiila Stubel. whom he had
met incognlto some months before.
According. 10 all available reports,
there was no doubt of Ludmilla's
arcbduke OF the royal blood and the
daughter OF poor shopkeeper was
too much for the hlghrspirited Haps-
bures to swallow without n struggle.
Johann. however. Informed all who
brought him messages from his titled
klnsmen that he was no longer OF the
'rcyal house--that he had renounced
all his claims TO the honors which
were his by right OF birth, and that
henceforth he could be nothing more
thnn Johann Salvador. 4 private citi-
zen Of the world
When II became known that he
really intended carrying through his
Wild plan, even force was resorted to
in order to prevent him from contract
Ing what was recognized as a mesaIli-
ance. but he concealed his identity IN
der the name OF John Orth--the name
which he had used In counting Lud-
milla Stubel-snd the pair were has
tily married. and then escaped to Lon
don. Here. stiil retaining his adopted
name. the archduke chartered the bark
Marghnrita. signed up . captain and
crew and sailed for South America.
where the ship had formerly been en-
gnged In the nitrate trade.
The Marghsrita's usual course was
between Buenos Aires and Valparaiso.
and. after making several successful
trips. she finally left the former port
on July Is. 16D0-and vanished NJ
completely as II the sea had opened
and swallowed her. Despite the most
diligent searches, undertaken at the In
stignfion OF the Austrian government,
nothing definite was ever heard OF the
ship or the members Of the crew.
though rnmors that Archduke Johann
had been seen at many times and In
many places have been current from
that day to this. The most credible of
these reports Is TINT made by an off,
cinl investigator OF the Uruguay gov
ernment. who secured afiidavits TO the
effect that the Marghnritn had put
In Mt n lonely place on the coast
Of that country. where the name had
been painted ont and she had then
sailed up the Uruguay river. "Orth."
the report stated. bad then paid on his
crew. and with the help Of two or three
Of his intimate. companions had set sail
further inland--but here the trail was
lost, never TO be rebound.
During the Chilean war Archduke
Johann was reported to be fighting on
the side Of the congressionalists, and,
some ten years later. the son Of the
president Of Argentina stated that he
had made the trip from Buenos Aires
to Cherbourg with man who was
none other than the former archduke
of Austria. In addition the lost grand
duke has been located In California,
has been 1dentined" % Admiral Yama-
Eafa Of the Japsnese navy, and was
''recospised'' by reputable Witnesses in
several engagements of the World war.
Evi1ept1y, the emperpe ef Austria never
placed fnll credence N the story Of
his Death. fos h Esanels Ioeeph's win
was elause d. ~ s9set that the
asek4ake,S e1tats sf soaSe e101o0O00
w6s 70 - heid Intact vptii somefhins
ds1sits was le9I4sd about hls fite-a
polnt upon wkt6 ne memoiIs u the
fernG kaiser pay ,sventually throw
sosne light. Usttl this the mystery of
the lost grand dnks must remain as