St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1922-10-27
STuRYIS
MYSTERIES
THE LOST GRAND DUKE

TNHOSE familiar with the pOmp and
4 ceremony which hedged In the
former court Of Austria have always
maintained that the tragic disappear
ance OF Johann Salvador, archdnke NJ
Austria, prince Of Hungary md grand
ducnl prince Of Tuscany, cousin Of
Francis Joseph and son of Leopold IL,
was due az much to his radical tend
encies and the fact thnt he persisted
in airing his views IN print us TO his
infatuation for Ludmilla Stubel, the
beautiful daughter of n Vienna shop
keeper. In furtherance Of this Opin-
Ion, they advance the unnssnllable eyi.
dence that Kaiser wilhelm insisted
upon the punishment of Archduko
Johann when the latter urged an all.
ance between Russia and Austria In
order 70 curb the threatened domi.
nance OF Germany In European poll.
tics.
Whatever the cause, the young nrch.
dukes reaction TO the discipline In.
ficted by his roynl cousin WIS tu re-.
sign all his honors, strip himself ~
his titles, convert n large portion ~
his estate into cnsh, md. as the crown
ing insult 10 his relatives, 10 elope
with Ludmilla Stubel. whom he had
met incognito some months before.
According TO oil available reports,
there was no doubt ~ Ludmllln's
beauty. but marriage between an
archduke Of the royal blood and the
daughter OF n poor shopkeeper was
too much for the high.splrited llnps.
burEs 20 swallow without struggle.
Johann, however, Informed all who
brought him messages from his titled
kinsmen that he WIS no longer ~ the
royal house-that he had renounced
all his claims 60 the honors which
were his by right Of birth. and that
henceforth he could be nothing more
than Johann Salvador, n private clti.
zen Of the world.
When Il became known that he
really intended carrying through his
Wild plan. even force was resorlod To
In order to prevent him from contract.
ing what was recognized ns n mesulli.
ance. but he concealed his identity un.
der tho name of John Orth= the name
which he had used In courtlng Lud.
miiia Stubel-and the pair were has.
tiiy married and then escaped ~ Lon.
don. Here. stlll retaining his adopted
name. the nrchdukc chartered the bark
Marghnrita, signed up captain and
crew and sailed for South America,
where the ship had formerly been en-.
gagged In the nitrate trade.
The MarEharita's usual course wns
between Buenes Aires and Valparaiso,
and. after making several successful
trips, she finally left the former port
On July ~, 1890 and vanished ns
completely As n the sea hnd opened
and swallowed her. Despite the most
diiiEent searches. undertaken NJ the In.
stigation OF the Austrian government,
nothing definite was ever heard NJ the
ship or the members Of the crew,
though TumOrs that Archduke Johann
had been seen at many times nnd In
many places have been current from
that day 20 this, Tie most credible ~
Nnthr NFlNNNNH ~ ANNA w wv NAAA
ciai Investigator of the Uruguay gov
eminent. who secured hfiidaylts 10 the
eject that tho MnrghArlin had put
IN at lonely place ON the coast
~ that country. where the name had
been painted out aud she had then
sailed up the Uruguay river "Orlh,"
the report stated. had then paid IN his
crew. and with tho help ~ two or three
OF hts Intimate companions had set sail
further inland-but here the trail was
lost. never 10 he rebound.
During the Chilean war Archduks
Johann was reported to be tlghtlng on
the side of the congrsssionnlists, aud.
some ten years later. the son ~ the
president Of Argentina stated that he
had made the trip from Buenos Aires
10 Cherbourg with a man who was
none other than the former archduke
OF Austria In addition the lost grand
duke has been located" In California.
has been identified" NJ Admiral NRma.
Iata Of the japanese navy, and was
recognized" by reputable witnesses In
several engagements " the World war,
Evidently the emperor of Austria never
placed full eredencs In the story ~
his death, tor In Francis Joscph's viii
was = clause 20 the effect that the
Hrchdukes estate Of some SlO.OoOOO
was 10 be held intact until something
Definite was learned about his fate Il
point upon which the memoirs Of the
former kaiser may eventually throw
soms light. Until this the mystery of
the lost grand duke must remain as
one OF the unsolyed riddles of history.