The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-04-16


apart. She was so successful that
In the Cos they were virtually sepa-
rated and hardly ever saw each
other for nearly seven years. "Old
Sophie could think Of nothing bet
ter" writes Baron Margutti, than
to recommend her son to amuse
himself where and how he like. The
young Empress would have none of
it. She left for Trieste one foggy
night and from there travelled to
Africa and the East. Her two small
children. Gisela and Rudolph, were
left without a mother"
The paths Of the imperial couple
crossed only occasionally and sepa-
rated again as soon as possible.
When Rudalph's death came she was
already crushed: she sought in vain
to cling to family ties, but they were
no longer strong enough to bring her
hack to the normal routine of daily
iffe- She began a frantic search for
the impressions which travel in far
could offer her. For nearly ten
years she thus kept ner leaking
barque af1oat. With no one at the
helm it was buffetted by the waves
until suddenly it sank" 1t would
seem that there could be no crimi-
nal brutal enough to take her life.
/ But there was. Luccheni stabbed
her in the back as she was about to
embark at Geneva. Her dying words
were words of thanks to passerby
who ran to her assistance.
III.
The author cohfesses that he was
somewhat shocked when, not long
after the Empress's death, he saw
the Emperor and Frau Schratt drive
up to the Villa Of Hermes, the En-
press's favorite home in the decora-
ton Of which she had displayed SO
much artistic skin and taste. Years
afterward, when he came to know
Frau Schratt well, he said he felt
that her presence there on that day
was not IAN unwelcome intrusion"
The Empress. he says, had feel
ings Of friendship for few women,
but there was no reserve in her
affection for Frau Schratt. There
must have BEEN" he writes, much
in common between these two wom-
en-. 1 was not surprised that the
Empress had always found pleasure
in the natural wit and simple, yet all
the more genuine, kindness of Frau
Schratt, so that she was ever a most
welcome guest in the imperial house
hold" Frau Schratt remained the
En1peror's chief eonfidante to the last
She was with him in many official
crises and her comments upon these
Won Marguttf quotes with much fire.
quency.
Of Crown Prince Rudolph the
Baron evidently had not a high
opinion. The young mans training
was wofrily neglected by his par
ents; both confessed that much. He
was surrounded by sycophants and
fiatterers whose misguided tactics
were to plunge him into a sea of
pleasure and there drown him."
Many of the stories of Rudolph's
death he dismisses as highly inn
probable. The facts which he pre-
sents he gathered through many
years in talks with persons who
we're actually familiar with ALI the
circumstances. When the Emperor
refused his consent to the Crown
Princes proposed marriage with
Marie vatsera, Rudolph laid the sit
uation frankly before her and then
fed to Mayerling. Baroness Vatsera
followed him there. The final meet
| ing took place, after which "she
withdrew to one of the rooms in the
| castle which she had occupied on
previous visits and committed sui
eide" Post norton investigations
unquestienably showed she had died
several hours before the Crown
Prince.
1T was not Rudolph's love Attain
| with Marie Vafsera," one of the
| Baron's authorities informed him
That hroupht ahoITf his death but