Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1922-11-22
hist nRY'S
MYST ERIES
THE LOST GRAND DUKE
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THOSE familiar with the pomp and
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 III,
was due as much to his radical tend
encies and the fact thnt he persisted
IN airing his Views In print as to his
lnfatuatlon for Ludmilla Stubel, tho
beautiful daughter Of Vienna shop
keeper In furtherance Of this opin-
lon, they advance the unassailable evi.
dence that Kaiser Wilhelm insisted
upon the punishment of Archduke
Johann when the latter urged IN alli-
ance between Russia and Austria In
order to curb the threatened domi-
nance Of Gel many in European poll
tics.
Whatever the cause, tho young arch
dukes reaction to the discipline in
tllcted by his royal cousin was to re-
sign nll his honOrs, strip himself Of
his titles convert large portion Of
his estate into cash, and, rs the crown
ing insult to his relatives, to elope
with Ludmilla Stubel, whom he had
met inc0gnitO some months before.
According to all available reports,
there was no doubt Of Ludmlla's
beauty. but Il marriage between an
archduke of the royal blood and the
daughter Of Il poor shopkeepcr was
too much for the high-spirited Nnps-
burgs to swallow without Il struggle.
Johann, however, informed all who
brought him messages from his titled
kinsmen that he was no longer of the
royal hOuse-that he had renounced
MI his claims to the honors which
were his by right Of birth, and that
hcnccforth he could be nothing more
than Johann Salvador, private citi-
zen OF the world.
When It 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 mesalli
ance, but he concealed his identity un-
der the name Of John Orth-the name
which he had used In courting Lud-
milla Stubel-and the pair were has
don. Here still retaining his adopted
name. the nrchduke chartered the bark
Marghnrlta. signed up captain and
crew and sailed for South America,
where the ship had formerly been en-
gagged in the nitrate trade.
The Margharita'S usual course waa
between Huonos Aires and Valparaiso,
ond after making several successful
trips, she nnallv lcft the former port
on lnlg lS 1500--an0 vanished as
completely ns If the sea had opened
and swallowed her. Despite the most
diligent searches, undertaken nt the in
stfgation Of the Austrian government,
nothing definite was ever heard Of the
ship or the members Of the crew,
though rumors that Archduke Johann
had been seen ut many times and In
many places have been current from
that day to this. The most credible Of
these reports Is that made by an otli-
cinl Investigator Of the Uruguay gov
ernment, who secured aflidavits to the
effect that the Mnrgharita hads put
In ut lonely place on the coast
nf that country. where the name had
been painted out and she had then
sailed up the Uruguay river. "Orth,"
the report stated, had then paid off his
crew, and with the help Of two or three
Of his intimate companions had set sail
further lnland-but here the trail was
lost, never to be rebound.
During the Chilean war Archdul1e
Johann was reported to be fighting on
the side Of the congresslOnalists and,
some ten years later, the son of the
president Of Argentina stated that he
had made the trip from Bucnos Aires
to Cherbourg with n man who was
none other than the former archduke
OF Austria. In addition tho lost grand
duke has been located" In California,
has been identified" rs Admiral Yama-
gatn Of the japanese navy, and was
"rccognlzed" by reputable witnesses In
several engagements Of the World war.
Evidently the emperor OF Austria never
placed full crcdcnce In the story Of
his death, for in Francis .Joseph's Will
wns a clause to the effect that tho
archduke'S estate Of some $10,0OO.0OO
was to he held intact until something
definite was learned about his fate--a
point upon which the memoirs Of the
former kaiser may eventually throw
some light Until this the mystery Of
the lost grand duke must remain as
one Of the unsolved riddles Of history
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