Evening star., 1923-07-25
BY THE MARaUIsE DE FoNTENOY.

BY THE MARQUIsE DE FONTENOY.
Count Otto Seefried, who has just
been appointed manager of the Buda-
pest branch of the Austrian Com
mercial Bank, is the now fifty three
year-old hero of a royal romance
which created a European sensation
some thirty years ago. In the fall of
1893, young Baron Otto Won Seefried,
whose family was ennobled by En-
peror Charles V at about the time
when he created the grandezza of
Spain, but then mere impoverished
subaltern of one of the line regi-
ments forming part of the garrison
at Munich, became acquainted, at a
court ball, with Princess Elizabeth
of Bavaria, the eldest child of Prince
Leopold of Bavaria and of Archduch-
ess Gisela, the latter a daughter of
the Austrian emperor. Early in
November her parents suddenly dis
covered that the occasional meetings
at dances between the young princess
and Lieut.. Won Seefried had ripened
into an infatuation and, accordingly,
they Immediately took steps to Sc
time and separation would serve to
obliterate the romance, at any rate,
from the heart of the royal maiden.
Suddenly 1T became known at
| Munich that the princess had run
away from home and, few days
later, It was ascertained that she had
travelled by rail with Lieut.. van See
fried straight through to Genoa,
| where they mere married at once on
| their arrival by a Roman Catholic
priest, although Otto Won Seefried
was, and still remains, a Protestant.
After a brief honeymoon in Italy,
they turned their steps, not to
; Bavaria, where Won Seefried would
have been Immediately arrested by
, the military authorities for absenting
I himself without leave as deserter,
and by the criminal authorities, on a
charge of treason for the abduction
| Of a princess Of the reigning house,
On their arrival there, the princess
l took a cab and drove out to the
| palace of Schoe brunn. where she
| threw herself at the foot of Emperor
| Francis Joseph, of whom, as his eld-
est grandchiid. she had always been
| a particular favorite. What passed
between them can, of course, only be
| surmised. But she weRt away happy
and on the following day young see
| first alone by the emperor and then
with the princess.
| \ r. 4
| of years previously lost his only son,
Crown Prince Rudolph, the victim OF
an unhappy marriage. promised to
Hook after their welfare. He COM
menced, by appointing young seefried
to the Austrian army, granting him a
| commission as captain in the ssth In
fantry Regiment, stationed at Trop-
pau. There the young couple spent
| several years quietly, unobtrusiveiy
and happily, the princess making no
| pretensions to royalty, but contentlns
herself with the life OF a saooroinase =
| nfioer of an infantry regiment. so
pisased was the emperor with the cou-
HE that after a few years he pre-
sented them with large estate ana g
| chateau at Znaim in Hungary, and
also with a, place in Austria known az
the Chateau OF Stefpar, neaF Sres.eh, J,
the revenues Of which put them In
easy circumstances. He relieved see
fried from regimental duty by pfac.
ing him on the reserve list or the
| army with q rank of lieutenant colo.
heI Of cavalry, and frequently visited
| the young people In their various
homes, delighting in his at.grand-
children. Indeed, he found go much
/! satisfaction in Won Seefried's com
| pany that he insisted on having him
I with him on all his shooting expedi.
fions and treating him as near and
dear kinsman.
/ Then he bestowed upon him the
rank of chamberlain, so as to give
| him the. definite entfeer at-4court. AnE
| by and by created him . csnnt. Some
years before The great war he pre-
scented the Sssfrieds with a house a.
] Vienna, 80 that they and their chill