Palisadian., 1923-03-09

Ruinous Transaction Said to Have
fastened Breakdown and Death Of
Exiled Emperor-Why Everyone
Concerned in Transaction Has Es-
capped Punishment Is Fact So Stroud
ed in Mystery That 1t Will Probably
Never BE known-.ciaimed by State.
The loss of S7.50O,0OO worth of jew
els belonging to the late Emperor of
Austria, which the Swiss federal in
vestigating tribunal has declared to be
robbery without precedent" has
| just been made public in its entirety.
Three hundred thousand francs $780,
OOO) is all that the owners realized
from the transaction. and this they
never saw, as it was used to settle
their debts. The instrument in the
transaction has escaped punishment
because he persuaded a woman rela-
tive OF the emeprOr to give him writ
ten authorization for his act. Why
every one else concerned has escaped
punishment is a fact so shrOuded in
: mystery that it will probably never
be known. 1t is maintained that the
! jewels were the property of the state
which Is question that can never be
decided to everybody's satisfaction.
Certainly many of them were the per-
the house of Parma.
Were Guarded jealousy.
Contrary to the muddled impression
created by rumors regarding the scan
dal, the jewels were never in pawn.
The emperor had guarded them jeal-
ously to the last, and to finance his
last venture for the Hungarian throne
he had mortgaged family properties,
including the chateau of Wartegg in
Switzerland, belonging to his brothers
! in-law.
The last act of the imperial couple
before stepping into the airplane which
bore them to Hungary and final defeat
was to cOnfide the jewels to a conf
Dental servitor and caution him not to
touch them under any. circumstances
without written order from the EN-
peror.
When tire dash into hungary failed
and the emperor and his wife were
sent into exile, Swiss creditors de-
scended on the servitOr and stormed
for their money. Then, according to
the servitor, he lost his head and con-
| fided the Jewels to three well-known
! jewelers. for sale, against an advance
Of 100000 francs which was needed
to settle the Hapsburg debts.
The jewellers say they confided the
jewels to Intermediates In turn and
were swindled. In the meantime the
emperor and empress had been placed
In costly villa at their own expense
by the allied governments. They were
In straitened circumstances, and at
last decided that they would sacrifice
/ some of the Jewels. With great effort
permission was obtained for the en-
press to 60 to Switzerland Nobody
suspected her real object, and the gov
ernment of at least one great Euro
pean nation was thrown into a near
panic by the trip.
Hastened His Death.
1t was only on arriving In Switzer-
land and demanding the Jewels that
the empress learned Of the stunning
train of events. When she returned
to Funchal she was met by her hus-
band. who was seen to ask her a Ques-
ton which brought tears to her eyes.
Upon her response he grew deathly
pale, and neither spoke again till they
were alone.
The next day the imperial couple
quit the expensive villa which the al
lied governments had rented for them
at their expense and Installed them
selves in a modest cottage which the
proprietor Ca friend Of the local priest)
rented them against the future pay
ment of a modest sum.
A letter written several days later
to friend by the sole companion of
the empress states;
Emperor Charles has aged with ex-
traordinary rapidity. His hair is turn
ing white. When I see him walking
about the garden like a lion in a cage
never finding repose, my heart aches
The condition Of the empress Is even
more pathetic. 1t Is fright
fully cold here and we have neither
coal or wood to burn. Our situation
is truly sad. The money which we
have is scarcely nothing"
A few days later the emperor Suf-
fered an attack Of bronchitis and pneu-
monia, as result of hardships, and
died.
There is certainly a close relation
between his death and the suffering
of his wife and children. The Swiss
state, while, through the medium of its
courts, classifying the crime as rob-
berry without precedent, has done moth
Ing to bring the criminals to Justice
nor restore the stolen property to
either the emperor's heirs or the Aus
trian government.