Evening star., 1923-11-14
Grand Duchess Marie's Suit
For Divorce Fails to Surprise

and OF the fortune left by the latter
husband. Grand Duke Sergius. Simply
brought up until then by her aunt a.
+ Moscow. the atmosphere of PetrograG
, ana az Its gayeties transformed her
ere long, into a spoiled beauty. in
ANXIETY to the late cZarina.
Consequently. when Prince William
or sweden. on his return from his Wis
II % the United States. presented him
| sell. In the winter Of 1908. as a suitor
Tor her hand. and managed 10 win thu
young grand duchess by his undenj
able good looks, the match material
lied and the wedding took place with
I much pomp and ceremony.
But the grand duchess found Stock
| holm terribly dreary after the some
| " nat hectic existence at Petrograd
| and the court of Sweden. preside.
over by a hypochondriac and terribly
pious Queen. in+olera bly, dull. and
so. after giving birth 10 little boy
who is now fourteen years old. ana
who is being brought up at Stock
ho'm, with the children of the crown
prince of Sweden, under the name OF
the Duke OF Smaland. she induced her
husband to undertake a big gam
hunting expedition in India Cochin
China. and the Dutch Indies. TIL
I, French royal Duke OF MontpensIe-
neing their companion most Of III"
time. and having them as guests OF
board his fine Yacht. MeSong.
This trip, with all its attendant ~
citement, rendered the grand duchcS-
more disinchned than ever to sett]e
down to domestic life at Stockholm
she was TO be found. for the mos:
part, at Paris. She did not conceaI
her distaste for everything Swedish
and the consequence was that, becom
ing unpopular there. the authoritIes
and the people were inclined to at
tribute the devotion shown to her h.
the Russian envoy at Stockholm. An =
| drew Savinsky, to his endeavor u
eXtort from her secret information
concerning the policies of the Swed-
| tsh government and of its military
defenses anC preparations. For, until
the war of 1914, the dread of Rus
sian invasion of Sweden and of Mus
the coast of Sweden. was positive
nightmare TO the people Of Stockholm.
x x x K
Finally. the situation became in
toierable. from every point OF view.
The grand duchess left Sweden in Il
fury. vowtng never to return. and
abandoning both her husband and her
little boy, while. not long arterward.
Envoy Savinsky was, at the request
of the Swedish court, transferred u
another post. It cannot be denied tina.
he had gravely compromised the pop
ularity of the grand duchess by his
attentions. to which the people %
SWe eden attributed the most sinister
designs.
After n great deal Of persuasion on
the part of her aunt, Grand Duchess
Elizabeth, who had remained tenderiy
devoted to her, the czar was induced
to give his consent to dissolution or
the marriage with Prince William Of
Sweden, to whom the custody of the
little boy was awarded, and not Ions
afterward Grand Duchess Marie mar
ried with the consent of the emperor
Prince SergiuS Poutiatine. She man
aged to escape with the utmost diff
Gu ty from Russia after the bolsh, :
Wiki had obtained control, finally
reaching Paris by way of Sweden and
Norway.
When her father, Grand Duke PAU
was murdered in 1918 IL was founa
that he had bequeathed every vestige
of his fortune to his second wife, the
Princess Palei. the divorced wife OF
his aide-de- camp. Gen. Pistolkori. and
found herself, therefore, with rela :
lively straitened resources. But such
as they were she devoted them to thu
relief. of those of her countrymen
and countrywomen who were desti
tute in Paris and founded q most
useful organization for the procurinG
OF employment and for the assistance
of the numerous poverty stricken
mobiles and former dignitaries of tn"
Russian empire, selling many OF her
magnificent jewels and furs in order
to carry on the work. In the course
the most shameful way by adventur-
ers, and quite recently several of them
have been arrested in London and
Paris for swindling her In connection
with the sale of her Jewels. She is
now In the south OF France.