Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-07-02
Name of Berthier de Wagram Borne
By Daughter Duke Did Not Recognize

father of the captain OF chausseurs
who fell at Condo Fort in 1918, in re-
ceipt almost to the very last of the
annuity of $4,000 which the first
Napoleon had granted in the form OF
perpetual pension to Marshal de
Berthier by way of endowment of his
dukedom of Wagram. The third duke.
however, shortly before his death.
committed the perpetual pension for
very large sum. and II. therefore, n
longer figures on the Grand Livre de
France" The third and penultmate
duke greatly added to his very large
with Bertha de Rothschild, daughter
and heiress of Baron William Roths-
child of Frankfort. and who. like her
sister Marguerite, the second wife of
the present and eleventh Duke of
Grammont, became convert to Ro-
man Catholicism these being, indeed.
the only two cases of any of the
Rothschilds abjuring the faith Of their
fathers.
Her son. the last and fourth Duke
marry. But he had a mistress of the
name Of Marie Louise Salivas. who
had previously gone by the name Of
Nine. welson and who in course of
time presentd him with little girl
Of whom he became passionately
fond, and vet whom he declined to
accord legal recognition just in the
same way that he declined to legal
Nor did he ever bring them under the
roof of the family mansion in the
Avenue of fAlma, but maintained a
very handsome apartment for them
in one of the thoroughfares looking
out onto the Pare Monceau. Indeed,
he showed a pronounced obstinacy in
declining to recognize the child or
wed the mother. in spite of all the
pressure which the latter brought TO
bear upon him.
X x X
When after his soldiers death at
the front his Will was opened and
probated it was found that he be-
queathed several of his most famous
art treasures, including no less than
seventeen Renoirs. to the nation. The
great chateau and estate of Grosbois
he left to Prince Philippe de Broglie,
the eldest of his nephews, while he
bequeathed a legacy of $780, 900 to
one whom he designated in his will
as Mile. Monique Salivas." He did
not describe her as his daughter, and
entrusted his two sisters with the ex-
ecution of this bequest. When the
money had been paid over to the
dian and nearest relative, the woman
presented quantity of letters ad-
dressed to her by the duke which
clearly established not only their re-
lations since 1906, but likewise the
sact that the little girl, now ten
years of age. was born of their lille
gal union. Indeed, there was one let
ter addressed by the duke to the lit
tie girl commencing Ma petite Piche-
nile" her pet name, and signed Your
dear old Papa" But in none of these
letters Is there any reference or men
ton OF marriage to the mother or of
legal recognition of the child. Yet
on the strength of these letters.
the child's mother was able to secure
from the courts a decree to the effect
that these letters and the legacy
Jointly constituted legal recogni-
consequence thereof she was entitled
to style herself in future, not any
longer Monica Salivas," but Monica
Berthier de Wagram," without any
France or anywhere else to children
born out of wedlock, no matter how
much their father may have recog-
nized them as his offspring and as
such authorized them to use his
name.
Not content with having thus &C
quired for her child the historic name
of Berthier de wagram, the childs
mother then proceeded to put for
ward fresh pretensions. She insisted
that since the child had been recog-
nized as the offspring of the duke
she was entitled to third of the resi-
due of the estate in addition to the
100000 which she had already re-
ceived in the form of legacy. This
third of the residue would have
brought her share in her fathers
property UP to the tidy sum Of $780,
900. Protraeted litigation ensued, and
1t has just been brought to q close
with Judgment rejecting the de-
mands Of Nine. Salivas (also known
as Nine. welson) In behalf of her
daughter, the judges in condemning
the plaintiff in heavy costs express
ing the opinion that in deciding
against her, the plaintiff. they We're
carrying out the last wishes and In
4entions of the duke, who had be-
haved most generously to the little
girl and who had certainly never
dreamed of bestowing upon her his
name or the bulk Of his fortune,