The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-07-20

bctwecn Germany and Rumania in
effective.
Ferdinand Victor Albert Mainrad
was born at Sigmaringen, August "a,
1865. soE of Prince Leopold of
Hohenzoliern and Antonio, lnfanta of
Portugal He was educated IN Ger
many and was an officer in the Ger
man army. He was created prince
OF Rumania by royal decree in 1889
and the path was cleared for his as
cension to the throne by series OF
renunciations. The heir prcsumptive
of King Charles was his elder broth
er, Prince Leopold of Hohcnzollcrn-
Sigmar,agen, who renowned his
rights in favor of his son, Prince
Willie Ina The latter in turn resigned
his rights in favor Of his younger
brother, Ferdinand.
King Ferdinand achieved eonsid-
cradle noto:icty before his marriage
through love affair with Mile.
Helene Nacaresco. a favorite of the
then queen of Rumania. When mar
riagc between Ferdinand and Prin-
cess Marie daughter Of Alfred, Duke
of Edinburgh and later Duke of
Sake Coburg, was talked OF, it was
said the Rumanian queen was much
incensed and that Nile Vacaresco felt
it so keenly that she sent Ferdi-
nand'S love letters to Princess Marie.
However he married the latter Janu-
AIRY 10, 1898.
The royal couple had six children,
one Of them whom died in childhood.
The others were Crown Prince Carol,
born in 1898; Princess Elizabeth,
born in 1894 and married in 1921 to
King George of Greece, who after
ward abdicatcd; Princess Marie, born
in 1899 and married in 1922 to KING
Alexander of Jugo-Slavia; Prince
Nicolas, born in 1903, and Princess
lleana, born in 1908.
Although he took the oath as king
the day after the death of his uncle,
King Charles, in 1914, King Fcrdi-
nand and his queen were not crowned
until October, 1922. The ceremonies
took place at Albajulia. On tit oc-
casion the crown used by the late
King Charles again was pressed into
service. 1t is made of steel from
Turkish guns captured at Plevna in
1877.
Ferdinand's death had long been
expected and even the simple coun-
| try folk, who loved him more as a
| kindly father than as a king, knew
that the disease which he was so
courageously battling WOULD be fatal.
"Ferdinand the loyal was what the
| allies called him during the trying
DAYS of the world war and "Ferdin-
and the loyal" was what he remained
| to his own people, who, undisturbed
by the dynastic politics that troubled
the upper strata Of Rumanlan So
ciety, looked to the ageing king to
lead them through the unhappy post
war years to contentment and plenty.
It was Ferdinands strong will, say
| those who knew him, that pat death
off for so long a time.
| .Madcap of Balkans
Last year, just after Queen Marie S
| hurried return from her visit to tn ?
United States, his physicians gave
him up for lost. But the king was
firm in the hope that he might help
to place his country on a stable po-
| litical basis, despite factional dis
putes and conflicts among powerful
interests and chung to life. Then,
too, say friends, he hoped to see once
more before death came his way
ward SON Carol, "the madcap of the
Balkans" whom his parental disci-
pline had sent into exile.
| His physicians urged him to go
abroad to a warmer climate to give
nature chance to assist her own
healing efforts, but dynastic and po-
litical elements played their part
and King Ferdinand decided to re-
main in Bucharest, sacrificing HIM
self rather than as he thought, sacri-
ficing his country.
Radium Helps
From time to time there were in
dications that the physicians battle
was having some effect and the can
cerous condition seemed alleviated in
a measure by applications Of radium
and other treatments. Then the
weakening nature of his illness
would be demonstrated and the royal
patient would again be forced to
bed, once with slight cold that
threatened pneumonia and again to
stomach ailments.
| For months,~ King Ferdinand S
body, assaulted by many maladics,
has been whitening away and his
weight reduced to less than 100
pounds. Since early spring he has
not been weighed. ut would kill
him to realize how his body has
shrunk," those close to him said, de-
claring they doubted if he weighed
las much as 30 pounds.