Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1889-02-09 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THREE SUICIDES.  The official Wiener Zeitung ham published the following statement :—" The information given by us yesterday concerning the terrible calamity of the Crown Prince Rudolph's death was based upon reports from personages be. longing to the entourage of the departed Prince furnished finder the overwhelming impression produced by the fatal occurrence. These personages, after having had the door of the bed-room forced open, found. on I entering, the Crown Prince lifeless in his I bed. Upon Ws first impression were ' founded the information received in Vienna. and the presumption that death was due to I apoplexy. Throw present despatched an urgent telegram to Vienna summoning Professor Dr. Widerhofer to Meyerling, whither he proceeded by the next train. The Professor made an examination forthwith, and found in the h,..a of the deceased a large wound. The pericritnium and skull bones being partially shattered. This wound, which must have caused instant death, was found to have been doe to a bullet, and by the side of the bed, close to the Prince a right hand, lay a revolver, one chamber of which had been discharged. The position of the weapon loft no doubt that the Prince bad met Ilia' his death by his own hand. As the Prince's servants were lodged in the adjoining houses, and as the Prince's personal attendant, having been directed be His Imperial Highness to make arrangements for shooting excursion, had left the house for a abort time, the report of the weapon could not be heard by anyone. A Commission was immediately despatched to Meyerling with irestrnoCons to draw up a protocol recording the facts of the case and the attending circumstances. We cannot conceal the fact that several persons in the immediate entourarie of the Prince perceived in His imperial Highness's manner during the pest few weeks various indications of morbid nervous excitement, so that the view must be adhered to that this terrible event was the outcome of temporary mental derangement. Moreover, we consider it necessary to state that the Crown Prince had for some time previously frequently complained of headache, which he attributed to a fall from his horse last autumn. This was, however, kept secret, by the express command of His imperial Highness. I M. Tiszo's audience of the Emperor was of the most affecting character. The Emperor took ; the Premier's hand in silence and pressed it I warmly. M. Tis7s wa, BO deeply moved that he could scarcely find words to express his sympathy 1 with His Majesty. The Emperor has been urged to ipek solitude for a little time before the 1 funeral, or, at any rate, immediately after the ; ceremony ; but this advice His Majesty has rejected, remarking that he would not leave his I eon's remains."  A correspondent telegraplis from Munich se follows :  The following are believed to be the circensI stances under which the death of the Austrian I Crown Prince took place :—On the afternoon of Tuesday last week Baroness ---, a beautiful young girl, not tall, rather dark, and of a lively I disposition, arrived at Meyerling, and took up 1 her quarters in a gamekeeper's house not far from the castle. No one knew of her being there except the gamekeeper and his wife. At midnight, when the Crown Prince bai hidden his guests good night, he went to see her, and had boon with her for about an honr, when a forester, already equipped for the morning's chase, went to the house to silk the gameIkeeper detailed instructions on some doubtful question. He knbcked loudly at the door. A window opened, and a man jumped out, and ran away; the forester aimed and fired. The fugitive fell, and when the forester walked I up to him he recognised the Crown Prince, who bad fainted. Tne shot had gone into his shoulder. The forester called for help, end with ' another man carried him into the gamekeeper's house. The Baroness, taking him to be dead, turned to her travelling bag, took something out, nod before she had been noticed she fell dead on the floor. The Crown Prince came to, and was taken by his own orders to the castle, where his valet began to ask anxious questions. The Crown l'rince said, impatiently, "I have fallen; my nose is bleeding; go away. I wish to be alone. The valet went out reluctantly, and the Crown Prince locked the door, and committed suicide before &mirror. The Baroness was buried on Thursday in Heiligenkreuz, in the convent where all her family are interred. The Debuts has received the following as4onishing story from a correspondent at Vienna : —lt is clear that the Government is anxious to keep the facts connected with the Prince's death secret. The Barl,nor Journal, a small local . print, was seized for saying that the Prince's gamekeeper committed suicide, and that bis body was picked up and taken to the Baden Dispensary. This piece of news gives the key to the enigma. The Prince did not sleep in his house, but one of the seven pavilions, which I was the lodging of the keeper and his wife. At 1 five in the morning the keeper, its he was making his ronnds. saw • light in his wife's room, and knocking at the outer door called to her to I open. He then heard the window open and 1 somebody get out. Running in that direction 1 he espied a man, who, though challenged, continued to run, lie fired, but he only hit the mark with the second shot. The Prince fell. When the keeper saw whom he had struck he rushed to the house to tell what had happened. Count Hoyos got out of bed and hurried out. The Prince was mortally wounded, and died in half an hour. On bearing this the keeper went into the woods and shot himielf. His body was 1 duly identified and all the servants know how the catastrophe came about. The story of the i sudden death was invented to prevent a scandal.'