ROYAL SCANDALS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1234, 16 September 1911, Page 5

ROYAL SCANDALS.

A PRINCESS'S MEMOIRS.

FRANK EXPOSURE OF COURT LIFE. "JOHANN ORTH" ALIVE. 13y Teloeraph—Press Association—Copyright London, September 15. Countess llontignoso, formerly Crown Princess of Saxony, who was divorced by her husband eight years ago, lias published a volume of sensational memoirs. Tho countess, who is a daughter of tho Archduke Ferdinand of tho Tuscan branch of tho Austrian Royal House, makes an amazingly frank exposnro of European Court life, and alleges that' Royal children are moulded into clever automata. Tho book refers to tho present King of Saxony—the authoress's late husbandin terms of affection and gratitude, and tho countess lays all tho blame for her misfortune upon his father, tho lato King.

It is also stated that "Johann Orth" (Archduke John of Tuscany), who resigned his dignities in ISBO, became captain of a merchant ship, and was supposed to have been lost, is still alive.

Tko countess describes a scene between, the Emperor Franz Josef and "Johairn Orth." Tho Emperor requested the latter to apologise for references to Prinoc Albrecht, tho Commander-in-Chief of tho Army, but tho Archduke refused I'o bo dictated to. There followed a violent scone, and tho Archduke, in an ungovernable rage, tore olf his Order of the Golden Fleeco and flung it at tho Emperor. Vienna, September 14. The polico havo confiscated copies of "Le Matin" containing t'he Countoss Montignoso's references to tho Royal Family. HOW PRINCE RUDOLPH OF AUSTRIA DIED. AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY. (Rec. September 15, 10.10 p.jn.) London, September 15. Tho Countess Montiguoso gives a remarkable version of the death of tho Austrian Imperial Crown Princc Rudolph at Maycrling, a country house near Vienna, in 18S9. Tho Crown Prince was the Emperor Francis Joseph's only son, and was a man of much ability and promise, and tho author of two books. In ISBI he married Princess Stephanie'of Belgium, and eight years later, at the age of thirty-two, he was reported to havo committed suicide.

Tlio Countess in her memoirs states that Prince Rudolph's skull was smashed in, and that picces of bottle glass wero protruding from His wounds. She alleges that a gamekeeper at Mayerling'told .her that ho went to the lodge thero and found tlio nndo dead body, of a woman bleeding from revolver wounds. He then saw a valet with tlio dying Prince upstairs. The Couulcfs says sho believes that tho woman attacked l'rinco liudolph with a lwttlo and that she was ,then shot down by other members of tho Prince's parly. THE STRUGGLE FOR A ROYAL CHILD, JOItANN OISTH AND HIS FATE. > In November, IS9I, the Crown Prince of Saxony—now King Frederick August 111 of Saxony—married tlio Archduchess Louise Antoinette Mario, of tho Tuscan branch of ; the- ; 'Jlonso of l Hftpsbnrg. Tho l'rinco was then twenty-six years of age, and Ills bride twenty-one. Tho Princess eloped from tho Saxon Court with a tutor, and wa9 divorced b.v her husband in 1903. A week previously a d.ecrco by tho Austrian Emperor interdicted kor right to tho titlo of Archduchess and to tho uso of the Austrian Itoyal Arms. 'The Princess, therefore, became known as tho Countess Montignoso. Tho ex-Princess had borne her husband five children, and a sixth child, tho Princess I'ia Monica, was born in May, 1903, a few months after tho divorce. In September, 1907, the divorced wife was secretly married in London to Signor Toselli, dcscribod as a . professor of languages. Tho King of Siixony claimed custody of the Princess Pia Monica. iThen a struggle began. After the marriage, an official from tho Saxon Court arrived post haste in London, and consulted tho novelist Mr. William La Queux, who was in the confidence of the Princess Montignoso and her now husband, and refused to betray it. As, prior to the divorce, the novelist was persona grata at tho Saxon Court, he was probably placed in ft difficult position. The King of Saxony's agent scoured tho Continent after the Princess Montignoso and tho child.

As a result of the interview with the Court official, Mr. Lc Quoux sent a cipher messago to the ox-Princess, and received from a town in Franco tho following reply.—"State thnt| my husband and myself have fully made up our minds not to giro up dun darling Monica to the King, 110 matter what pressure or what inducements may Iμ offered. I repeat all I told you yesterday in London."

"Our little Monic-a is in my possession," said Signer IVolli to Jli. Le Queux before leaving London, "I will defy tho King. ]To shall ncvea- have the child! German law docs not hold goo<l ; in Italy, and any of the King's agents will have a rough time if they attempt to steal her. So they had better lake my warning!" Hiding in Switzerland. A subsequent Geneva message stated: "Tho King of Saxony's detectives and spies have arrived. The child is protected by a faithful nurse and two armed men. The Countess left Venice for tho special purposo of hiding her child in Swiss territory, wher? she would be safer than in.ltidy. It is reported that the Countess and her husband aro planning to fake the Princess Monica soon to America, -while the King of Saxonyis employing every means to regain tli'e child."

TJio chase, however, was not destined to last lons. Tho determination of (ho Countess Xloritignoso nnd her husband broke down, and tho Princess Monica was surrendered to Count Mattarli, the representative of the Kiug of Saxony, at Modena, on the Italian frontier. It is said that tho scene was a pathetic one. According to a Vienna message, Court circles in that city regard tho marriago of the Countess of Jlontignoso as invalid in Austria, where n Ilapsburg family law requires tho consent of the head of the Countess's family, tho Emperor Francis Joseph; in Saxony, owing to a similar house law; and in Italy, whero tho Roman Catholic; faith disallows the -remarriage of a divorced person during tho lifetime of tho person from whom ho or sho is divorced.

Herr Wolfing, ex-Archduko of Austria —who renounced liis right to tho throne, and -married an actress, not, it would seem, with the best results—expressed surprise and delight when he heard of tho marriage of tho Couutess of Montignoso. _ "I am proud of my sister's pluck," he: said, "in throwing conventionalism to the winds, while searching for tho happiness and love denied to Royalty nowadays. I am in complete sympathy with her, and hope sho may liavo a happy future."

A Runaway Archduke,

"Johann Orth" is the name taken hy tho Archduko Johann Nepoimiceno Salvator, son of Leopold 11, Grand Duke of Tuscany ami tho two Sicilies, after ho disappeared from tho Austrian Court in 1891. Some have said that the name was given to a corpse, but a letter dated from Chatham, March 2(i, ISOI, shows that a human bring owned to it, nnd that this human lwing was then sailing for South America. The. Archduke quarrelled with the Emperor Francis Joseph and with his family in JSS9, renounced his rank, his claim to tho Austrian throne, and all his military titles, and niorganatically married tho Fraulein Mizzi Stucbel, a well-known operatic performer. With a cargo of cement ho sailed from London to Buenos Ayrcs in a atoainor called the Santa, itaifikorita, which ho

had purchased. Ho left Buenos Ayrcs in tho vessel in July, IS9O, with the intention of rounding Capo Horn. Tho ship and all on board liavo never bam heard of since. Tales of .Tohnnn Orth's appearanco with Chilian insurgents, with the Japanese in Manchuria, and in Paraguay have foU lowed sinco, but havo all boon discredited in Vienna. A police officer at Uruguay speaks of having met him in 1900, anil on Juno 12, 1007, an ex-senator of Uruguay slated that ho mot tho quondam Archduke in Paris oil the previous Saturday. Under tho name of "Juan Nopomnz," ho sailed oil board tho A raeunya l'roin l?io dc la l'lata to Cherbourg. From Cherbourg ho look train to l'aris, and at onco went to London, where lie was then understood to be. On Hay 10, 1910, tho Senate of tho Supremo Court at Vienna published • a decree declaring tho dcolh of .Toliann Ortli on July 21, 1890, sufficiently proved., 'Tho ostato amounted to about Ji130,000.