JOHANN ORTH SEEN IN LONDON.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2123, 15 April 1914, Page 10

JOHANN ORTH SEEN IN LONDON.

■ : ' .AUSTRIA'S LOST AHCHDUKE. Tho very latest story <if the resuscitation of Johann Ortli, tho Austrian Archduke who disappeared early in iho nineties, appears in a .'small paragraph iit Mr. I'Vaucjs Gribble's new-booli (published recently) on tiio Emperor or Auetfia.

It relates hovr, a year or two aeo, a mysterious gentleman "with tho flapsburp; look" was in London seeking outa publisher for a certain venture. The fates decreed that ho should fall in with Mr. Eyoteigli Nash. The gentleman's hearing, his air of lnyulory, his evident high breeding and certain 'noticeable traits about him at on«' struck Mr. Nash as irtoro Khan significant, and when tho pair of them wcro strolling down to the- Savoy for lunch om> bright morning and tho Austrian visitor was talking casually nbout Urn year (1852) tind the place- of bis t.irth, Mr. Nash said'' <\UictJy, "Why, yon mtist ho John Orth I" The stranger showed neither surprises, fior consternation at tho soft impeachment. Ho merely bow-erl his soknoiylfidfrtneftt and passed en to some other subject. The Hapsburg M-aiwer. "Xo more was said at tho time," remarked Mr. Nash in thtt eotirso of a chat over tho rencontre : .with, a "Daily News" representative recently. "But the snore J. saw e£ him tho moid I was struck with his resemblance- to the vanished Archduke. Ho had tho Hapsburg manner and tho llapshurg 'tone.' Ho had the clear bluo eves, the white teeth, and the beautiful tends of John Orth, thqflgh perhaps ho looked k> me a little taller than tho.real Simsp. Pure of this mystifying European remittee. "Whatever h& was afid whoever lie was, be certainly was . not ait 'adventurer, —in tho act-opted term—-nor was it his desire to trade on the re.semblafi.ee-. On the other hand, lift,seemed rather anxious to avoid it, and I did not press tte matter. Ho was engaged in professional husinoss, scented te liftve plenty of taoiiey, at his command, and gave nip to understand 'that his chief connections lay between Seutk America and England. ' '■' ■

A Meeting at Claridge's. "Several times wo lunthedand dined together, and onu night at Claridge's jny friend was recognised hy a R'OH-. known habituo of tho hotel—-nono ©tho! 4 than the Vieomto Bcaucairfi, 'butter' ,to the Due d'Orkans. Tho rccegnitifjJi was mutual, and tho Vieomto and the 'Archduke' mat and. talked together for some time. "What passed Ijctfreen thaw, of course, i: haro no idoa.\- Tii6 nost day the 'Archduke' vanished, _ and the Vicomte went ever to Paris aSrl at* tempted to eemrait suicide—why, nobedy knows. I don't suppose there was anf connoetion between the wquld--be fiiiicide and the aceidefital meeting, of these two strange persons at Olaridge's." in Londsn Every Spring, Mr. Xash leaned back ifl.his comfortable arnvekiiir and. smiled, the snsilo of the publisher who lias,'a good story at his finger's 'end. . ' "And as for the 'Ar*hdtjlM,' ' ho «on, eluded,' "I saw no more, of him. But I heli'ftVe lie comes to L-o-fidoii every spring in the course of his evtdewtly pTosperoits liusiiiosE, centnnted at his task, and waiting patiently for tlio moment to arrive for his Tetttm," "l>o you actually believe, ashed the ' interviewer, "that this mysterious per- | sciiage was John Orth?" Mr. N/asvii smiled again. "The rcSep blaiice." lie declared, "was ©straordlnarv, I know the Hsp-Sbtife featnios well, and there sv_as no mistaking that my 'friend was—'if not the real John Oi-th, at least a Hapstarg'"