TAILOR PRETENDER OF SERBIA

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2717, 11 March 1916, Page 13

TAILOR PRETENDER OF SERBIA

— « . EX-KING MILAN'S SON IN LONDON A BATHROOM AUDIENCE There is a good deal of mystery and romance behind a Rome report, recently published, that Milan Christitch, one of tlifl illegitimate sons of the late King Milan of Serbia, lias been sent to Belgrade, "probably under Austro-German auspices," and there proclaimed King of Serbia" (states the "Daily Mail"). King Milan was the father of _ King I Alexander, in whoso favour ho abdicated in 1889, after obtaining a divorce from Queen Natalie. Ho ivent to live in Paris, where he squandered what remained of his "kingship" in riotous living. He became greatly, enamoured of a certain Mme. Christitch, the daughter of _ a German "master builder," whose okief claim to fortune aroso out of his cleverness in building stucco palaces for Abdul Aziz. t. There wore tales of a secret marriage of Milan and this German beauty. Whatever happened, the ex-King, before he died, in 1901, lived in Paris and elsewhere an amazing and scandalously irregular life, after quarrelling with his only legitimate son for the latter's marriage with Queen Draga. With the assassination of King Alexander and Queen .Draga, the rule of the house of Obrenovitch ended, and Peter succeeded to the throne. Prom the "union" of the ex-King Milan and Mme. Christitch several children wfre born. Two of fliem were boys. Both apparently bore the namo "Milan Christitch"; both, when they grew to manhood, wero forced to live as best they could, and both had roseate dreams of climbing, sooner or later, to the throne of Serbia. r Liko their father, they were both., clever, handsome, and presentable, and carried a certain air which suggested that their birth was out of the common. Poor Tailor but Noble. One of these two _ remarkable young gentlemen appeared in London just before Christmas, 1914, in the role of _ a ladies' tailor. He had come from Paris; where the world of fashion (and tailoring) had treated him anything but kindly. He wa6 hard up and hungry, but he bore the pinch with monarchical resignation. He was a tall and noblelooking young man. He turned up in a taxicab one afternoon'at a lodging-house, with a dressbasket and a portmanteau, and bar-' gained for, the first-floor front, producing o, mass of papers, a Serbian passport, letters from the War Office and the Admiralty to support his bona fides, and correspondence from Messrs. Debeh. ham and Freebody, the fashionable Wigmore Street drapers, relating (so he/ said.) to a satisfactory' engagement with them as a ladies' tailor. Herself the wife of a tailor, the landlady, a sympathetic and good-natured soul, let him the room for 15s. a week, which was ss. under her usual terms. She describes him as a. most charming gentleman, an engaging and fascinating conversationalist, but a shockingly bad tailor. » . ' ■ He had his own scissors and thimble and blue chalk : as a guarantee of his good faith, and as a sort of artistio deposit for the rent, he went down, stairs into the workroom and out out a coat and skirt for the pretty daughter of the house. It was such an unsatisfactory cut, and'so tight, that Florrie, a growing girl, declared.she "couldn't breathe in ft." So she gave it to the little MarchiOiiess!downstairs—the Marchioness being the maid-of-all-work. and not too particular as to the cut of her costumes. 1 Christmas Eve Evlotion. As the days passed, Mr. Milan Christitch waxed visibly thinner. His con. quest of London had not materialised; he confided moodily to the landlady that there had .been a hitch .-in the negotiations'ivith Messrs: Doberiham and Free, body; he paid his first week's bill in 'Slid sixpences and a part of the second in still smaller change. On Christmas Eve, witli two weeks owing, he declared that he had not a halfpenny in the world, and times being bad aiid another gentleman waiting for the first-floor front; she turned him out. "It may have seemed an unkind thing to throw the poor gentleman out on Christmas Eve," said the landlady, "hut there was really nothing else to do. He said to me as he stood on the doorstep, 'Madame, are you aware that to-morrow is Christmas Day and that I shall have nowhere to turn for my Christmas dinnor? . . . Kindly call me a taxicab!' So 1 did, and as we parted, though he did owe mo two weeks' rent and extras, I slipped half-a- ---■ crown inW his white hands ! and wished him good luck!" The taxicab, with its royal, passenger inside,, did not travel far that eve — only' just round the corner, where the high-born tailor installed himself in a household queened over by a stately and splendid Russian lady and shared by Dr. Q , a surgeon dentist. Thinner and moro mournful grew M. Christitch ; not only his hopes but his teeth began to show signs of decay. Ho placed himself in the hands of the dentist. "Open wider, please," said the dentist. "Ah,_ it is as I expected;- only crowning will save thrft root!" "You speak of a crown!" said M. Christitch. "There is an omen in your words —more significant than you would ever dream of. Proceed with the coronation!" . ' The crowning was successfully- accomplished; the bill remains unpaid. Tho next news of M. Christitch was more satisfactory. Ho called again and again upon Messrs.. Debenham and Freebody, and told such .Wonderful tales of his skill with tho needle and scissors that tho manager of tho ladies' tailoring departroen engaged him at a- salary of £3 a week. He left the firm on May 7. As a talker ho was a'spleiidid success—ho ■would hold the "board" enthralled; but as a tailor he was a magnificent failure. Believing that he had discovered a treasure, the foreman cutter gavo him, as a trial, a coat and skirt to fashion. lie bungled it hopelessly, making a worse mess of it than his previous experiment. He found a compatriot in tho tailor's sliqp—a _ Serb 'lamed Gross, who introduced' him to the now lodgings. In tl-.is house, for a. time, there ivas' peace. A Yellow-Haired Lady.

Faultlessly dressed, with a silk hat, a dapper frock coat, and! white spats, M. Clu'istitcli appeared the model of nn acceptable lodger. Once again a taxicab whirled liim thither; once again, he bargained for a room and got it cheap—at 10s. 6d. a week. He appeared on a Monday, and stated that in a few days he' would bring his wife there. She had just undergone a serious operation," so lie • declared, in a nursing home. On the following Saturday she came (again in a taxicab) with her. husband. She was a young l'mglishwoman, "not quite a lady," to quote the words of the landlady. But sho v/as well dressed and sho had a most wonderful wealth of yellow hair hoi own, and not even dyed. SIIO was paralysed down one side of her body, apparently; and M. Cliristitcli was devoted to her. 011 more than one occasion he was heard to address her as "my beautiful queen." Then came trouble with the rent. There was also troublo with Gloss, the other lodger. JT. Christitch accused this entirely innocent man of being an Austrian, a spy, and all manner of other unpleasant rtiiiwus. This so up*

set the harmony of the ertwhilo peace- \ ful household that the landlord one fateful Sunday morning summoned his noblo lodger up to the bathroom (this boing the only availablo chamber in the house at tiie moment for a private conference) and told him flatly that unless he paid what he owed and ceased molesting Mr. Gross ho, and tho yellow, haired lady with him, would have to go. "Have you any idea whom you are addressing?" said M. Christitch. "I am not accustomed to be spoken to in i<fiat manner by a mere commoner. Leave this—this—bathroom instantly!" "You are nothing more than a wicked adventurer!" cried tho landluclj through the door. And sho dcclaros that sho heard him grind his teeth at this, though the door was closed! Presently M. Christitch and the landlord emerged together from the council chamber; another lodger clamouring at this juncture for a bath. On the landing outside who should appear at that very moment but thp unfortunate Mr. Gross, dressed for his Sabbath morning walk across the park in his best clothes! Milk-ban Missiles. There was a cluster of full milk-cans standing outside the bathroom door. M.' Christitch, with a savage cry, picked them up and hurled them, one after another, with deadly aim, upon tho descending form of Mr. Gross. He staggered to the bottom of the . stairs, drenched and half-blinded by the squirting milk, bruised and battered by the cans, Bpecchless with rage and terror. The landlord courageously closed with his assailant, and in the scramble which followed M. Christitch drew a horriblelooking clasp-knifo. But in the end virtue triumphed; the terrible tailor was given a week's notice, and on tho following Saturday lie and the yellowhaired beauty left the neighbourhood for ever —in a- taxicab, as usual —owing three weeks' rent. i And that is the last definite news of this .turbulent tailor _ Prince who would be King. His anxiety to get out to Serbia was no pretence. He tried all manner of" means, but none, seemingly, | came to anything. Early in January, j 1915, he applied to Sir Thomas Lipton for passage in the ship Erin, in which, it will be remombered, Sir Thomas travelled with stores and nurses and other help for Serbia. M. Christitch then stated that although he was related to tlie murdered! family he wished to go back, and fight for his country. Permission to travel by the Erin was refiised. • . ■ j Meanwhile, the other Milan _ Christitch has, apparently, been making hay in Vienna, whore, plentifully _ supplied with money, he has been awaiting the opportunity to got in . ahead of. his tailor brother, and whore, if the latest reports can be believed, he has succeeded. In tho mists of this mystifying war the tailor-Pretender has vanished from human ken, leaving a track of despairing landladies and a stream of milk behind him. i