POSE AS PRINCESS

Hokitika Guardian, 16 January 1929, Page 7

POSE AS PRINCESS

A COWSHED AND A CUT-GLASS CORONET. BERLIN, Nov. 20. “Princess .Marguerite ot .Prussia” was the line title which .Martha Barth a milkmaid, gave herself on her travels—and she found people at Erfurt, Eisenach, and other places to -accept her as a princess of the Royal House. Two nice elderly women of Erl art believed her story implicitly. How could they doubt it when they saw m her box a wonderful Court dress and a coronet sparkling with diamonds which it nows turns out were not even of paste, hut cut-glass

“The Princess’s” necklace of diamonds and ropes of pearls, which had been bought in Berlin for a few marks appeared to these elderly women absolutely imperial in their magnificence. The silly women lent the “Princess” all the money she wanted. They were indeed so generous that they have improverished themselves by their bounty

Olio day when she had left they made tip their minds to visit her in her palace. They went to Potsdam in their best clothes to see their dear Kind princess. At the palace where she said she liveil—the home el Prince August Wilhelm—they discovered that the last Princess Marguerite of Prussia died in 1850. AND THIOP,E SHE WAS. They were so emphatic in their assertions that there must be a living Princess Marguerite that, to pacify them, they were allowed to look for her all over the palace and the adjoinng farm. And they found her—-in the cow shed. She laughingly assured them that she lmd found everything in such confusion when she returned to the palace that she was working herself in order to see that tilings were put in order; if only her dear friends would stay a in Potsdam she would he delighted to entertain them to dinner oil the following day. Hut the game was up, and the two elderly women of iKrlurt had the milkmaid arrested. She had imprudently 'returned to Potssim on a Hying visit to see the other milkmaids and nerviijnts with whom she had loriuerly worked. .Martha will he tried for fraud next week, and no fewer than 80 people whom she has swindled by her royal and imperial impersonation will be witnesses.