ROYAL LOVE TRAGEDY IN VIENNA.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 8, 11 January 1916, Page 3

ROYAL LOVE TRAGEDY IN VIENNA.

"Lloyd's News" correspondent in Budapest narrates a story of a dramatic royal love tragedy which recalls in some of its features, though not in iis full horror, the events that led to the violent death of the Crown Prince Rudolph, heir to the Austrian throne, and the beautiful Baroness Marie Vetsera, whom he passionately loved.

The fresh royal tragedy is concerned with Prince Leopold of Coburg, a nephew of King Ferdinand of Bulgaria, and a daughter of an Austrian Court Councillor. The leading motive i s the same —the love of a Prince for a woman below him in the social scale, and the resultant complications of family objections. The:'whole of Vienna and the Court -.circles of Austria and Germany' are new ringing with a love tragedy that recalls the death of Crown Prince Rudolph of Austria and the Baroness Marie Vetsera. The victims are Prince Leopold of Coburg and the beautiful daughter of an Austrian officer, Court Councillor Rybicska. It ,is another chapter in the terrible history of Austrian Court life; for the father cf the unfortunate Prince Leopold is Prince Philip cf Coburg-, who ig an Austrian general, while Prince Lecpcld is a captain in an Austrian Hussar regiment. It is a case of a Royal Prince deeply in love with a lady of high social standing,, but below him in rank, and unable, cwing to the stringent German royal family law, of marrying the woman of his choice. The woman lie s dead, and the Prince is injured for life, and may even die, at the hands cf the woman he devoutly leved.

The circumstances are pathetically simple. The Prince, who .is only 37 years of age, met.at a social function some two 'and a-half years ago Mile. Lotte Rykicska, who, as the daughter of an officer in the Vienna State Police, moved in high social circles, and immediately fell in lic.ve with her. The attraction was mutual; the girl became devoted to him and hung on his every word. The Prince, being fully acquainted with the inexorable Gorman law against matrimonial arrangements beyond the royal circle, could net have contemplated marrying Mile. Rybicska, for it must have been quite evident to him that the royal family would not give its consent to such an alliance. She was,

-owever, young—only 20 years old, inexperienced, and Prince Leopold succeeded in persuading her that in a ishort time lie would be in a position to overcome any difficulties the family might present. "With this plea he suceeded in inducing her to leave her home. The family scene was pathetic in the extreme. Her sisters, tall, beautiful girls, with all the charm of the Austrian aristocracy, pleaded with her, but in vain. She insisted on leaving her home with the Prince, and after a few weeks' travelling in

the country, Ocok 'apartments with the Prince in another part of the city. Court Councillor Rybicska was utterly powerless to influence his daughter, as she threatened to commit suicide should he interfere or use force to compel her to return.

She was of a very determined character, and would, never allow anyone to interfere with her plans. Moreover, site herself regarded the prospects of ultimately becoming the bride of her royal lover as certain. As she explained to her mother at the time, she was quite confident that in time her influence ever the Prince would be strong enough to allow her to achieve her aims to marrying Prince Lecpcld, in whose devotion she had the strongest possible belief. She knew she was sacrificing her social position. ■ She was willing to do it. She Was certain cf becjomin-g !jhe wife of the man she leved, and she' was prepared to sacrifice honour, position, family pride, and future psospects, well understanding that once leaving her home in such a way her father would never allow her to return.

The story of the tragedy begins on Tuesday, October 14. On that day Mile. Rybicska, who was living in a fiat in Marckkaner Street, Vienna,

gave permission to her servants to go out, and tcld them not to return !! until S o'clock in the evening. She was expecting her royal lover. She had asked him to come and see her at 5 o'clock. At this hour he arrived in his motor car, telling his chauffeur to return at a quarter to 7. A few minutes before 6 a soldier passing the house heard revolver shots from lib:- fiat -on 'the ground floor. }.t ■startled him. He entered the house, and called the attention of the porter

to it. They both hurried up the steps cf the flat to find that all the deers were locked. A faint voice answered: "Fetch a locksmith, the keys are missing. A locksmith arrived, and the pcrter and the soldier entered.

A terrible scene met their eyes. The Prince Wis seen lying on the floor, with four bullet holes in his body; one had pierced his lungs. He was holding. .1 handkerchief to his eyes, and was murmuring. "I have been blinded! I have been blinded!" Mile. Rybicska was lying in a big armchair, head thrown backwards, evidently dead. By this time the Prince's motor car had arrived. He was carried down to it, and taken to the hospital, where it was found that in addition to dangerous bullet wounds, he was J suffering from the effects of vitroil ' thrown in hig face. • One of his eyes ihad to be removed, and the other was discovered to be dangerously injured. What passed between the two previous to the tragedy has not yet been ascertained, for the Prince was unable to give an account of what had ; happened. Yet the story m'ay be rei constructed from facts that were known to many. Prince Leopold had been ordered to the front, and the 'girl had been urging him to arrange ' the marriage before he left. The '

! Pince had tried his best to get the I consent of his father. All his entreaties were of no avail. Despairing of acknowledgment of Mile. Rybicska as his wife, he offered her half a million kronen as recompense. She disdainfully refused. The last time they met, about a week before the tragedy, it is said the Prince left the young lady in a state cf hysterical excitement. She would not accept any monetary settlement, and the Prince made it clear not only that marriage was impossible, but that their relations could not continue, as his family insisted upon the severance of their relations. , Mile. Rybicska's servant told the police authorities who investigated the tragedy that for the last few months her mistress had led a most secluded life, never leaving the house. She had. been very much depressed throughout the day before the tragedy. There is ' evidence that after Prince 'Leopold atrrived locked the doors and threw away the keys in order to prevent his escaping. In the rooms there were found a heavy calibre Brcwning pistol and a bottle of vitriol.

i In Viennese society everybody knew f of the intimate relations between the Prince and Mile. Rybicska, and they also knew that the Prince loved the girl very deeply and sincerely. He w&s very attentive to her, spent some ( time at her flat almost every day, •and appeared with her very often in .•public places, restaurants, and theatres, for, as he often said, he was desirous to recompense her for the losses she suffered, through forfeiting the social position she occupied in her home. The girl was never seen alone anywhere. 'When walking in the street her maid always followed her. She went with the Prince on all hig travels, and, as a matter of fact, the tragedy is regarded in Viennese family circles as the outcome of a brutal family struggle against the natural inclinations of the Prince, who is not accused of any disloyalty towards the girl. The blame is being placed on Prince Philip of Coburg, the father, who would rather see his son blind, and even dead, than happy with the girl he loved.