SECRET HISTORY OF 1916.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3544, 4 August 1920, Page 7

SECRET HISTORY OF 1916.

AL7S"I"RI.-\;\T K.»\lS’Eß’b' SUICIDE

'\\"[l..l.lA.\l H.’s DUEL WITH FUTURIS IJAIPRESS.

.=\n incl'(‘diblo story of Hl2‘ “stlicidté by hanging" of the late .-7\.ust2'ia.ll Em-pex-or 171'a11<:i.< Joseph in 1916 b‘;isllo(l by ‘the Rome Socialist dzlily, “(I‘iol'mlle dol 1’0p010," from its 'l‘x'ic:r:o gurresp-o~ndent. . It tells of st:u‘tlixlg events attendzun‘ on the last: days of the old Emperor }s‘rullcis (Joseph. of Austl‘i:l—l-Inn-gury, and it gives the current CzechoSlovak Press as al::stllurity. M SHOT AT K-\I>.‘~ERU~WILHELM.

Acchording to this history the Archduvhess Zitza (who became Empress when her husband .~‘ue(:.eeded Francis Joseph) deeply embittered the last phase of the aged Inonarch’s life by 1-eproaching him to his face, in the presence of others, with having in a moment of folly espousecl the illfafed UOl-1112111 cause and thereby undermiuecl the house of Hapsburg and pre-(le>ttined the ruin of the Empire.

_\ «.cx~isi.s- was .reachell during the .‘-‘ust visit of the German Kaiser to Vienna, when in the midst. of the Court dinner the Exasperated Crown f’rillc.ess (as Zitzv was then called) drrw a. revolver and fired straiglft at the Gennan 'Emperor.‘

The shot missred its mark, but; the K-.L'..<er fired back and slightly wounded his assailant. V

Inn'nediat.ely aftel'ward.< an aunounccment was posted stating that—-“l-101' Inlperizll and Royal Highness the .-\l‘clnluclless is; imlisposed, and will be obliged to keep to her room will be obliged to keep to her apartxnunl*_\- for some days.”

’.l‘hat incidcnt——so the story continlle.<.=——boc:ulle the s'f:lx'tillgrpoillt in thu German Press of :1 campaign riguinst the family of Bourbon-Parma ('2O which the I’rinces.~' Zita belonged) EMI’EROR’S SUICIDE. 13mm that time Francis Joseph, who l1:u"l sliowu rapid signs of senile decay, begun to be unhingcd in mind. A few weeks later, at 10.30 in the inorning of November 21, 1916, the ve‘r.(=l'-an cx~Emp(‘ror Fraiic'is Joseph was discov(‘l'od to have haifged- himself in his bedrooni in u;'short interval during whit-11 he had been left unattended_

Consultzutio-ns were held in an ad_i«.)in'ing morn) -li'F'Fizep ‘I CM-the joinin}_=; :xpal'tnlent.’,’ mid there were smnu zm,r;ry scenes between some dis-

tinguished ladies of the Ixnperiul Court as to wlmthcr the t(*l'l'ilslc SO. ere-I should be divulged. I~‘innHy, it was dvternfined «that the

gr-.z‘m:lzll musr be p:'oVclll'c-d at ullcosts from IC-:l.kin,<_7‘ nut. zuul so the-I'imc 01’ thn} 'l:]mpcl'ol"s death was ofiiciaily falsified to 9 o’clock in the evening.

The \.-"Io1€11t. di.~‘<3ussion had: how. evoxj. been o\'el'lle:u‘(l by Various membcrs of the Imperial household. It: \\*as quickly I'epol'tod, not only in. the r::lpi.t‘a.l, but also 2111101: the .:11'n1_\' in the trenches, till the supl'on‘re c<mlmum:‘l was coxlst:':li2wd to issue a ;p:'oclzun:ltiol'l r:l'dorillg than: any solclier lfulllld ]_“»l'op:\gating the I'umoul' wrmld hr.‘ shot ’r'ol'th3\'ith.