ROMANTIC STORIES OF FAMOUS FAMILIES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 36, 1 February 1908, Page 3

ROMANTIC STORIES OF FAMOUS FAMILIES.

) AMAmu STORY, OF KIM; ALEXt ANDEU ASD QUEERS JJI! A<;A. Tilt JioV .MONARCH AND Till-: M.OSl' FASCLNATIM; WIDOW t\ El'Kol'E. When Kin» Alexander of Scrviu. t!„. victim of one oi I lie mo-t horrible tr.i gcdics in the annul, of lloval house '.("•"'■■ l hi- .-yes on ihc u-.ulil it was amiil tin.- cla-h of aims and tin- fierce clamour til' batik'; I'm- Nerviu, tin. land W n which he. was destined to nik. was hi. gaged iu a life-and-dealh struggle with Tmkcy, and tin- sulvoc, of artillery which greeted thi. long-desired birth .it au heir t» tin; ihi'iiu,' «-,. r ,. drowned in tin' louder boom ~f ili ( . death-dealing camion on thi! lii'ld ol war. And over the cradle of the Royal iui'aut a cruel faic already brooded; for, long year, bcforo, a peasant, whose prediction- had •ill come friii; so far, hail foretold hi.

i-ari'i'i- in tins-,, word,: "He (the infant Alexander) will have a still more torliul.'iit reign than hi, nil lur, will many a woman iroin tin- people, and in hi, twenty-seventh or tw.'iitv-ciyluli veer will cease to In- Kiii«f. his dynast \ 'pcishin- w ith i,;,,,.<'nuns ami prophecies of ,-vil. iinli-i'd. seemed to U' tho heritage of hi, Royii hoii,i': for whi'ii, a few years u.u lii-i. hi, lallii'r. IvJiiy Alilan, had married the -u----|iri'UK'ly lovely Mile. Nathalie Kcch],.,, tli.' hor-ea attached to the nuptial earn', aye had refused to niuve on the homeward journey to the palace, and had reared and plunged so furiously a, to place the newly-wedded couple in grave danger of tneir lives; while the nionieiii they set foot within the palace a terrihle storm plunged it in the darkne-s oi night, anil the lightning llare.l and the tliiiudi-r crashed as though the euil of .ill things lmd conic. I nder such appalling condition,. King -Milan aud .Nathalie liegau their lurbiileut wedded life, the story of which, with its passionate lov.! changed to relentless hatred, the fierce and un ligni lied squabbles ending in divorce. |, known in the world. And iliu, »,. 1,,,,■„ 'li.' luliile King, amid the I ~i- of war, the ,-liild „i parent, w1... had han-l '■a.-li other all the mure because ca.ii I'ned Itiiu ,o much. And tlui, Ihc child glow up. T.he cause of jcaloii-y bet wen lather and mother, without a ,oliiaiv companion of his years to brighten hi'„ die. alone among the splendours of a palace, with grey-headed ollicials and -talesmen for his only associate*. Haud-onie and intelligent lieyond ino,i children, ike young prince grew to boyhood wayward and sell-willed, but winsome in spite of all, to lind himself promoted to the throne at the eaiiv age of twelve through his father's abdication. Was ever a hoy placed in so pailictic, if splendid, a position? His father, who wor,hipped him, was an exile unable to set foot in Servia: hi, mother, from who,.' side hi: had been forcibly toni, was not permitted to approach the palace where her only ,011 was virtually a prisoner. The very gates were closed against her, and the only glimpse ,he ever caught of her child was from the window of her little house iu Belgrade, when occasionally she saw him ride past in company of his courtiers, turning liis head to catch siglu of her pale. tear-

stained I'iii-H ;it the window. Is it any wonder that the hoy-King, limn U'left of love and companion-hip, should seek distraction when' hj" i-onld iinil it? And ho found it in the mo 4 seductive and attraetive form -thut of the loveliest wonf\ji in all Servia. the woman who was destined to bring liim for a few years the only liappiuces he ever kuew. and. by linking her life with his, to share the most tragic fate tint ever overwhelmed a European Sovereign. And who was this woman who came

-o dramatically into the youthful King'life and played such havoc with hit* liea".t and with his career': Uraga Ma-bin was a widow about nine years his senior lat the time of his infatuation Alexander was istill a youth in his teens 1. and probably the most fascinating widow in Europe. With c\.|uisitely-cul. delicate tea lures, illiiiuined by "large, dark cytwhieli could melt into tcllilcnie-s or llasj, into tlaiue. with a brilliant complexion, lovely and luxurious hair, and a ligure diviuely moulded, Uraga war- une ~f those nouieu of whom poet- rave ami artists despair, a woman born to conquest and the homage of men. As a girl she had been led to the altar by Svctozar Mashin, a young ami promi-ing mining engineer, who had left her a widow alter a brief wedded life

—a widow with a meagre fortune and a State pen-dou ul £3 a tuuutli. It was at this period ul her lii',. that Uraga. in the very prime ol her beauty and in her condition ul patlicLie poverty, came under the notice of (Jin c-n .Naiiialie, win,, ia-citiated l,y her charm-, in stalled her as a " lady ol honour " .\t s.ishino. her pretty Biarritz villa; and i> «,i- there that Alexander is said tu have lirnt met her and fallen at once under the spell uf her radiant loveliness. That wa.s a halcyon time for the boy monarch. Thrown hourly into the company ul this beautiful widow, full ol

-viupalhy and no doubt e.\crci-ing all Her arts un the susceptible youth, he became hopelessly in luve with her. They rude together every day, swam together, and spent every pussible gulden niumeni in each other's society; until Uraga in turn lost her heart as completely as. her liuyal lover. iiut, dazzling a, the proi-pccl was, Uraga did nut then aspire tu a throne; though when it becomes a duel between i"ve and duty, how utten the lot'iner proves the stronger! Ami su it was with fair, il Iran, Uraga Masliiii. I'oi three long years, it is --aid, she resi-ied his solicitation- -refused point bi.tnk to ne his bride, although this meant a crown •iniuug the yueens ol the world. Fur lung .Nathalie, the (.iiieen mother, was bliua to her cull - uilalualiou lul the pretty widow. It was unh a bov'passing louii-iiness, she thought, and meanwhile " Sasha " war- aiiiu*nig himself. Jiul wlieii one day she discover"'! a letter full ol passionate word, ami hopele.-., devotion addressed b\ her son to Uraga, all the mother in mi ru-e in 'amis against Hie woman i\ ho had -nil-.'ii away tue one ueart which «.,- J.-it :.i ner. Uraga w.i- a d.uigeiou- w.uiiaii: i-nc must go; .ind within an hour she bad been dismissed iroiu Sashiuo in ni-

looii-h mothei! Ji -he had wi-iied i„ '.line Uraga into Ale.vandei's arm, i "Hid not iiate done anything more ell'ee'tiiiil. J'he moiueut the King heard jI the late ol Jus love he hastened to her -idt to coinioit and c.m-ole her. and to 1 win her c.ni-eiit. .il l.i-t, i,. -i M i.. hi. ill.- ' Ar- my wile, ami milv a- nu .1 if.." he protested to the vi.dding w.i oi.in. von will l,e -ate Hum -del, i:,. -111'-. 1.1 - me 111.. I-ij-lil In -hieid vu.l. Ill.igd. in- ..i'|..v...1, .111.1 1 will ...iliu'lil. .t-.1l w.i |..-t ,1, -„.„ iuppMle.-..' vMi.it Kjidd Uiaga .1 il ...ii-ein': ,\ id Horn that moment oi -upreme ldi-s .ml pregnant doom tue late of both was ii ■ revocably sealed. Thtli- it eallle to [,a--that Uraga. the pennilcs- widow ol the mining engineer, Iwcauie of Se. ■ via and mistress of her Koval Consort's

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For a few moments, the oUkers ~lou,l silent and abashed in the presence of their Sovereign and victim. Then a lieutenant, more, daring than his fellow.-, called out, " What are you standing gazing at'; This is how 1 show my fidelity," and raising his revolver he tired pointblank at the King, who fell wounded into Draga's arms. As it thi„ .-hot lmd been the signal, the lieudish pas,ions of the ollicers were let loose. Quick as lightning a voll.-v ol ,hi,|, tang out: the King and Queen fell In the lloor. and. a, they lav, were riddled with a fusillade of liiillcts. The conspirator, next drew (heir swords and -la-lied at flieir writhing victims will, lieudish ferocity, mutilating them in in-ile-eribable ways, and emitting frenzied i-hoiit- as the work of butchery jiroweileil. " Out oi ihe window with lliem!" -Iniiite.l o I the a-,a,,in,. when ~i l.i-l it seemed impossible thai the least -park of life could linger. "To the dog, with the carrion! I)ra"a', bleeding and mutilated body wa, lir,t seized' aud lliiug out of the win,low into the garden below: and the group of ollieor,. followed with Alexander. But there wis still life left iu Ihe King: Us lie was rai-eil lo the window-ledge his lingers convulsively clutched the framework.and only released their liohl when an ollicers ..word slashed furiously at them. The body was then hurled out amid loud erie, of " l/)ng live King I'eter!" thundered back by the soldiers massed in the palace grounds Mow. and for several minute, the air was rent with cries oi jubilation over a tragedy which might well have made angels weep.

For two hours the bodies of the murdered Sovereigns lay in the garden, an object of sport and derision to the soldiery, until the Russian -Minister, Tcbnrikoli, begged the leader of the conspirator, (who was none other than Colonel .Mashiu. Draga's brother-in-law I to remove them inside the palace, and inn leave them ill the rain, which had now begun to fall heavily, exposed to tie- public gaze. Two bed-sheets were accordingly brought, and the bodies of Alexander and Draga were curried to a room on the ground lloor of the palace. Meanwhile, within the palace pandemonium reigned. The i 'ilelel's, |, iK . ing acciuupli-heil their chief object, were -'•ized with a -ott of I'reuzv.' " They -■reamed." -ays t'hedo .Mijatovieli. ■•and -houteil ;il Ihe top of their voices, dancing and running about the rooms like madmen, firing their revolvers at the pic lures on the walls, at looking-glass •,. and candelabra: thev broke with axes the bedstead of the Royal couple, an.l Hiia-heil all the tine things on the lJucen's toilet-table: called for wine from the King's cellars, and the trembling servants obeyed their orders."

lint even yet their lust for dctiucfion wa- not sated. Before day dawned sev"■al of the late King's loyal Ministers and ollicers had liecn treaeiierottslv sh;>t in .-old blood, including Queen Dra"a's two young brothers, who died side"by -idc. facing without u tremor the villa's of their assassins. And it was not tin'il the Austro-lliingarian .Minister ilireati'iii'il that, unless the slaughter ■ •eased at once, the Austrian army would occupy Belgrade, that this night of horrors came to an end.

Thin perished, hj, the hventv-t-evcnlh year of his troulilcMl life. King Alexander ■ •I' Kcrvia. mill the beautiful Queen whose l»ve. while it had crowned his hist vears with happines,. | u d brought on him anil mi her tin' must terrible late that put overwhelmed a monarch ur closed a d.viia-ty in tragedy.