AUSTRIAN TRAGEDY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 36, 2 July 1914, Page 6

AUSTRIAN TRAGEDY.

Til!'. MIUDERED COUPLE. Tli;; AWT I DUKE'S LIFE-STOItY A 1! (J.MAX TIC HATCH.

Tlie Archduke Francis Ferdinand, who has Ihtii a>-a>sinaled in the full flush of hi> man!i >od, was generally regarded as An n in-Hungary's one hope of salvation from di-integration when the aged Emperor pa-ses away. He, iva- ever a ra.ui of mystery, and it is no easy matter to detine ibis" exact position in European affairs. lieir to i lie of the u'osl conspicuous thrones in the \\:;rid. po-rosor of one of the finest private furl lines in Europe, hero of the mot I'cimantic love all'air that ever resulted in a morganatic marriage, a diplomatist of i.-uoh subtlety that no great deci-ion could be taken in any part of Europe without his prior sanction, his royal and imperial highness, the Archduke Franz Fcrdiuund d'Es.tc. lite.l in such aloofness from the world —-although hi., points of contact with it were most intimate—that he remained the one man of mystery in European affair■•. The fantastic ambitions ascribed to him. lie splendour of the i*ale on whidh he lived, the faiiue of his great art. collection, the intimacy of his relations with the Vatican, the unalloyed happiness of hi.-, life as a husband and father am! l'i' cnth'U.sia-n, of those privi leged few wii) have gained through personal contact some idea of his radiant charm resulted from time to -time in character sketches of the man by tho-e who prolog to know what ho was like., but who invariably merely whetted the curiosity they attempt to appease.

A KIXOLYFIOURE. In dcportim nt and in personaf. appearance l/v_uuust aristocratic of all tile prill, ls in. Europe was precisely what Hie ii,e'r to a 'great throne ought to be. Tall, oval-faced, cicaii-etil, the lcgnlar :um line features of Mid Archduke dvlinol tiicm-elves all the bettri iiir a pair of binisvi grey eyes, set quite deeply beneath tlie hroHv." The round-m-s of the countenance and the e>v.vt-iin-ii of (lie hgure contradicted flatly all reports that tuberculosis had eaten into his lung-;, and that early dissipation robbed hi- constittiuoii of'its vigor. The short 'hair bad turned grey, while the somewb.it fiercely upturned iiitni-> taclic and was worn 'in an -aggre-.-/iiVelv blistling pampadi-ur; but tile fnee lia'd few wrinkle-. imiJ reicaled the piitkne-s and freshness of complexion for which the llapsbmgs an famous. The Ai'.'hduke lias had ihe good hick to escape I but An-Irian lip wf:ich disfigures the face of the .-punish monarch," but he did nut evade lie scrofula descending to iilm by ri'iht of birth, and tending at times to ..-.well tile neck unduly. lliiweMi', O.c \\a-' a striking!v handsome man, rather pale but seemingly healthy. Tiiii|icram":ii..!'ly, his Highness belongs to •::■ nervous type, inclining bitterly to iisomuia and liav fever. In the earlier years of bis r.anbood the Archduke was an almost chronic invalid, but since his !i irriag.' he h-'- been -o devotedly cared f ' by the moli.fr of ids children, wilb v.iiom he spent all his lei-ure—ill private II:■■ his Highness would be called a uformed rake-that bis physical 'condition had li'TOn:-.- cxcclUut. MARUii.n FOR LOVE.

The romaine of liij marriage, is t'iius told. lie bad been seen vi-iling tt.e Anhduci.ess I.srbella's family .rather oil en. and the m wspupei's had ha-itcued to announce bis engagement to her dangatrr. Ai'chdir.hcss Oabrie.lle. lint not so. There was yet to be played a romantic comely unique of it's kind; a romance of cod-liver oil! As we read; The Aivh.iu.Sicss Isabella had a lady-in-waiting-''omitcs; Sophie '-hoick, a member of a I'.olie.nihin family, which, thuigh old. was poor, and not of the hurries', order of nobility. Her fattier had liehl a governorship in lio'ltemta: licr brother wa- -.<. provincial official of moderate, bu'. not excessive, dignity, lint Francis Ferdinand, while charmingiv polite to the .V'chiliicfhess GabrieKe. was mi re often rein to V sitting in cosy corners with Countess -Sophie Chotck. Often and of'.ll hi Nit a whole evening with her in a cosy corner, talking gloomily about bis health and ; impbjming of tlie ligorons preseriprons of th,'.' doctor-. l'od-I'ver vil. be aid. was horrid -luff. It did bi.n. no good; he would slop taking it. And Couiit'ss Sophie Ohotck reasoned and pleaded with him. as womanly women lb--. Of course, cod-liver oil was good for him: he musn't be silly and ! nr-tend that 'ie knew better than the doctors; a pepmrmint lozenge would take away the taste. Anyhow, take it lie really mn-t, not only for bis own sake, but for the .-ake of those to whom hi- life was oi-ecious.

"For my sake— io please -m,"," .she 'concluded coaxingly; and Francis Ferdinand promised and found that the medicine did work the promised miracle, lie got better and .better, until he was quite veil: and there was joy in the House of Ilapsburg. and a.!l the archdukes and ardiidnchcs-cs were grateful to Connies; Sophie Cliotd;. it delighted the Ari'li-dnche-s IValiclU iii particular to see tliut in r lady-in-waiting had such good inIliience over (lie heir-apparent, and had succeeded, after everyone else had failed, in modifying h : s attitude towards his medicine. It did not occur to 'hev that (iid-l!\:'r oil was a potion which could operaic as a love-philter, or Unit the conversations conduotcd in the cosy corners might have run on from codliver oil to oilier and mo.c intimate themes.

A Tli.vNSfOintATlO'.V. Now u-iis effected that miraciilom traii~fcirniution which urtiraatcly won for Hi" wildest pv llipiito iii Europe renown a- t-'i'c model oi all that a husband and father c.iij»lit to be. For three .Year* Franz Ferdinand never lou.-hed a nil or 'iet on a horse race or visited an actress. For three years tha ajfed Kin|ier.!|- Frauds .losejih held out {ijrain.it she union wl'oU brought a |>l'iin and prei-i-e old maid out of the obscurity that ilnad I :i her lot as a port ionic s daughter into the oll'ulirenc,.. of that (iivinitv wiiie'i a ,Hii|isliurjr. Alnliii-iim all liulits to the throne for hi> (diihireu. the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, erect in front of a crucilix, his right hand on the Scriptures, \owod eternally to d'.'em this niKirriajje of his a in i .lanati.- one -''one. on which \\n claim to a share in'his rights as a nieillher of the veijrnin:; hou-e eou'd evi r ho founded eilli -r by his wife or bv anv (hrd she might bear him." \n ii.-foiv ti- Princes liohenherg. as he hn-an.no bv ".race of the sovereign, had borne her lii-t e'hil I. the politician; at. Budapest were \owiiiu -he Wi.-uld be Quei u in llun-ary.

The jfaiiiljlinj;. driiikin". plottim; Franz I'eidin.ild of old was .piite extinguished in the serious, subtle and shrewd man of imstery at whom the world has marvelled. He manifested all the "Teat taints, and .all the great virtues of his late father, that Archduke Karl Luclwig of whom it was said that his life was wasted coni|i'otely ibc-caii-ii' he was out of touch with his times,! 'Of the son the same complaint was heard. Had lie lived in the fifteenth century his name would be revered by a happy people. In t?:e twentieth century he seems an iinchronism. Wven in

Austria the Archduke's father was looked upon askance owing to the way he had of railing again all tiling* modern, and il seems til* if his *'.'>n 'had caught the paUrna] point of view. From his tendercjt infancy Franz Ferdinand was taught to look upon constitutionalism as the curse of modern times, am) on religions toleration as a Satanic device for the promotion of heresy.

DOMINANT PERSONALITY. The 'old Eii'peror-King, in spite of himself, became an instrument in ids nephew's' hands. There s»rms no doubt whatever that the Court of Vienna lias of late been ruled by Franz Ferdinand and Ul'.Toii'gli the men he had about hiin. The statesmen in both capitals were for the most part his creatures. The source of all this personal domination was again the wife, it would seem, who had determined that in spite of the pragmatic -lanftlion and in defiance of the oath her husband swore when she 'married him. till.; rii; they hoth love shou'J ascend the Ihvoiic of "the Ha'psburg; and wear the crown of St. Stephen.

ARCin.'UKICS WEALTH. The Aicliduki wa* ono of tlhe richest men in the ncrhl, having inherited the immense wealth of the. Kste braiich of the House of Austria. His principal residence was the Belvedere Palace, which \va-', abo.it two- centuries ago, the resiileiiee of the famous Prince Eugene, the compnnior of our Duke of Ma.ifborongh. Not so very long ago it was an art gallery, but ,the pictures have, been removed to the Imperial Art Museum, This palace Is a long 'block, '■uilt round sir. inner courtyard. It has another yard and drive in front of it, and the principal entrance is protected by m heavy porte-cochere. At fc b:i'::k "lid side is a terraced gurdwi in the French style, leading down to slmilv avenue*, adorned with vases and figures' of ehihh-en representing the. -twelve month--. A century ago this palace <\\-.v well out-ide Vienna, and iti< near nchh hour was i.lu; primer residence and park »f the Lnious Prince M>;itteniicli. Now a long sreet. the ■Metternic'lvaasv'J

runs thnnmh (be site of the po.rk, and in it are the Fnglish. Oermati and Kus.-ian liniliassie-. ivlnh are thus eVe neighbours to the Belvedere .

TRAGEDY OF TIIK TIAIVJSI'ItGiS. The life of flic Emperor Francis Joseph lias been'shadowed hv a crushing succession of tragedies. His wife, the Empress Elizabeth, was assassinated bv a mad anarchist at Oneva in 1K!!S. iris only son. Ihe Crown Prince Rudolf, took his own life 11 mysterious .ami extremely painful circumstances. His brother. Maxiniillian, Emperor of Mexico, was shot by bis subjects. Of the more distant relatives of the Fmporor the Archduke Ladislaus was killed in the bunting fidM. Prince Louis of Triini and Ihe Archduke Juhanii were both drowned at > r . ( . The Fni.prcss' sister, the Duchess of d'Ahueon. perished in the terrible ifearity lxizniw fir.' in Paris. There iare few families who (an show sitdi a grim record of fatalities as the lrapsburgs. \or i-i it only private sorrows that "Kaiser Franz" bus had to bear. csiivc:' 'lie came to ihe dhronc Austria has t-uf fered terribly as a nalion. : >ll: f .-has lost Northern I tali. She has been finishing! v defeated bv Germany. Iter inlltionce in the Halkan Staid i has be; n steadily usurped by .Russia. And .her power and pre-i igc in Europe, once tremendous, has sunk lower and tower.

Ills POLITICAL CAREER,

Th," TimiM, in its reference to the Arch,hike during bis London visit, thus dealt with his political career: "The old En peror's theory wias that an 'heir was an niido.r-secr,elary. When, by the tragic- death of Rudolph, Franz Ferdinand became their to the throne, he at once sit to work. The future Emperor was treated us a junior clerk. At first the Archduke merely carried out orders. A little late the H'ondmct of minor affairs was entrusted to him. When some t.rfling question wa ( raised about the trail-fir of a picture frolim the Ilofburg palace to the Imperial Art UaUcry, or some minor probbiit of military discipline arost:, the Emperor made a practice of initialing the report Hinder discussion with the syllable 'Erz.' meaning that the 'd'.rz'licrzog' (the Archduke) could settle the .mutter at his discretion. For ten years Che heir worked at these tiresome taslcsi

. "At hist, confident in his powers and experience, and fueling tliut tlifl weak policy of tlso u.il Emperor and of Ids Minister, Goluchowsky. would bring tin' Empire to ruin, lie is said ,Lo have mil' tcrcd impatiently: 'When will his Majesty send die his boots for repair?' A taleteller brought the story to Franz .loji'fs cars. An cstrangemeuit followed, lint tllie old Kai>,"r, const-ions of failing powers, reasoned that his heir was in the right. Me first entrusted him with the military, (Inter with the foreign affairs of the vast Empire. It was a decision of tremendous moment. On the day it was fn.f.de Austria. cpaM-il to be a. quiescent, dicadent iState. and entered upon the active, aggressive policy which since lias kept France in Continual tension and continual ilr*d. Till' ARCHDUKE'S REFORMS.

'Th'.' Archduke's first art was to ,ro- , form tlie great de]iar,tinenls of State. . where, ever since the days of Marie , Therese, a few great families have held ; all the power and emolument. Himself .haughty in maimer and autocratic by . instinV't, the Archduke iuwertUridess . knows well that blood is no proof of brains. To the horror of the aristocrats, he tfeared out of the Minis'tciv, of War and Foreign Affairs, nil of their i) bluest-blooded and most incompetent • officials. The Emperor's old comrade i and favorite. Yon Heck, was driven frocn . the War Office and replaced as chief of . shift" by a man of no particular origin, but of tierce energy, 'the (swearing trooper,' Conrad von lloet/.cmhirf, wfl'.ose ■ first act was to .send about 41) decrepit . generals on pulsions''to their country estates. From the Au.s.ro-lfungaTian ■ Embassy a St. Feter iburg was brought ; Alois von Aehrenthal. a scion of an oli,j siure .lewish banking family, who im mediately began that active foreign ' pcuey which was destined to f«t Europe ■| in turmoil r.nd nearly bring about a i first-class war. It was Aehrcnt'hn.l's reports about the disorganisation of ;i Russia, witili; whose Mini-iter, Tzvolsky. 'I he had quarrelled, which coiun'emV'd him • to the Archduke. ''Vienna's arbtociaey stood aghast at ' some of the r.cw appointment's. A asm- ■! dill arose when the new chief of staff recommended the of a Gnlieiivn. merchant for command of a smart ■ "'nurds' reaiment on what seemed the , 'abiu.nl "round that he was a brilliant | tactician. 15ut the Archduke stood by I his nominee, and backed his reforms. . I From being unpopular with the army, . tlv heir became its hero. He would i of war.''