THE ELOPEMENT OF A PRINCESS.

Evening Star, Issue 10213, 15 January 1897, Page 4

THE ELOPEMENT OF A PRINCESS.

The RomS'Oorrespondent of the ‘Sydney Morning Herald ’ Writes - —“ Now that it is openly spoken of in the papers, it will do no harm to recount the facts of the elopement of an artist and a princess to English readers. The family of Folchi is very well known in Rome. Two of them —officers in tho Italian Army—have died in Africa. The hero of the present scandal—Count Philip—is an artist of some talent. He is tall, thirty-five years old, handsome, and what the Italians call simpatico. Princess Elvira, about ten years younger, is tall also, not ptetty, but attractive. Count Folchi some years ago married a beautiful girl of good family, daughter of Count Rappiui, and has two children. It seems that Prince L)el Drago was in Africa with one of tho brothers Folchi, and became ap intimate friend, so after his death the Prince extended his friendship to Count Philip, who met him last year at Viareggio, the fashionable Watering place beloved by Shelly, and where were also Countess Folchi and her children. Near Yiareggio there was living Count Robert of Bourbon, Duke of Parma, father of Princess Louise of Bulgaria, in his Villa delle Piauore, to whom Count Folchi was presented by * Prince Del Drago. The Prince asked Folchi to copy some tapestry, treating him as one of his own guests. Near is the magnificent villa of Don Carlos of Bourbon, PretAdent to the Throne of Spain, to which he had sent his daughter Donna Elvira, who was suffering from extreme nervousness and hysteria, accompanied by her companion, Madame Nohiz. In one of her frequent visits to the Villa delle Pianore she became acquainted with Count Folchi, who inspired her with a violent affection, which, becoming known to the servants, she being incapable of disguising her feelings, was communicated to the Duke of Parma. He in the politest way imaginable iotimaled to the artist that the room with the tapestry was needed for a guest, but this move was unsuccessful, as Folchi stayed in Viareggio and continued his courting of, and correspondence with, the princess until his wife, becoming aware of what was going on, objected. Count Folchi left for Florence. Meanwhile Princess Massimo, a relation of Don Carlos, carried Donna Elvira off to Rome to stay a while with her, where her nervousness and hysteria increased. This went on all last winter. The servants of the Massimo Palace had orders to take all the letters going out or coming in to their mistress, who thus overlooked the correspondence of her guest —or prisoner. After a certain time, her letters remaining unanswered, Princess Elvira wished to post them herself, but was not allowed, and, chosing a moment when her friends were off guard, she left Rome with her lover, taking with her jewels to the value of 300,000 lire and a large sum of money, she being of age.”