LOST TREASURE REGAINED

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 24 August 1933, Page 5

LOST TREASURE REGAINED

ROYAL MAXIMILIAN JEWELS SAFE RAISED FROM SEA BED. STORY or MEXICAN WEALTH. fUnited ?ic3s Association—By Electric Telegraph Copyright.) NEW YORK, Aug. 22. The fabulous treasure of Mexico’s illl-starred Royalty is reported to have been recovered from the sea floor off Virginia, where it has lain for 20 years since th© Ward liner Merida sank.

Captain Bowdoin, a noted salvager, reports hoisting the safe, which is believed to contain the crown jewels of the unfortunate Maximilian and his mad Empress Garlotta. The jewels of Maximilian have been a legend l of Mexico since the sixties, when Napoleon sent a puppet Hapsburg and his bride to nil© the Birgin Empire. Maximilian went before a firing squad, and his Empress became insane from shock, and suffered loss, of memory and identity. She died a few years ago in obscurity.

Ferdinand Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico, was born in Vienna on July 6. 1832, and after an excellent education entered the navy, and was largely responsible for the growth of Trieste as a naval centre. In 1857 he married Princess Charlotte of Belgium. As early as 1859 he was approached by Mexican exiles relative to his candidature for an imperial throne in Mexico, but it was not until 1863 that he was formally offered the crown which had been created by French armed intervention. He accepted it in April, 1864, and entered Mexico City on June 12 of that year. Maximilian’s position was impossible from the first, and the experiment was doomed to‘complete failure. Tile country was opposed to him, the Liberals refused to recognise his Government, and when he attempted to conciliate them, the Conservatives and Clericals were immediately alienated by his liberal measuresFinancially and politically Maximilian was wholly dependent on France, while he was himself incapable of coping with the problem, poor judgment, vacillation and extravagance marking his administration throughout. During 1864-1865 his foreign troops subjected the country, driving the constitutional Government of Juanez almost to the Bio Grande, later declaring Juarez and his supporters bandits. In December, 1865, the United States demanded the withdrawal of foreign troops from Mexico, which request was acceded to, and early in 1866 the Republican forces recommenced their conquest. Maximilian determined to abdicate and fled to Orizaba, hut was prevailed on to return, and in February, 1867, assumed personal command of his forces, transferring his headquarters from Mexico City to Queretaro. Queretaro was betrayed to the Republicans, and though he could easily have done so, Maximilian refused to escape. He was court-mar-tialled, convicted and. despite numerous pleas for mercy, shot on June 19, 1867. The Ward liner Merida collided with the American Mail Steamship Company's steamer Admiral Farnagut off Cape Charles in May. 1911. The Merida was badly damaged, and as it was night when the collision took place a wild panic resulted. Bockets were sent up for assistance, and all ship’s boats were lowered, hut the officers and crew had the greatest difficulty in preventing the boats from being rushed and swamped. Eventually, however, with the aid of the battleship lowa, which had raced to the scene of the mishap, all passengers were taken off safely, some reaching the Admiral Farragut, the rest being conveyed to the lowa. The lowa escorted the steamer to the shallower waters of Chesapeake Bay, while the Merida, after floating for some time. sank.