A ROYAL ROMANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13501, 27 July 1907, Page 2 (Supplement)

A ROYAL ROMANCE.

LOST. ARCHDUKE RETURNS;

Missing since 1390, when, under the name of John Ortb, he was stated to have died in South America, the Archduke John of Austria, nephew of the Emperor, was recently reported to be alive and well. He was a passenger from Buenos Ayres by the steamer Araguaya, which arrived at Cherbourg recently. He spent a day in the French capital,- and then travelled to London, where he is said to be residing at the present moment. The news was mads known by Dr. Quintana, son of the former President of the Argentine Republic, who arrived in Paris on June 6. On the voyage he made friends with a fellow-passenger, and noticing a resemblance and remembering the story of John Orth, asked his newly-found friend if he were identical with the missing archduke. The latter confessed that he was Johann Salvator, and he recounted to the doctor his many years' experience in the Argentine. * Now. curiously enough, there happens to be residing in Paris at the present Lime a M. Eugenio Gazou, an ex-Senator of Uruguay, who has published an interesting book on the archduke. During the voyage from the Argentine, botli Ortli and Dr. Quintana frequently discussed this book. Its author happened to be a friend of Dr. Quintana, and on learning this Orth expressed a wish to meet him. When they arrived in France Dr. Quintana- sent M. Gazon a telegram, asking him to meet the boat train at the Gare St. Lazare. He did so, and much to his astonishment was presented to the Archduke Johann, alias John Orth. The returned archduke thanked him warmly for his appreciative biography, which he 'characterised as being a singularly faithful history of his eventful life. Before he left for London he promised on his return to renew his acquaintance with his biographer. Thus has been revived one of the most remarkable Royal romances" of our time. NOTABLE LOVE STORY. The archduke quarrelled with the Emperor Francis Joseph and with his family in 1889, renounced his rank, his claim to the Austrian throne, and all his military titles, and morganatically married Fraulein Mizzi Stuebel, a well-known operatic dancer. The pair sailed from Fiume in the archduke's yacht Marguerita for South America, and at the close of 1890 it was reported that the Marguerita had been lost with all hands. Ml Gazon's book, however, tells a different story. According to him the archduke for a long time cruised about the coast and on the rivers bordering the capital, but rinding that his identity was discovered, he sold the yacht and paid off the crew. For several years after that he was lost sight of, but in 1899, according to the police report incorporated in M. Gazon's book, he was in Concordia, 300 miles north of Buenos Ayres. He put up at one of the local hotels, gave his name as John Orth, and passed himself off as an Austrian commercial traveller. Finding that he was being shadowed, John Orth suddenly disappeared, and he was next heard of at Catamarca, where he was working as a lumberman. After this he fled again, finding employment as a ranclimam. Evidently wearying of this, he betook himself to Uruguay, where he worked in a wood yard. The dahcer who had fled with him from Europe had died in the meantime, and John Orth was free to roam' as he pleased. The next thing the Argentine police heard of him was from a remote part of Uruguay, where the fugitive archduke was earning his bread as em ordinary labourer. His employer was fully aware of the identify of his workman, for to the police inquiries he replied that he knew that Orth was the Archduke Johann, but that, as he had no wish to return to Europe, it would be much better to leave him to follow undisturbed the bent of his own inclinations. Shortly after this John Orth vanished again; at least, the Argentine police lost all trace of him, and five years ago a report came from' the interior that the wanderer had died of fever, and had been buried far from the haunts of men. LOVE MATCHES. It is curious that so many of the Austrian archdukes should have been prepared to sacrifice privilege and position for romance. The late Archduke Henry married Leopoldine Hoffman, a member of the Karl Theatre Company, in Vienna. The marriage was forbidden by the Emperor, but * the archduke persisted and was sent into exile for seven years. A reconciliation was eventually brought about by the Empress Elizabeth. Archduke Leopold also renounced his titles, rank, and wealth in order to marry the woman of his choice. In a little garrison town he met Fraulein Adamoyics, who was acting in a travelling company, and fell in love with her. The marriage did not turn out happily. The great romantic tragedy of the House of Hapsburg was that of the Crown Prince Rudolph, who 18 years ago was married for reasons of State to Princess Stephanie of Belgium. Soon after his marriage he fell in love with the Baroness Marie Vetsera, a beautiful Austrian lady. Prince Rudolph applied secretly to the Pope that his marriage to the Princess Stephanie might be dissolved. The Pope communicated with the Emperor, and a terrible interview between father and son followed, but in the end the Crown Prince consented to give up the baroness. The lovers met again in Vienna, and' the baroness secured a promise that they should once more meet at the Prince's shooting-box. They met there, as he had promised, with a gay party. At one o'clock the baroness retired, and over an hour later the Prince followed. Next morning the Prince's door was forced open when no answer could be obtained to repeated knockings. On a sofa was the body of the baroness dead from poison, and on the floor the body of the Crown Prince, his head shattered by a pistol shot.