LATE KING OF THE BELGIANS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7851, 13 July 1911, Page 8

LATE KING OF THE BELGIANS

SURPRISING DISCOVERT. Fire weeks before liis deatlr, the late King of Belgium (says the Brussels correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph”) placed iu keeping of M. Pochez, his treasurer, at the latter's private residence, three large, heavy trunks, unlabelled. On December 13th, Die day before King Leopold underwent his fatal operation, M, Pochez, on a written orcer from the dying Sovereign, surrendered the trunks to liaron Snoy, the King’s orderly officer, who handed them to M. Degueldre, his Majesty's valet, to be conveyed in a closed carriage to ’the Societe Generale Bank, and there delivered to a lady, who would claim them on the road. M. Degueldre indiscreetly caught a glimpse of the contents of a letter accompanying the trunks, and giving a very lengthy list of securities at the bank. The valet was soon met by a lady, who alighted from the King’s own automobile, and claimed the trunks and the letter. She was none other than Mdlle. Caroline Lacroy, bettor known as the Baroness Vaughan. This fully corroborates the suspicion that juiilions of money and valuable were at the last moment taken away from the King's legitimate heirs, to bo made over to his morganatic wife, and the upshot will be an action against the latter after the conclusion of the present proceedings.