ROYAL LOVE STORY.

NZ Truth, Issue 136, 25 January 1908, Page 7

ROYAL LOVE STORY.

» Romance of the French Court. _£ 140,000 at Stake. Heirs of a Favorite of Napoleon 111. Defend their Interests. The romance of an Emperor's love story (writes "Reynolds's Newspaper"-) was recalled at the Law Courts m a case before Mr Justice Parker, when Mr Buckmaster, K.C., and nine other counsel invited the- assistance of his Lordship m dividing the estate which the beautiful Miss • Howard, Countess de Bauregard, left behind her. There was a sum of over £100,000 besides £36,000 m securities which were locked up in* box which has just been opened by order of the Court on the petition of the Legal and General Insurance Company, for whom Mr Buckmaster, K.C., appeared. The case appeared m the Court list as "In re . Trelawney ; Bechevet v. Strode." the litigation itself is strictly legal and prosaic; tfce si ory [behind it is one of those romances 'which stud the Napoleon family's history. Miss Howard was born m England, and her death certificate gave her narre as Elizabeth Ann Haryett, or Hargett. "A WOMAN OF EXQUISITEFIGURE." She . was a woman ,pf exquisite fig- • ure, regular features and classic beauty, and early m life she took the name of Howard, and became the mistress first of a famous steeplechase rider and then of Major Mountjoy Martin, of the 2nd Life Guards. Her London house was thc resort of all the fashionable mien, and then came Louis Napoleon, a poor hopeful exile, She was wealthy, and assisted him with her purse, besides financing his early years as President of the Republic. She believed m his star, and she desired to be tbe queen behind the scenes. For a while she occupied apartments at St. Cloud, accompanied him on his journeys, appeared m her carriage at reviews, and generally comporting herself as a morganatic wife. • NAPOLEON DEPOSES HIS MISTRESS. Wheri\ Napoleon became Emperor he decided to establish his dynasty by a marriage With Mdlle. De Monti jo, and it became necessary to get rid of the imperious English beauty. At first she was frantic witli rage, and threatened all sorts of things with the Emperor's letters. Twice the secret police entered her apartments m Paris and ransacked them from top to bottom m search of compromising documents. At last she was bought off with fever £250,---000 and the title of Countess de Beauregard for herself. {Ultimately she married, m 1854, Mr Clarence Trelawney, the youngest son of Mr Brereton Trelawney, one of the oldest Cornish families. Mr Clarence Trelawney was an officer of Austrian hussars, and they lived together at the Chateau de Beauaregard, ,near Versailles, until their divorce m 1865. THE SON CREATED A COUNT. Miss Howard's son, Martin Howard, was created by Napoleon 111. Count de Bechevet, and it was suspected by many that he was Napoleon's natural son. It appears from the litigation m the English courts that, m addition to her wealth from Napoleon's generosity or fears, there was a large settlement upon Miss Howard on her .marriage by her husband. She. died m 1865, and her son, Count' Mar-tin de Bechevet, who became tenant for life, married a noble Hungarian- lady. He had a son, now Count Ricbard de Bechevet, and two daughters, Countess Crisile Charlotte de Bechevet, and Countess Marianne Josephine de Bechevet. Count Martin died last August ; hence the appeal to the English Court to deal with his estate. £100,000 AND A BOX. The property, it seems from yesterday's discussions, has been charg-? Ed at various times m consideration of various advances, and the petitioners, the Legal and General Insurance Company, have acquired so many of these mortgages, etc., that their claim on the estate amounts to £100,000, subject to the payment of two annuities, amounting altogether to £300, to two old English servants of the Countess de Beauregard. There was a box which had been opened by authority of the Court and was found to contain securities worth £36,000. Some of these will have to be sold to facilitate the settlement of the estate, and Mr Buckmaster mentioned that after the inspection the box was technically I "shut," so that there would have to

be another order of thc Judge before •it could be _opened again. THE FORTUNE TO BE DIVIDED. The claim of the Legal and General is not disputed, but counsel for the annuitants was anxious for their claims should be properly secured before any ' sum was paid out, and this was agreed to. Questions remain as to how much »f the estate remains to Count Richard and his two sisters. His Lordship expressed the opinion that Count Richard would be found to have parted with all his interest, but he ordered an inquiry into how much remains respectively to each of the three children. The trustees of the settlement and various other legal persons had their say, and so the fortune of the famous Countess de Beauregard will be divided.