THE END OF CROWN PRICE RUDOLPH.

Otago Witness, Issue 956, 16 May 1889, Page 28

THE END OF CROWN PRICE RUDOLPH.

":', A NEW NARRATIVE. Writing to the Argus' a Vienna correspoo, dent gives an -Entirely new account of the manner of the death of the Crown Prince of Austria; '-"Alter' recounting the stories of the \ tragic eventSswith which newspaper readers are familiar, .he goes; on 1 to say— „';,■ , The .real truth, however, is.very, different, and even more sad. On the morning of tho ; 29th January Prince Eudolphi drove but to | his shooting box at Meierlingto attend ona of his famous orgies, concerning whioh the least said the better. ■ Several- n^enibers' of the Vienna deyii mmAe were in?the. habit 'offiguring^ at these reunions, and 'this wafi[ not by many the first revelry of the^fcind'held at ' Meierling, for 'the simple feaspn' .that'Meierling, in its rural isolation, is ots of earshot : jof the.Kaiserstadt. When the Crown Jt^ince 1 reached his destination his convivial friends j were .already 'assembled. '" The Crown Prince I dismissed his coachman, Bratfisch, who at I once came back to town. As Bratfisch was ! driving up the Kohlmarkt,> one of the [ busiest thoroughfares of Tiettna, lifted with the smarte"s't shops, . he; saw ' "young ■ Baroness Vecera standing at the dpor/cf a shop waiting for. a friend who wai^within making some purchases. Bratfisch, driving along close to the pavement, bowed. j That fatal bow the young, lady returned., .VGood morning, Bratfisch, "said she, "from : where do you come ?" •• I come from Meierling, There's rare fun going on there to-day." "Drive me there," said' the Baroness suddenly. The man hesitated. " You must, I command." The next' moment this girl of 17 summers was seated in the carriage, the horses' heads were turned, and out.to,Meierling they drove, leaving her friend stiill in the ' shop. On reaching Meierling the young lady, who had the reputation of beiiag- headstrong, flighty, and passionate, asked to see the Prince. She would take . no . refusal, and i forced her wayinto the preserice of the, party • seated at table. The Prince, alarmed and ! annoyed at this untoward intrusion,' entreated the baroness to return home. " Nd," [ she said, defiantly; "now that I am here I ! shall stay." ' She stayed! There was nothing ' for \t but to offer her a seat at the table. Her social position eriti'tlfed her to that to , the right of tier host, which she then 6c- . I cupied. The feast was at^its height,, theoom- > paay became more drupk than sober, when the Prince made some flattering obseryai tion to one of the women presenft, TheireI mark roused the baroness' jealousy., Her blood was up. She expressed her iridigna- ! tion in no complimentary terms; J( Herhostto \ reply exasperated -he* ; beyoh'di pleasure. ' In i her madhess and intoxication 'she seized a I long, sharp-pointed :-'fcnfb >< 'febin.''.^he', i table l land plunged :tt :into..£y;p«nce^^Wibh.' tTJip oonfusjiM}: iiil;p i(^io^.th'e,,cp,in i pajfij was/ throwii was,iii|des 1 9ciba^le., t , The ' Prince, with ' thef ai^dybeSs^pj^ngvto his! feet . and !tbrew : ,tihe g^4,.|OP)rto; the floor. He . caught hold /.of .hex: by the throat and ■strangled 1 her.. > Before anyone , could > interfere she; was dead. I /The Prince continued to shriek with pain; ' His agonising cries rang through the air, and were heard by the inmates of the adjacent cottages. His Mends sent off to the neighbouring town of Baden for medical aid, They carried him; into his bed chamber.but scarcely had, they 1 placed him on bis bed than he drew a Revolver, which, he, was in the habib of carrying,, and discharging the contents into his head at his right temple, expired' instantaneously, A council , was Jheld as to the •manner in which the awful intelligence .should be;conveyed to the Emperor. The spectators of the terrible scene were adjured- to t silence. It was deemed expedient to l>ury the body of the 1 Barotfess without delay, and before idawn I the remains, had been borne to the neighbouring village of Heiligeh'Blu^ where they were interred in.thG^c^urchyard. ,Ths details of .what followed— of how the body of the Crown Ppngewas brojighttoYiennar&c.--. are universally known. The- .official- report of the Prince having died by- suicide on the i morning of the '3oth January is not, therefore, founded on fact: The consternation of the witnesses '^was so great ' that' many hours I elapsed after jail was dvjar 1 'before they could come to any decision as 'to who, was !to bear "the awful, ti'dings'to Vienna'; and as to how they should ,be revealed, at Court. i The Emperor, whetyhe had learnt,, the worst, took eyery precaution to keep the details of the tragedy secret. The guests ancl servants at Meierling at the time were,wrdered, on the pain of incurring his Majesty's displeasure, to observe strict silence. -

The Baroness! Vecera was6f Greek oSgiri, her mother being a Baltazai, a name well known! in sporting oircles. ,• She, was a lovely woman, and when in 'England last year was the acknowledged belle ! pf every ball and party. She was accompanied by her mother. She, met the Crown 1 Prinpfe there. He followed her about everywhere. That yas at the time of Queen Victoria's jubilee;; He was on 1 repeated occasions seen by members of the ' Austrian aristocracy^ walking, out with,., her and her mother of an afternoon.. He was infatuated by her charms. ' A|person in high position .who was interviewjed fry the correspondent produced a portrait of the Baroness and said—" I knew her intimately and saw b.er last a few nighta befoire the dreadfdl afMr/ha^pipene'dV ,' It was at a, party. She wore the dress she has on iii this picture, with the same brilliants in her hair. I complimented her on her toilette, and she said archly, with her captivating .smile, 'I was photographed in this. dress, 1 with these brilliants in my hair, by Turk this morning.' Strange .to ,say," continued my informant, f'that Turk, on my going after her death to order her portrait, said, 1 ♦ The Baroness mast have known what was going to happen, for slie said tome* "Take, great care to take my likeness well» Herr Tmk. I can tell y otf you will make an excellent business in selling 1 , many copies of it." '• And to think this Tseautifol girl should now belying in the churchyard of Heiligen Blut: , She was too ambitious. She aspired to a throne."— '.' Then there is some truth in the story of /the Crown Prince having appealed to his father to consent to 1 a separa* tioni and that he had petitioned the Pope for a dissolution?"— " Yes." . Baroness Vecera, the mother of the iufated young lady, has left' 1 Vienna,. Jt * stated that the Emperor bestowed on her the sum pf,800;000 florins as, hush money, f 'and; on <i#ncUtiop..j;hat sh? remained exjteq ,

• from the country. Whether this last fumour be true or false is a matter of considerable doubt. Baroness Veoera on leaving Vienna is said to have gone to Venice, where, on being recognised on the Piazza San Marco, she was hooted by the crowd,