ROMANCE OF ROYAL JEWEL

Southland Times, Issue 17655, 12 February 1916, Page 6

ROMANCE OF ROYAL JEWEL

STOLEN CI'OWN OF AI'STI'IA. European Powers may ho pretty har4 up when the war comes to an end, and all manner of schemes will probably to he adopted to scrape mone\ together. Will the Royal treasures of the War Lord and Austrian Emperor be sold or pawned? The Question is asked by a writer in the New Orleans Times Picayune. who adds: It is interesting to know that the crown donned by the monarch of Austria, which was made originally for Stephen of Hungary, some eight centuries ago, has been stolen, lost, or

pawned. On one occasion it was pilfered by x queen who fled across the frozen Danube with it, and there, being in need of ready cash, she. pawned it for 2800 ducats. When it was finally traced and recovered it was placed in a fortress in Hungary and guarded night and day. At the time of the revolution it was buried in a forest to prevent its being annexed by the Austrians, anil it remained under the soil for nearly a hundred years.

There is no doubt that this crown would fetch a big price if put up for sale by auction. It is adorned with 53 fine sapphires, 50 good-sized rubies, one emerald and 33S pearls. The gems are sunken in a mass of pure gold, and the crown weighs altogether about fourteen pounds.

There were some very severe storms at Cracow, the Austrian fortress, which was formerly (1320-16091 the capital of Poland, some time before the war. Terrific gales uprooted several trees, one of which was an ancient elm. In the disturbed earth at the foot of the fallen tree the crown worn by former kings of Poland, dating back to the fourteenth century, was found. This crown, by the way, has been lost sight of since the middle of the eighteenth, ceatury.