Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 154, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 June 1915 — Secrets of the Courts of Europe [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Secrets of the Courts of Europe

An Old Revelations of the Inner History of Famous Episodes Heretofore Cloaked in Mystery

Chronicled by ALLEN UPWARD

“PRINCE CITRON”

“It was on just such a night as this, tome years ago,” began the ambassador, as toon at we were comfortably tettled in the smoking room of hit luxurious mansion, “and King William's first wife was still alive. You sre aware that it was his second wife who it the mother of Wilhelaaina?” *‘l had forgotten it, but no matter.” “It is, on the contrary, a fact Which must be borne in mind,” retorted his Excellency. “I was returning home from the theater, past midnight As I approached the Madeleine, I saw a small crowd collected at the foot of the steps. Crossing over to find out what had taken place, I found myself on the outside of .a ring of women, the most abandoned wretches of the quarter, who had gathered round the figure of a man lying on the bottom step of the flight apparently intoxicated beyond the power to move. "The spectacle of this unfortunate seemed to have strangely excited the women, who were hurling at him the •vilest Insults in their horrible vocabulary. Incensed at the behavior of these hags, I roughly pushed my way through them to the side of their victim, whose clothes, disordered and covered with mud, as they were, seemed to be those of a man of position. The wretched creature was lying on one side, his left hand outstretched, with which he seemed to be trying feebly to ward off the foul epithets of his tormentors. 1 stooped down over him, and lifted his head to the light. “It was ‘Prince Citron.’

"You will easily figure to yourself the horror of discovering the heir to a famous monarchy, the descendant of William the Silent, in this deplorable situation. I had not failed to hear some of the dark reports as to this young man's career; nevertheless at suqh a moment the only sentiment which inspired me was that of the most profound pity.

"Sternly rebuking the filthy hags, who slunk away before my reproaches, I raised the prince to his feet, and supported him down to the edge of the pavement, where I perceived an empty fiacre coming up. Into this I assisted Alexander —to give him his proper name —who instantly fell like a log upon the cushions. Then I gave the driver my own address, and we proceeded to the bouse near the Rue de Rivoli, in which I at that time occupied a small flat.

"During the short drive, Prince Alexander lay absolutely motionless, and ■without uttering a sound. But from time to time I caught a gleam of dull intelligence in his bloodshot eyes; which were turned to me, as if he were trying to comprehend who I was, and what accident had brought him into my company.

"When we got to the house, it was necessary for me to engage the services of the concierge to get the unfortunate youth upstairs to my apartment, which was on the third floor. There I found that my valet had retired, a circumstance which J did not regret. I got my strange visitor comfortably settled upon a couch; I loosened his collar and necktie for him, removed his boots, and spread a warm rug over his feet. Then I sat down to wait till he should recover from his lethargy.

"While I watched his uneasy repose, I strove to recall the various things which I had heard about the heir of William 111. He was of course wellknown to me by sight, for the Incident 1 Bpeak of took place at a time when I was attached to the staff of the foreign office in Paris, and when, as you may have heard, there was some talk of making me deputy and minister.

"But I preferred a diplomatic career to a parliamentary one, and I do not regret my decision. In a country like France, which is ruled over by the bourgeoisie, politics reduces itself to a terribly prosaic level. I can only find the romance for which my disposition craves in the courts of those countries where the will of a monarch still counts for much, and where the course of the greatest events may be decided by a nod given at the right moment, or by a sentence whispered in the intervals of a waltz. Though I never before had any Intercourse with ‘Prince Citron,’ I was with the stories in circular tion about him. It was generally believed his residence in Paris was not altogether voluntary—that, in fact, he had been compelled to leave the Hague in consequence of some terrible misunderstanding with his father; there were those who asserted that the old king of the Netherlands had sworn that his son should never return so long as he himself was alive. But, though there were a hundred dif-ferent-versions of the cause of this exile, the truth of the matter had remained a secret from every one, and even in his most reckless moments no allusion to it ever passed the lips of the prince. "In the meantime, the manner of his life since he had come to reside in Paris was unhappily only too well ascertained. From the moment of quitting his own country he seemed to bard

cast aside all restraint, and abandoned himself to all kinds of excesses, without even attempting to keep up that outward decorum which is the morality of prinees. "There were few crimes which had not been laid to the charge of this degenerate scion of the house of Orange, who appeared to take a delight in outraging public opinion. The worst things which were said about him it would be Impossible for me to repeat, and I firmly believe they were unfounded; but enough was known or suspected to make his friendship considered a doubtful honor; and, in short, but for his exalted rank, the doors of society would have been long ago shut in his face.

• “Such was this miserable being, on whom, nevertheless, the eyes of European statesmen had long been anxiously fixed, and whose life, by a strange turn of events, had become of the greatest value to France. If you will cast your eye over the map of Europe you will perceive, nestling between the frontiers of France, Germany and Belgium, the little state of Luxemburg. At the time of which I speak, Luxemburg was united to the Dutch kingdom by a similar tie to that which formerly connected Hanover with Great Britain; that is to say, William 111 of the Netherlands was aIBO Grand Duke of Luxemburg.

“As in your case, however, the laws regulating the succession were different in the two countries. In Holland the crown was-capable of being inherited by a female in the absence of direct male heirs, whereas in Luxemburg the Salic constitution prevailed, under which no female can ever Inherit. Consequently when William 111 died without leaving a son, the Grand Duchy was separated from the Netherlands, just as Hanover became separated from your country on the accession of Queen Victoria. King William left a daughter who inherited the Dutch crown, while Luxemburg passed to the house of Nassau. But at this time there was a prospect of the union of the two territories being maintained in the person of the young prince who had so strangely come beneath my roof. France was Interested in this question, because it was feared that if Luxemburg passed from under the sway of a Dutch monarch, it would fall into the system of the German Empire, to which it had formerly belonged, and thus increase the power of our relentless enemies. The German government on its side earnestly desired this event, which has since come to pass. You will now comprehend what important interest centered in the life of ‘Prince Citron,’ this disreputable waif of the boulevards.

"You will acquit me, I feel certain, of any intention to profit by the accident which had caused me to become the protector of the prince. So little did I expect that I was about to become the possessor of a secret sufficient to have lighted the flames of war, that I was merely waiting till my guest had sufficiently recovered to offer him my escort to his own -residence.

"The first sign I had that he was coming to himself was finding his eyes obstinately fixed upon mb in a long gaze. No sooner did he perceive that his look was returned, however, than a deep flush suffused his face, he threw up his hands with that pathetic gesture I had observed "when I first came upon him, and uttered a sorrowful groan. "I sprang to my feet and approached him. “ ‘I fear your Royal Highness is unwell,’ I said, exaggerating the deference of my manner in order to soothe his self-respect, so cruelly wounded by the events of the night. Ts there is anything which it is in my power to do, I respectfully request that you will honor me with your commands.' “ 'Who are you?’ he asked, with reserve.

“I explained to him, dwelling on my connection with the Qua! d’Orsay, in order to inspire him with confidence. I went on to add: “ ‘Accident caused me to come up at the moment that your Royal Highnesß was overcome by illness on the boulevard, and I took the liberty of bringing you to my apartment to recover, as I had not the honor to know your address.’ "He sat up on the couch, and thrust his disordered hair back from his forehead, while he retorted morosely: " ‘1 was not ill; I was—well, hardly myself. You found me lying on the steps of the church, surrounded by those horrible women.’ "And he groaned afresh at the recollection. . " ’lt is not for me to contradict your Highness,’ I responded mildly; ‘but should there ever be a question raised as to this affair—which I do not anticipate—l shall adhere to my opinion all the same.' “As I said this I observed a milder expression coming over his He gave me a wistful, questioning look which went to my heart. f " ‘Why do you treat me like t^f 8 v*

he asked, speaking less abruptly. ‘You know what I am—an outcast for whom no one pretendß to feel respect.’ “ ‘Pardon me,’ I returned, ‘the race you represent, and the exalted destiny to which you have been born, must always command respect. Concerning your private life, I have not presumed to form an opinion; but I am not so ignorant as not to perceive that the benefits conferred on nations by personages of your rank, and the peculiar temptations which assail them, enable them to claim justly a certain toleration which is not extended to everybody.’

“Not to weary you w'th the details of our conversation, I succeeded more quickly than I could have hoped in winning the regard of my guest, and convincing him that I was sincere in my desire to serve him. But when I ventured to allude to the value which his life possessed for France, I was astonished to see a bitter smile cross his lips, and he made an impatient gesture which checked any words. “While all this-was going forward, I observed that he relapsed from time to time into fits of abstraction, during which he would study my face as if hesitating whether to address to me some important communication. I carefully refrained on my part from any clumsy overture, and contented myself with talking in a cheerful strain about the ordinary topics of the day. Finally he spoke. " ‘M. le Baron,' he said, in deliberate tones, ‘your conduct tonight has made me desire greatly to possess your friendship. If you feel enough interest in me to care to hear the secret of my miserable career, I should like to tell to you that story which 1 have never yet confided to a single creature. I merely ask that what I am about to say to you shall not be repeated so long as my father and I are alive.’

“I hastened to give the required assurances, which Alexander received with melancholy indifference. “ ‘From your official connections,’ he began, ‘you are no doubt aware of the state of things as regards the Luxemburg succession.’

“ ‘Certainly, M. le Prince,’ I replied. " ‘Of my father —as I suppose I must continue to call him —King William, it is difficult for me to speak without appearing to give way to resentment. As a patriot and a sovereign- the independence of the Netherlands is the thing dearest to his heart, and hence the strength of that hatred with which he has always regarded the threatening march of Germany. “ ‘The Germans covet the wealth of our people, our flourishing and our fine mercantile marine. Abovg all, they have cast hungry eyes upg n our magnificent colonies in the East Indies. In short, the rulers of Jfoat empire have fully made up their minds to annex the Netherlands at th/4 first opportunity, and only the infiu£ DCe G s France and England restraftg them from carrying out their inte£ti on> an< i reducing us to the conditiojfof Schleswig and Alsace. >'JL\ j “ ‘The knowledge of thfe SQ unscrupulous designs, which VVere not too well concealed -by Bismarck, caused the greatest indignation to King William, was in consequence especially anxious that Luxemburg shouid/uot fall into Gqrman hands. / ‘“I the period at which I first became aware that, between my father antfj myself, there was none of that familiar affection which ought to prevailfhetween child and parent. This melancholy' knowledge must have groWjj w ithin me. Children do not auafyze their sensations, but they are Q'Mck to perceive coldness and neglect, afcd they suffer In silence. It was with y singular bitterness that I used to listen to my Instructors when tbty sought to inculcate in me the duty of filial affection. How often have I yearned as a child to lavish proofs of my regard on that proud and im-

penetrable nature, and o fj en have I felt myself silently thrue4 fecfe, and retired to my own apartm< nU to weep in solitude. “ ‘At that age, you w iU admit, I could have done nothing to forfeit a father’s love. Then, at ijj events, I had not been guilty of 1 hose follies and crimes which have sir ce made my name a byword, and dragg g<| me down to the depth which you hare witnessed.’ .

"As he spoke these word* t he young man cast at me an appealing look, and I asked you to believel ttia t j W as not unmoved. Yet I wai= gtiu far from anticipating to what pitiful relation tended. | “ ‘As I grew older,’ proceeded Alexander, ‘I ceased to torment mLggif w ith the vain idea of conquering mjy father’s regard. As a result, I indifferent to his good opinion, finally embittered against him and 'against my circumstances. I dursed t^ e ev u fortune which had separated fj- om the common lot of -my fellow \ crea _ tures, and while crushing me* w ith the pomp and state of royalty! fi a d deprived me of far more prolong possessions. It was not long before the restraints Imposed upon me , by my high rank galled me to an unbearable degree. f

‘“lt became my favorite resouy ce to &lude the watchfulness of my •attendants, to quit the palace in <3 jg. guise, and to seek adventures in t^ e streets of the Hague, or on the be* c jj of Scheveningen. At such mome: I could forget that I waß a prince, and revel in the freedom which \i ß so dear to boys. “ ‘When the news of these escapadLg reached the king, his frigid towards me was exchanged for angL r He reproached me in bitter terms ip or what he called my low and unprincajy tastes, and ordered my governor A maintain over me a guard more sujft e< i to a prisoner than a youth ,of blood. This governor, faithful tej ».«■ instructions, was never tired of tenuring me on the duties of my station and remonstrating with me on mv UQ . worthy inclinations. “‘The only result of this wig to

conflrny m e in my own bent. The Bohemian instinct was too strongly planted i n my nature for them to root °jit. I loathed the strictness of cou rt life more and more, and as soon as h felt myself old enough, I defied the restraints which had been imposed 01 i me, and sought companions outJjKde the palace. Many of these were fn a humble class of life, young artists, latruggling journalists, and even sailors and fishermen, with all of whom I fraternized, and In whose society I lounged away the hours in taverns, or made long excursions by land and sea. You are perhaps aware that I hold the rank of captain in the Dutch navy, the only distinction which I prize..’ "I listened to this confession with amazement, merely bowing from time to tirce to show that I comprehended what my companion was saying. That the prince had indulged in bad habits I was well aware, but that he should have stooped to the society of persons so much his inferiors, came to me as a shock. I fancied he observed my consternation, for he remarked: "‘You see I conceal nothing from you, M. le Baron. I rely on your kind heart, when you have heard me to the end, to extend to me what sympathy you can. From my father I received none. His anger was redoubled, on the contrary. He sent for me time after time, told me I was disgracing my rank, and asked me I should prefer the- station of a peasant to that of a prince. ‘“On one occasion, stung by these taunts, I boldly answered that I should, since ih that edae I might have a father/ who cared for me. I was startled by the effect which this repoach produced on him. He turned pale, stammered out some unintelligible words, and then signed to me to leave him alone.

“ This state of things could not last. Why should I seek to excuse my-* self? Neglected by those who ought to have watched over my childhood, outraged In the tendereat part of my nature, I will admit to you that I did become hardened and depraved. I took to play, and plunged heavily into debt; 1 drank, and in short I indulged in dissipations which speedily became a publio scandal.

“ ‘One day affairs came to a crisis. The king had sent for me to confront me with the claims of certain creditors who had sent in their accounts to him, and insolently demanded payment. I was not in the palace; a search was made for me, and they discovered me in the parlor of a tavern in a disreputable quarter of the city. I was even slightly .intoxicated, and in this state they brought me before William 111, one of the most decorous of men.

“ ‘His language quickly restored me to my senses. As soon as we were alone together, he used to me expressions so degrading that I exclaimed indignantly: *“ "Remember, sire,'that I am of the race of Orange equally with yourself.” ‘“"You are nothing of the sort!” he retorted fiercely, and then suddenly checked himself, and trembled all over like a man who has just committed a desperate deed,, and realizes the consequences when it is too late.

. “ ‘lt would be idle to describe the shock which was caused to me by these words. As soon as I could collect myself sufficiently to speak, I insisted on an explanation. Whether he saw that he had gone too far to draw back, or whether he hoped that the knowledge of the truth would work a change in my future conduct, he gave way, and revealed to mu the terrible secret which has blasted my life.’ “This secret,” continued the ambassador after a moment’s pause, “which I learned on that night from the lips of ‘Prince Citron,’ I have never communicated to a human being. Though the death of William 111 many years ago released me from my pledge, I have felt that it was too grave a matter to be spread abroad. There can be no longer any object in giving you the prince’s own words; I will therefore briefly tell you the facts as I ascertained them from him at this time. At a subsequent period I was at the court of the Hague, which was then thrown into profound excitement over the celebrated affair of the Ruby of Bhurani —a story which you must ask me to relate to you at another time. I then made a guarded attempt to approach King William himself, and sound him on the subject, but he was too cautious to allow me to see that he understood my hints. "It is necessary to recall the interests which turned on the birth of an heir to the king, in order to prepare yourself for what took place. It was in the year 1851 that the people of the Netherlands were agitated by the intelligence that Queen Sophia, who had been married to William 111 for twelve years, was about .to give birth to a child. It was felt that if this child should prove to be a boy, the longvexed question of Luxemburg would be set at rest, and hence the anxiety which prevailed.

“The king himself, as you will gather from what I have already repeated, was not less concerned than his subjects. In short, the queen's bedside became the center of the most terrible suspense. The king could hardly be induced to leave her for a moment, the chief physician of the court took up his residence in the palace, and the prime minister was constantly in attendance.

“In spite of every precaution, however, the birth took place prematurely at an unexpected moment, when only the physician and a single nurse* were present in the royal chamber. The doctor, a man of great resolution, instantly dispatched "the woman to inform the king that he was a father, and to request him to come immediately to the spot

“His Majesty, who was in an adjoining room, hastily obeyed the summons, and the physician, shutting the nurse into another apartment, broke to him .the fearful Intelligence that tite child just born was of the feminine sex, while, owing to the unhappy circumstances of the case, it was impossible that the queen could ever again become a mother. "The dilemma in which William 111 now found himself was indeed a desperate, one. This girl, his only child, must clearly succeed to the throne of the Netherlands. As clearly, she could never occupy that of Luxemburg. In order to secure the Grand Duchy it was necessary that King William 111 should have a son; the possibility of his having one had now practically disappeared. “In his extremity the unfortunate king even sounded the physician as to the prospect of life for his queen, to whom he was much attached. But the reply was to the effect that her majesty would certainly recover, and might very likely outlive her husband. The next idea that presented itself to was to declare the new-born child a boy, and to bring her up in that character. But the physician pointed out that such a course, beside being fraught with peril, would only put off the evil day for another generation, as marriage and offspring would be out of the question for such a successor. "While they were still deliberating, the prime minister arrived at the palace, and, on being informed of this by an’ attendant, the king sent for him to join their conference. His daring mind suggested a bolder expedient. He had just learned, on his way through the park, of the birth of a boy to one of the royal lodge-keepers,

and he now proposed that this child mould be secretly taken from its par elite and substituted for the royal infant. ' "‘lncredible as if may seem to you-*-aa it still seems to me —this monstrous scheme was adopted, the physician himself undertaking to carry it out. He took away the tiny princess, without being detected, gained admittance to the keeper's wife under the pretext ,of being sent by the king to offer his services, exchanged the infants, and brought back the plebeian child to be reared in the palace as the heir to the Netherlands and Luxemburg.

"Thus was this extraordinary plot carried out with the most complete success. The early death of the unhappy little daughter of the royal house, from a congenital cause, seemed to condone the king’s treachery to his wife, and effectually stopped all fear of discovery. The king and his two accomplices preserved their secret, till the moment when a fit of rage led to the revelation of it to the person most concerned.”

“And what did the prince of Orange do, when the king informed him of all this?” I asked, as the ambassador made a long pause. “That is the very question which I put to him on the occasion when' he took me into his confidence. He replied: V- ;.r.

‘“My first feeling, on learning that I had no title to the position that I occupied, was one of sheer dismay. But this feeling deepened into one of fierce resentment as I realized what these men, this king and his ministers, had made of me. I was a living falsehood, the most colossal impostor in the world, robbed of my very manhood, and unable thenceforth to look my fellow creatures in the face. "‘lf my adopted father had hoped to crush me by the disclosure of my true position, he must have been sadly disappointed. My first impulse was to reject the lying role he had thrust upon me, and to publicly renounce my borrowed rank. The first hint of such an intention was enough to bring him to reason. For the first time some faint notion of the deadly injury he had done me appeared to penetrate his mind. In his humiliation, he condescended to implore me not to expose him in the eyes of Europe.’

‘“I could not entirely resist these prayers. Had any other person than myself been the victim, I could not have withheld all sympathy from the scheme, which was intended to baffle the enemies of Holland. As it was, the evil was now past mending. Miserable as my life had been In the oppressive atmosphere of a court, l had sense enough to know that it was too late in the day for me to accustom myself to thp obscure poverty of a peasant’s life. I even forbore to ask the king for the names of my unknown parents.

“ ‘Yet I could not face the prospect of continuing to play a part which I found so Intolerable. I discussed the matter with my father —as I have contlued to call him —and in the end it was decided that I should live abroad in a semi-private manner, a substantial pension being assigned to me on the condition that the secret of my birth was strictly kept

“ ‘Such I am, such is my career. Yon perceive in me a monster of the moral world, a creature to whom every virtuous and noble aspiration has been forbidden before he was born, a wretch whose life is a prolonged crime, and who will render the only atonement to society which is in his power by hastening his progress to the grave.'” As the ambassador repeated these pathetic words of the prince, his voice shook. It was indeed necessary to believe that his recollections had caused him genuine emotion. "I endeavored to soothe this young man, so miserably situated, but without success. By this time dawn was approaching, and he decided to return to his own residence, where he pressed me to visit him. To gratify him 1 consented’, but I did not fulfill my promise. With every sentiment of pity for this ‘impostor in spite of himself,’ I did not care to associate with him; and, besides, his circle, you understand, was not one of those in which one gains reputation by mixing. And as shortly afterwards I entered upon tbe series of foreign employments which have since filled my life, it so happened that we never met again.” “When did the prince die?” 1 asked presently. “I think it was in the year of 1884,” was the reply. “Queen Sylvia died six or eight years before that, thus enabling the king to marry again. But destiny seemed to have decided that Luxemburg could no longer belong to the Netherlands, for the only child of this second marriage was, as you know, a daughter, who is now the reigning queen.” “The prince of Orange never married, did her' “No. There was at one time rumor which connected his name with an English princess. But it came to nothing; and, of course, after the prince bad learned his true position, he would no longer have entertained the idea of any such alliance. “King William himself died six year* after his adopted son, and the prime minister and the physician have long ago passed away. It is therefore alike impossible to prove or disprove the story of this extraordinary but useless crime. Nevertheless I shall always have the conviction that on that night which he spent In my rooms, ‘Prise* Citron’ spoke for the first and last time the truth concerning his strange life.” (Copyright, in U. S. eed Great Britain!

“There is No Frenchman in My Position Who Does Not Earnestly Hope That You May Long Live to Preserve the Connection Between the Grand Duchy and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.”