Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 125, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 May 1916 — SERVES AS PRIVATE [ARTICLE]

SERVES AS PRIVATE

BCION OF ITALIAN RO%AL HOUSE IN THE RANKS. Duke of the Abruzzi’s Half-Brother, In Disgrace, Holde Humble Poslton In the Armies That Hie Country Has Mustered. < Though almost every royal house in Europe Is represented at the front, Italy’s alone can boast of a member who is a simple soldier, lighting among the rank and file. Umberto, count of Salemnl, shares the lot and the labors of peasants and workingmen. He is stationed at Voghera for the moment, in the regiment of cavalry guides. His regiment will soon be dismounted and go into the trenches. Then this scion of the house of Savoy will tramp side by side with the rankers and share their trench life on. the exposed and difficult Italian outposts on the dangerous plateau called the Carso. The count is a son of Prince Amedeo, late duke of Aosta, who died 16 years ago. His mother, the duke’s second wife, is a Princess Bonaparte. She lives in Turin, and her son, in his soldler’c uniform, is allowed to visit her on Sundays, when, with the other men of the troop, he has several hours' leave. His half-brothers are Emanuel, duke of Aosta; Victor, count of Turin, and Louis, duke of the Abruzzi, once the reputed fiance of Miss Katherine Elkins. The duke* of the Abruzzi now commands Italy’s fleet in the Adriatic. ' x The count of Salemnl is the only son of Princess Letitia. He has been in disgrace for several years, though .the real story is known to only the most intimate courtiers. While at the Naval collego he committed some youthful indiscretion, of which even His fellow cadets had but a vague idea, and the king sent him into exile. For several years he wandered! through Europe, spending months in. Russia, the Balkans, Portugal and! Spain. Always shy and retiring, never* knowing what to do .with his great 1 stature and his hands, a splendid linguist, simple in manners, he became a favorite in Russian society. When the war broke out he wanted, to serve his country. He begged the king to allow him to return. “Yes,” came the answer, “but you! must serve-as a simple soldier if youi come back to Italy*.” He came back and was drafted into the cavalry guides and sent to the front. When the regiment returned for a few weeks he went with it to the little town of Voghera, its headquarters. He is now returning with It to fight; but this time the regimenti fights on foot. The duke cf Salemnl performs the* same duties as his humbler comrades,! and has become so popular that theiri affection quite embarrasses him some-i times. For Instance, when he was go-: Ing to visit the headquarters of another regiment in Voghera they called I out a guard of honor to receive him.| _ “What’s the meaning of this?”' shouted an oCcer who happened in. The count murmured that he sup-i posed it was for him. He asked his: comrades never to do such a thing again. While at the front he distinguished himself by coolness in handling a quick-firing gun. On one occasion,; when the men around him were hard pressed, he saved the situation by rallying them. # w ... j