Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 - 1954), Thursday 24 July 1924, page 7


BELGIAN PRINCESS.

ROYAL ELOPEMENT RECALLED.

The death of Princess Louise recalls a romantic episode which scandalised the Royal Houses of Europe before the

war.

In the spring of 1895 Count Matta-chich, then a young officer in the Aus-trian Imperial Hussars, stopped a pair of runaway horses on tho Prater in Vienna, and, by his gallantry, saved the lives of two frightened ladies in the open carriage. One of them waa Prin-cess Louise of Belgium, daughter of King Leopold II, and the wife of her cousin, Prince Philip of Saxe-Coburg

Gotha. Two years later Count Matta-

chich eloped with the Princess. There was consternation ia the Courts of Vi-enna and of Berlin, where a daughter of Princess Louise had recently mar-ried the Duke Ernest Gunther of Schles-wig-Holstein, brother of the German Empress.

Count Mattachich was immediately arrested and imprisoned an a charge of forging the signature of Princess Stephanie of Belgium, and Princess Louise was confined in an asylum, first in Vienna, and after-wards at Saxe near Lindenhoff. After four years of captivity Count Mattachich recovered his liberty, and on a night in Septem-

ber, 1904, aided by his friend Count

Oraini, he rescued Princess Louise from her guards and again eloped with her. They took refuge in France and hence-forth led a precarious existence, prac-tically penniless, wandering from one country to another. During the war they wera interned in Austria and after-wards in Germany. They returned to Paris last year, and there the Count died In October in a hotel in an obscure comer of the city.

The " Daily Chronicle's " Paris cor-respondent at the time stated that Count Mattachich and his wife recently travelled on the continent humbly, and arrived in Paris incognito. The Prin-cess remained with the count to the end. The princess was heartbroken, but re-tained at the age of 65 years some of tha majesty and nobleness of demean-our which formerly made her one of the beauties of Europe. She said : "I have nothing to live for. He was my life. I am without friends and money.

I do not know what will become of me."

It is understood that the Belgian court made many offers conditional on ber leaving the count, and that after the count's death offered enough to en-able her to spend her closing days in

comfort.

Good men are not as good nor bad men at bad as they imagine they are.