Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (April 16, 1905)
! I i I 'Tie cfeartlej:1 Weaui To Thelreathff r , JSC R.U'LELN HERTHA VON 8TEINGRATZ. the I daughter of an Austrian millionaire Ironmss I ter, Is declared to be the mut heartless brauty Jj, I ln Europe, for In the space of twelve months she sent six men to t h Ir death. Bertha von Stelngratz had six lovers. She declared Bhe loved them all equally well, and promised to marry the one who would perform most daring art of pi rsonal courage within twelve months pome country outside f Kiinn-. Then she banished thim m her prc.inee. declaring thpit she would see none of them til the twelve months had gone hy. It was only by accident that Herr von Stelngratz, the tn ironmaster, overheard the stianue compart entered on between his daughter ami the six suitors for her hand, knew them all and llktd thi m all. Secretly he admired ir pluck In accepting his daughter's conditions, although lrcimed of the tragedies that were to follow. In irn for himself what form of adventure each of mi n would choose, he called his secretary to his lb Ih ho never i or . r to I. the young library. " Herr Haudmann." hi of six young men. Each said Is to " here Is a list of the leave Vl una tonight names or to. You will see to It o hand me a slate- spent the twelve Hut. sir," he said. morrow for some land outside rf Europe, that one yi ar from tonight you are able I imnt showing where and how each man h.. months." The secretary wrinkled his forehead. " the expense " ".See that li Is done," bluntly r lorted the old Ironmaster, with a scowl. The secretary did see tnat his Instructions wire carried out. It cost a gnat many thousand dollars to send an agent, supplied by the chief of the secret police of Vienna, with each oT the young men but the secretary knew enough to carry cut his oidirs wMhout counting the cost. It wa.s to this circumstance that the six lamentable tragedies were re vealed. The secretary made his report to the grim old ironmaster I. le In January. The Austrian m'lllonaire's money and po litical influence have been able to keep the story of the trag edy out of the newspapers of Vienna, and It Is on'y from a letter written by the secretary to a cousin in the I'nlted States that the story has been r vcalel. Counf Sent to Terrible Death. First nmoi g the suitors for the iimd of Hertha von Stelngratz turn Count Kasnn Nikolsk. in olllei r In one of the grenadier corps of the czar's army. Two weeks after he had accepted the strange conditions Imposed hy Bertha von Steln gritz Japan lagan war upon Russia by the scent midnight attack on the fleet outside of Port Arthur. Count Nikolsk Instantly determined to win the hand and heart of Bertl'a von Stelngratz at the muzzle of a cannon. Obtaining leave of absence from his own regiment he Joined the staff of a brigade commander and started for the front. He reached H.irlvn early In April' was assigned to the staff of one of the divisional commanders In the First Siberian army corps, and was hurried south to the Yalu. Lieut. Nikolsk was at the battle of the Yalu, witnessed the disaster to the Twelfth regiment, and saw it led from an Inforno of Japunese bullets by the bearded priest, lie accompanied the defeated divisions of Zassulltch's army to Fengwaugelieng, nnd afterwards reported to Gen. Stake) berg at Liaoyang. With SUkelberg'a corps. Lieut. Nikolsk marched to the relief of P'rrt Arthur. The defeat nt Vafangow followed. Then the Russian general called for volunteprs to carry sealed orders tHn ugh the Japanese lines to Oen. Stnessel. It ws .1 mission that Invited death. Lieut. Kazan Niklosk volun teered. Four months later the Japanese legation at Washington turned over to the American state department a collection of letters. Watches, rings, and other personal effects taken from the bodies Of Russian soldiers found dead on the field. Among thes effects were two rings, a seal, a gold pencil, and a watch, nlf of which, were Identified nt St. Petersburg as the property of Lieut. .Kazan Nikolsk. ! German Suitor Dares All Things. Emll Undal, the second suitor for the hand of Bertha von Steingrais. was a Unman. He left Vienna the night of eeescoesssssssssessssss? V2r wv r f I 4 umrix Tiwiz aKef &S mjuvz iwulman ivvj ' 7'Jty- mem WAfufgmosicw md the strange compact made between the girl and her lovers, going straight to Herlln. where he visited his closest friend an official In the ministry of marine. His friend tried to dissuade stendal from embarking uon an adventure for the mere sake of a smile from a pretty girl's lips. " I have sworn," was Stendal's only reply. " Well. If you Insist on adventure," finally replied the ofllce,! "p,, to Klaochau bay. The fleet will be there. Th war 'i I ween Russian and China who can tell what may hap pen? Hein?" Emll Stendal went to China with a commission as sn agent of the collector of Imperial customs at Tslngtau. the derma n port on the Shantung peninsula. He went on one of the second class cruisers sent out from Kiel to reinforce tin kaiser's fleet In the Pacific. Standing on the bridge one gTay afternoon In the mid Inillan onan. the ocean still running with, foam crested v.i v. s from the effects of a storm, Emll Stendal heard the cr " Man overboard!" Out in the hollow between two Ingulfing waves Stendal saw the head of a sailor, his arms vainly besting the water. The cruiser leaned far over toward the drowning man, and. v'thout waiting an Instant, Emll Stendal, dressed as he was, I. uped from the bridge of the cruiser into the waves. The boats that had been lowered under the prompt disci pline of the navy picked up the sailor. The body of Emll Stendal was never found. He had sacrificed his life to grat ify the thoughtless whim of Bertha von Stelngrats. . English Lover Perishes in Africa. Jihn Hartraft, the English suitor for the love of Bertha von Stelugrats, chose Africa for the scene of his adventure. He joined a surveying party engaged In running the line for ilu link of the Cnpe to Cairo railroad that is to stretch from the southern shore of Lake Albert Nyanza southward and along the west shore of Lake Tanganyika to the northern frontier of Rhodesia. lie sailed from Liverpool on a P. and O. liner, landing at Mombassa, on the coast of British Africa. Tlience hy rail he went to the north shore of Albert Nyanza, and there found his party. The party started on its expedition, working gradually southward through the Congo Free 8tate without notable incident. One evening as the surveyors swung In their hammocks, smoking the after supper pipe, a crashing sound came from the Jungle, which brought them to thclf feet. A mad elephant, wounded by the camp hunter, trump eting with rage, came charging across the clearing. Every man sprang for safety but one. Charlie Huddlus- i4 ;esssssssssssssssssssssss ton. the youngest In the parly, almost a boy. lay in bis ham mock, convalescing from Jungle rev. r and una ltd- to- nti-vr. Hurt run saw his danger and, grasping his eh pliant ritle. planted himself between Huddleston's hammock and Die en raged elephant. At the same time another In the party picked the sick boy up In his arms to carry him to a place of safely. On came the enraged beast. Hartraft aimed at a point behind the shoulder, fired, and missed. With one blow from his trunk the elephant knocked him to the ground, tratnplid Mm Into a shapeless mass, demolished the kitrhrn tent, nnd then proceeded on its way, disappearing Into the Jungle, only to be killed later by the camp hunters. Hartraft's body was burled near the upper shore of Lake Tanganyika. In his pocket was n photograph of Bertha von Stelngratz. Hartraft's friend, who knew the story, tore the photograph of the girl Into fragments and threw the pieces into the lake. She had claimed her third victim. Gives Life in Plague Camp. Andrea Tenez, a young French surgeon, was the fourth victim of the Infatuation of ail for the proud beauty of Her tha von Stelngratz. He loved his profession and his friends always declared that he was as brave as D'Artagnon and as tender hearted as a woman. When Tenez left Vienna he enlisted as a Volunteer sur geon to accompany a military expedition, to the Interior of Senegal. At Matnia. the Frenehfpost on the south bank of the Senegal river, Jiki miles in the interior. Dr. Ttnez came to his death, un lllshly giving up his life In nursing a camp full of plague stricken patients back to health. When the plague broke out In Jllatma last August Dr. Tenez, with two assistants, established a hospital camp two m'les from the post. There he remained, day nnd night, for six weeks. Sonic of his patients died, (others recovered. Still the young French physician battled with the epidemic. He worked twenty hours out of the twerjty-four. He took per sonal supervision of every case, giving to his assistants the res' which hn denied to himself. At last, late In September. Dr. Tenez could do no more. Ills labors hail so exhausted him that, when he himself w.ia Ftrlekrn down, he lived but eighteen hours, and was burled In the fast filling cemetery on the banks of the Senegal. J 0 Dies Trying to Stop Theater Panic. Franz Ksselniun, the fifth victim of the love compact with Hertha von Stelngrati, was a Hungarian violinist, and Ins fate overtook him at Buenos Ayres. How ho found liitn- if In t'he Argentine ctpital is a story by itself. Suffice It ' to say, he went there with his friend, un Italian artist, whose fc.mlly lived at Buenos Ayres. One night tit-the opera a frightened woman, far up in the balcony, screamed at the sight of a thread of blue suiuke that curled from behind the curtain above tin pi osci ilium areh. , wild panic followed. Fr.tns E.-selman was b .nling the or c'lestra by special !n t li. n. From his scat he could s e that the whole stage was a tna.ss of roaring llinies Spring ing to a chair he bigan to play. Above the crackling cf the unseen flames behind him, above the hoarse cries and t'rlght- ncd screams from the audience, floated the music of a w ild Hungarian rhapsody. The panic stricken people n. ar. st him heard the strains of music ln awe and stopped the shrU ks on their lips. Wilder and wilder grew the music, and the little circle of listeners grew larger. " Hush." " hush ": listen." 'listen." whispered men nnd worm n to rach other. Then, with his eyes llxeil far up in the Kilcony. a smile en his lips, his long hair f illing free in curls ,,Ver the b'lie und gold collar of his uniform. Franz Essdmaii broke into the majestic harmony of a Beethoven sonata. As he played the audience left the burning building, slowly, orderly, and not a life was lost. But Just as the last hundred men nnd women were out of danger there came a crash. The whole rear or the theater fell In and n cloud of golden sparks ascended from the fiery furnace. In which Franz Esselman met his death. ' Last Victim Shot by Russians. Kelce Volnynsk, the sixth and last victim of love for Bertha von Stelngratz, failed to meet all the conditions im posed by the Austrian beauty, for the sacrifice of his life was made In his own country. It was a simple sacrifice, almost unnoticed in Poland. Volnynsk was the youngest of Bertha von Stelngratz's admirers. He was tiily a student. One day as he was pass ing through the streets of Sosnovlce. a crowd of idle work- men were listening to the harangue of an agitator. There - was a scuttle as a carriage approached. Some one In the crowd threw a small bomb to the street. The crowd shrank back in horror as the infernal machine lay near tlhe curb, the fuse spluttering In the dust of the road. As the carriage came nearer It was seen to contain only two little girls and a coachman. Springing to the curb Kelce oluynsk seized die bomb In his hands, ran with it away from the carriage, nnd attempted to throw It Into a puddle of water at the side of the road. He was too late. There was an explosion, and Kelce Volnynsk lay dead with a gaping wound In his breast. The two little girls In the carriage, whose lives he had saved, drove on, little dreaming of the sacrifice. The secret police reported to the governor of War saw that Kelce Volnynsk. a dangerous revolutionary, had tiled to assassinate the little daughter of the Inspector gen ir'al and only his friends and the grim old Ironmaster In Vienna knew that he gave his life to save the lives of others. . ' The tragedy has closed, and Bertha von Stelngratz, ban-lshiT-y her stern father to his country" estate In Moravia, weeps alone for six sweethearts whom she thoughtlessly sent to their deaths. fcrficp np-'-sisJ-: AMD TO ROLL AX UMBRELLA. MEDIEVAL RATTLES. .LI'S OX. GIVING "rICA'Y" AN AIRING. Hold the umbrella In the ugot band by the ends of the steel ribs. Next find the elastic fastener and pull out the fold to which It Is attached. If the umbrella has hi en left un folded, or has been done up badly, It will be necessary to shake the umbrella well before attempting to And t hi folds. is. 1. Km. - II IWiillllU .. ...'''Ta- V; These earthenware rattles and many others of a great varieij of form were found tn old German graves. They are more educu tional than the modern style. IV EN GRANDMA IVAS OUNG. The distance from the top tn bottom of Figure 1 Is the same as from top to bottom of Figure 2, though you would not know It if they were not side by side. Now draw out each fold hepniau I.. . 1. I carefully to Insure that each fold Is pulln. out from the bottom of the umbrella iWjW MM f nip WWW o,58 tmTik m m&AY draii.lma played shuttleem k and battledore when she went to school, Instend of has kctball. Modesty on the street was to her more a matter of demeanor than a matter of attire. The fold me now ready for winding tightly around the Hick. Move the left hand to the end of the umbrella grasping the latter tightly at the tips of the ribs Willi the right hand. GF. I TING !.EA MOSS IN JAPAN. UP TO DATE DOLLS. Twlsl from b ft tu right, and a nuitly folded unitirellu will be the result. - 1S' i: I -'' ----- ' Jk3 CJ. : 5 it v t,W if M.. Little Edith Huffman of Philadelphia lias as her favorite playmrte a pet t.en, which she delights to trundle about In her doll carriage.. CA i: IEN LEARN MOTOR EG. 1 'r(X ... cm I ISS) The tin if ly .lapaliese niake inui h use of s.aweed as food. They .....or ,o,, pons, ami Mien spread it on the beach to dry. and goggle, are shown in toy shops Alarmed at the noi.ul iiitv nf II u'otnu- blle London cabmen ale pr. piui.g h 1,1. . ,, . thi new conditions. The training classes at nol.s messed in automobile coats, caps, the cub union, which are held three times a day, are being splendidly attended. R il FAR . i QUEER U OA T. NEST IN I. OAF. vI'i-'- 'ivi.W'fAii: C. rjvt"--': ' i . ' &J ; ! il " This mouse made his nest in a loaf of bread , , w l ONPAl.MSUN'iy. . ............ . i i i . : r -p,v V- vs. i tiff i I I I V'. v If I . N. .1 l I 1:1 I I i "i y- r. 'I .JT.mm. if! I I ' I Torpedo shaped boat that makes fourteen J jflilf 'I ici. yfjL IV . y miles an hour upstream. dXtvU pl5NlrV-i"lSl' I in 7 o ,. fa rs. m'mm i I i : : i m&4?$4mt ' h.vi. p Amimnr . . I I V . I 1 ir T a ij . xjktf a m ii, -sr n'. . isinci Or I DIVA RE ELEPHANT. - V v U. only -J feet inchis high, this i b pliant is said lo be tl,i small) si in ti e woi M. English cross country riibrs, women as will ;h men. I'trfoi nt snrpioing I'cais of hoi seina nsliip. This l.oly has all) mptcil Ml eaitb wall too high to l e i h aled in one leap and is about to take a si olid. k b olive and the sacred palm. This Is In -' . orriiin moratlon of Christ's entry Into J. ru-.t " T -'ah in, when some of the jieoplo " situ A "N. ' lie Ir garments In the way, and others cut n Palm Sunday the choir boys of the nl-h cathedrals tear to the .".i ryices buili branches from tin- trees," and spread them down lie fore hi in J XZ,.'