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Show PRINCESS if ROBERT DE BROGLIE American 9 iSinpina-on iSinpina-on London Music Hall Stage, Husband Descendant of Marshal of France, Plays I an Accompaniment yy Moston. Titled persons are not n rarity on the stage these days of tho nscondoncy of money tower, but something some-thing of a sensation has been caused In London and In sovernl of tho largor cities of tho United States by tho np-"loarnnco np-"loarnnco of a prlnco of Illustrious lineage with his wlfo In vaudeville. They nro the Prince and Princess Itobort do Hrogllc, tho husband bolnij the cousin of tho sixth DukoofBrog' He, head of one of tho most distinguished distin-guished families In France, and tho princess having been Miss Estollo Alcxnndor, daughter of a wealthy New Mexican planter and divorced wife of a millionaire merchant of Gor-mnn Gor-mnn extraction, Sidney V. Volt by name. Family quarrels and the triumph of their attachment mako a romantic story of the lives of tho young couple. Tho continent has princes nnd nobles In such profusion, many of them bogus, that continental titles havo lost much of, their significance to Englishmen English-men and Americans, but Prlnco Robert Rob-ert do Brogllc Is tho younger son of u really historic French family. Among tho old ducal houses of Franco, the namo of Do Ilrogllo possesses a special spe-cial Interest to Americans, for ono of Its most distinguished members, Prlnco Victor do Broglle, served through tho war of Independence In this country as ono of the principal lieutenants of General tho Marquis d'l Lafayette. Of Illustrious Ancestry, This prince was aftorward guillotined guillo-tined by Robespierre In 1794, but hi eon married a daughter of tho celebrated cele-brated Mine, do Stnel, and It Is their great-great-grandson who Is now wielding tho baton In conducting tho orchostrns for his wlfo's songs In their vaudovlllo entertainments. Other batons than that of a loader of an orchestra have boon wlolded by Prlnco Robert's ancestors, for a Do Ilrogllo was a marshal of France under un-der tho Grand Monarquo nnd another undor Louis XVI. Anothor Duko do Brogllo was tho philosopher and academician acad-emician who, as head of the cablnot of Louis Philippe, was riding by his sovereign sov-ereign when FleschI opened flro on them with his Infernal machine This was tho Do Brogllo who married th daughter of Mme. do Stael, and hlo Bon was chief of MacMahon's cablnot and grandfather of Prlnco Rohort. Led by Woman's Beauty. . How comes It that a scion of this august family of dukes nnd marshals and statesmen oarns his living conducting con-ducting an orchestra In a music hull while his Amerlcnn princess performs behind tho footlights? The cause was Miss Estollo Alexander, Alex-ander, now tho Prlncoss Robort do Brogllo, a famous beauty. An old Chlneso proverb says: "Troubto does not como from heaven, but 1b brought nbout by some woman." A beautiful Amorlcan girl, tho daughter of Lyman Alexander, an Amorlcan landowner, who held largo tracts In southern California, Miss Estollo Aloxander was tho wlfo of a merchant and Importer, of Prussian antecedents, name'd Velt, when sho met tho Prlnco Robert do Broglle In Paris in 1904. That mooting was In the studio of an artist In Pnria, and tho prlnco's mother nnd sister wero present nt the meeting. Sho was young and possessed of an encumbrance encum-brance In tho shapo of an unsympathetic unsympa-thetic husband; tho prlnco was youthful, youth-ful, ardent, a great admirer of beautiful beauti-ful women. Day after day tho prince's valet carried flowers and notes from his muster to Mrs. Velt. Sho know him then only as M. do Brogllo. She left her husband's house In Paris finally. That mado Horr Velt's dlvorco a very simple matter, an easily achloved formality. And It waa frrn that moment thnt tho couple's trv ibles began. Disinherited by Father. Prlnco Amedoo do Broglle, tho father fa-ther of tho youthful Robert, was a stern pnront, with nil tho Inherited prejudices of his class. As nlmost Roman power over tho affairs of his children Is given a father by tho Fronch laws, tho oldor prlnco's objections ob-jections counted for much moro than would havo been the cuso had ho been an American. In defiance of his expressed ex-pressed command, tho couple woro married In Milan. The parent lmmo-dlntoly lmmo-dlntoly took action in tho French courts to hnvo the marrlago annulled on tho ground that It had been con tracted without tho consent of tho parents. This action failed of Its purpose, pur-pose, Prlnco Robort having meanwhile mean-while travoJd vlth his wlfo to Amor-lea Amor-lea and having been married nguln according ac-cording to Amerlcnn law by a Justlco of tho peaco In Chicago. Ho had tho marrlngo notlco sent to tho French consul thoro and received acknowledgment acknowl-edgment of Its record, In order to comply with the French law as to civil registration of marriages. Tlowovor, ono rccourso yet remained 'ho indlgnunt Prlnco Amodco. Ho aid sut off tho son's nllowanco and i unl 'It him. Tlila ho at onco proceeded pro-ceeded to do. Although Now York society had opened Its arms to the two brothers of Prlnco Robort on tho occasion of their visit to America, when tho Bamo people found tho youthful couplo In dollarless despair their recoptlon was of a dlfforent sort. A prlnco whoso seat consists of a bod-slttlng room on the top floor of a cheap lodging houso does not get the treatment of a prlnco who comes surrounded with tho glamor of tho appurtenances of hia rank. So It came about that Prince Robert found Now York capitalists cold to tho propositions ho unfolded concerning his Inventions of a freight-carrying freight-carrying automobile with a vapor Reduced to Penury. Things went from bad to worso with tho Prlnco and Princess Robort de -BVJ Brogllc. Meaner and yet meaner lodgings they secured, until finally thoy wero living penniless, In n gap ret, with their baby daughter, tho Princess Jossemondc. It was then M that an entortprlslng theatrical mana- , ger discovered them and made an of-for of-for to star tho princess In vaudeville, with her husband conducting tho or-chestrn or-chestrn ns n sort of side-show nttrac- Immediately tho press took up their causa and pnlnted tho sufferings en-dured en-dured by the romantic pair tor their ;BA love's sake. A thousand nowspapcrs carried tho story1 of their misfortunes to millions of American -homes. Head-lines Head-lines mado celebrltes of this couple, HH and the ovtl day of poverty nnd of pinching had. passed for Prlne-t and Princess Robert do Brogllc. Prepared by tho newspapers for their appearance, the public extended a kindly welcome to the pair In vnude-vlllc, vnude-vlllc, and oven staid, cold-hearted Lon-don Lon-don has slnco opened Its pursostrtngs to seo them perform. It Is said that tho prlnco Is a cnpnblo conductor of tho orchestra and that tho princess is a singer of no moan ability, possessed of a votco which would gain her BH recognition even without her romantic story nnd marrlago to n prlnco to Blip- Divorce Runt In Family. Tho princess had early cxperlenco of tho oporntions of tho divorce HH courts, for her mother wns separated and dlvprccd from her father, tho HB planter, and married Edward Clay, a fll stepson of Senator Jones, as her sec- ond husuami. Ana it is uy no means the prince's first vonturo on the sea ot matrimony. About flvo years ago ho HH fell dusperntely In lovo with tho for- HH mor wlfo of Count Floury, dnughter of Baron Doslandes, who, nfter hor dl- vdrco from her husband, son of tho HH famous ambassador to St. Potorsburg. shono as tho loador of a famous co-terie co-terie of wits and fashionables gath- -H cred nightly In her Paris BOlon. Sho BJJ then assumed hor mother's name, that HH of tip Baroness Doslandes. H Sho was 30 years old and ho was 2J, but that did not provent a blind at- tachmont. In sptto of tho strenuous opposition of his powerful family, Prlnco Robert married her clandes- finely in London. Immediately the Prince Amcdco started action to annul the marrlago, claiming that there was virtually no marriage, since It was without tho consent of the parents, without publication, and had not been ontorcd upon tho French civil regis-tors. regis-tors. He won his cuso, and tho mar-rlago mar-rlago was declared invalid. For quite two years Prince Robort was lncon-solnble; lncon-solnble; and then ho met the boautlful Miss Aloxander In Paris, and all was sunshine again for him, jH Prince an American Citizen. Owing to tho difficulties with his family, tho prlnco was driven in No-vembor No-vembor of Inst' year to renounco his alleglauco to the republic of France nnd to take out citizenship papers In fl tho United States. Tho estato ot tho Do Broglles, which surrounds the fnmoua Chateau do Chaumont, 1b con-Bldcrcd con-Bldcrcd ono of tho most magnificent In France. His father, Prince Amedee, married a daughter of tho sugar king, Henry Say, whoso Immenso fortune wns subsequently lost through wild and fraudulent speculation. Tho princess is an accomplished, as well as an exceptionally boautlful woman. During her education in Europe, sho studied with Capoul ot tho Purls opera and with Fugero ot tho Opora Comlquo. In describing hei own appearance recently, tho Princess Robert do Brogllo gavo tho following detnila: 'M "Tall and Blonder, flvo feet ten: magnificent flguro; wonderful long hair of dark, reddlsh-choBtnut color, falling to kneos; oyes of midnight darkness, changing to emerald hues and shades of deep sea-green, and nt H tlmos aro of a rich, dark brown: mouth und iiobo Grecian, and lips fuU and rod." |
