THE CHINA MAIL, SEPTEMBER 16, 1939. TO-DAY'S STRANGE STORY OF REAL PEOPLE
THE VANISHING OF AMBASSADOR BATHURST
By VINCENT TOWNE
Benjamin Bathurst, was the son of Lord Bishop Bathurst of Norwich.
At an early age he entered the Bri- tish diplomatic service. Early in 1809 he was sent on a encret embassy to the court of Emperor Francis of Austria, whose empire was then upon the verge of a very delicate crisis forced upon it by the ambitions of Napoleon. Eng- land at the time was urging Austria to declare war against the French Emperor, but the Cabinet at Vienna was as yet undecided whether to enter again into the perils which it had en- dured in the Napoleonic Wars.
Affairs were at this tension when Benjamin Bathurst hurried to Vienna as Ambassador Extraordinary of the British King. Encouraged by the message brought by the young Ambas- sador, Austria sent its troops across the frontler and Napoleon was known to be greatly exasperated. Bathurst, while remaining in Vienna, let it be Koch, travelling merchant." He carried wrath.
While he still waited at the Austrian capital, there occurred on July 8 the famous battle of Wagram, culminating in terms of peace highly favourable to Bonaparte. His mission now at an end, Bathurst started back to London. Hesitating which road to take, he selected that through Trieste, Malta and Berlin. When he started out he had with him his private secretary and valet, and the better to outwit French spies, masqueraded as "Herr Koch, traveling merchant." He carried with him pistols, both upon his per- son and in the back of his carriage.
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Bathurst Feared for His Life
noted that he was greatly agitated with fear. Returning to the Swan, Bathurst countermanded previous orders given for fresh horses, explaining that he would not proceed on his journey until after nightfall, as it would be safer to travel while hidden by darkness.
So at 8 o'clock he dismissed his guard and ordered his horses to be ready at 9. After the carriage had driven up, he stood watching a servant. place his portmanteau in the vehicle. Then he stepped around to the heads of the horses and dissolved into the night.
When Bathurst thus vanished, the hostler and position were adjusting the harness by the dim light of a horn lantern and the Ambassador's secretary was standing in the doorway of the inn paying the account to the landlord. About noon, Nov. 25, 1809, the re- Not until the landlord and secretary turning Ambassador arrived at Perl-had advanced to the carriage and while berg, about 13 miles beyond Berlin on
the valet stood at the door of the the road to Hamburg, and here he
vehicle was it discovered that the Am- alighted at the White Swan Inn for bassador was missing. Shivering with refreshment. A woman who saw him the cold, they waited and sent back eating at the Inn noticed that he shi- to the room which Bathurst had ac- vered as though stricken with a chillcupied. Then they called, but there and that his hand trembled while he raised his cup of tea to his lips. He wore a pair. of gray trousers, a gray frogged short coat and a handsome sable greatcoat lined with violet velvet. In his scarf was a valuable diamond pin.
Finishing his meal he crossed to the market place, told the commandant of the town that he was a traveller on his way to Hamburg and requested that he might be given a guard in the inn while he remained there.
Laughing at his fears, the comman- dant allowed him two soldiers and
Witty
Kitty
was no answer. Without a word of warning, a cry of alarm or a sound of struggle, the diplomat had entered the black realm of mystery.
every
Soldiers scoured the entire country round. The river was dragged and Hook and cranny searched. Three weeks after the strange disap- pearance two peasant women seeking firewood found in the woods near the inn a pair of gray, mud-soiled trousers turned inside out. They contained two bullet holes, but showed no traces of blood.
In one of the pockets was a half- finished letter afterward identified as from Bathurst to his wife and stating that he was afraid he would never reach England that his ruin would be wrought by...Count d'Entraigues, a famous French spy. This letter also requested Mrs. Bathurst not to re- marry in the event of her husbands failure to return. Heavy rewards for the discovery of the Ambassador's body were offered by the Bathurst family, the English Government and Prince Frederick of Prussia, but they availed nothing.
Count d'Entraigues, fear for whom Bathurst had expressed in the un- with his wife, finished letter, was,
cruelly murdered by an afterward Italian servant. Before his death the Count was heard to say that Bathurst was murdered in the Fortress of Magdeburg.
MYSTERY MAN
IN DRIFTING BOAT
A man rescued from a single scull- ing boat while drifting nearly 12 miles out to sea off the Nab light, Isle of Wight, disappeared when landed at Bembridge without thanking his res- cuer or paying for the boat which he had hired at Shanklin,
Aged between 30 and 40, wearing an overcoat and carrying a heavy suitcase, the man hired the boat from Mr. George Loosemore at Shanklin. He at once rowed out to sea and was later seen by a lookout man to be in difficulties.
Mr. Loosemore, who put out to the rescue in a motor boat, told the press that when he reached the boat it was drifting helplessly on a strong tide well out in the Channel: The man was and when lying flat in the bottom, asked why he had gone so far out said he felt tired.
Transferring the man and suitcase to the motor boat Mr. Loosemore lock the small boat in town and landed the Το man at Forelands, Bembridge. his surprise the mysterious visitor at Whiteclii", Bathurst's fur coat was afterward | once hurried off towards
He no longer had the found in the cellar of a peasant be- Sandown. hind some firewood and the peasant's suitruse, which he must have dumped wife declared that she had found it unseen in the sea. at the inn and brought it home.
"He appeared to be very nervous Loosemore about the suitcase," Mr.
Inasmuch as a favourable pence with Austria had been concluded, said. "I saw him open it, take out close it quickly. I Napoleon could not have been vitally some keys and interested in any papers which the could not keep a close eye on him as Ambassador was likely to carry upon I had to attend to the engine of the his person during his return from boat. Vienna.
"I was surprised to find him safe in Bathurst's disappearance still re- the sculling boat, as a nasty breeze mains the darkest mystery in the was blowing and I had feared that annals of diplomacy.
the small boat would capsize,
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