Princess Lida of Thurn and Taxis
Encyclopedia
Lida, Princess Victor of Thurn and Taxis (née
Lida Eleanor Nicolls), also referred to as Princess Lida of Thurn and Taxis, (1875 – 6 December 1965) was an American millionairess, socialite
, and the wife
of Prince Victor of Thurn and Taxis. She was well-known for her involvement in several highly publicized legal disputes, making her a fixture in newspapers such as The New York Times
. The first such dispute was with former New York showgirl
Josephine Moffitt, who claimed to be the legal spouse of Prince Victor using the name "Josephine, Princess of Thurn and Taxis"
and the second was with Bernard Francis S. Gregory, who sued her for $50,000, alleging she had slandered him.
, she was the daughter of grocer
John A. Nicolls and his wife Lenora T. Nicolls. She was a niece of Josiah V. Thompson, a Pittsburgh
banker, and coal
& fuel
operator.
. Fitzgerald was a nephew of Edward FitzGerald
, a poet
famous for his translation
of Omar Khayyám
's Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
from Persian
into English
. He had relocated to Fayette County, Pennsylvania
to try his hand at the coal industry, where he laid out the coal town of Shamrock near New Salem
. They married in Los Angeles, California
, late in 1899.
In 1906, she obtained a divorce
from Fitzgerald in Irish courts. British law required an Act of Parliament
to make their separation final. According to Lida, Fitzgerald treated her with "great cruelty." In her petition to Parliament, Lida recounted how Fitzgerald "dragged your subject out of bed in the middle of the room and she had to scream for help", and how at the Van Nuys Hotel in Los Angeles, he "seized and shook your subject most violently until her hat fell off and her hair fell down." Parliament passed the "Fitzgerald's Divorce (Ireland) Act" in 1907. In Pittsburgh, Lida was awarded an alimony
settlement of $20,000 per year and $300,000 in trust
for two sons from the marriage, John Fitzgerald and Gerald Purcell Fitzgerald, Jr.
. The couple had arrived from England
the previous Friday. Prior to the marriage, Lida was reportedly said to possess $1 million in her own right. Following her marriage to Prince Victor, Lida announced that she and her husband would reside in Europe and she would never again return to the United States. Lida and Prince Victor later registered their marriage in Baltisar, Austria-Hungary
in February 1912, where Prince Victor was a citizen by virtue of his father Prince Egon having become naturalized at the time of his marriage to his wife Viktoria Edelspacher de Gyoryok.
in Ostend
, Belgium
, in July 1912, Lida was robbed
of jewelry valued at $80,000. The robbery was thought to have been committed by "a gang of international sharpers" who were staying at the same hotel as Lida. However, American boxer
Norman Selby (better known as "Kid McCoy
") was arrested at the Hotel Cecil in London on 27 July 1912 on an extradition request
by Belgian police
in connection with the disappearance of the jewelry. Selby was taken before the Bow Street Police Court Magistrate where he was remanded without bail. After the warrant
for his arrest was read to him, Selby responded, "I know nothing whatever about it." He was incarcerated
in Brixton Jail in London, where he wrote his own version of a "Ballad of Brixton Jail". He returned to New York City on 1 September 1912 aboard the American oceanliner SS St. Louis from Southampton
. Selby instructed his solicitor
to commence a suit against the government of Belgium for $250,000 for his "wrongful arrest" which he claimed "ruined [his] European business". "I did not know that there was such a person in the world as the Princess of Thurn and Taxis when I went to Ostend to spend the week-end", Selby said.
According to Le Matin
, a French detective on the staff of M. Hamard conducted an investigation at the hotel which led him to suspect three "gentlemen" from London who occupied rooms next to Lida's apartments. The investigation found that the three gentlemen had formed a "gang of smart hotel thieves" and had intentionally taken rooms near those of Lida intending to take an amount of jewelry valued between $1 and $1.5 million. One of Lida's necklace
s alone was reportedly worth $400,000, but the robbers were only able to abscond with a few pieces of jewelry lying on her dressing table.
that she was the legal wife of Lida's husband
Prince Victor. Moffitt was embroiled in another highly publicized legal case against her "old friend and admirer" James Henry Maur heard in the Westminister Police Court and known popularly as "the Thurn and Taxis blackmail
ing case." Moffitt alleged that she and Prince Victor had wed at a midnight
marriage ceremony at Rector's, New York
. As early as March 1908, Prince Victor had informed The New York Times
that its story of his marriage to Moffitt was "absolutely false."
On 31 January 1914, Lida's solicitor
applied for and obtained an issue of writ
in the Court of Chancery
asking for an injunction
against Moffitt to restrain her from using the title "Princess of Thurn and Taxis" and from referring to herself as the wife of Prince Victor of Thurn and Taxis. Lida then traveled to London
in February 1914 to defend her marriage and title against Moffitt's claims in person. In addition to settling the legality of her marriage to Prince Victor, Lida also sought to restore her reputation which had been blemished by Moffitt's conduct in "meeting men for supper parties and theatres."
In an interview with The New York Times
on 15 February 1914 in her suite
at London's Carlton Hotel, Lida presented her marriage certificate
as proof of her marriage to Prince Victor. Lida was awarded damages, trial costs, an injunction against Moffitt, and a verdict for $500. The Court of Chancery also ruled that Lida, and not Moffitt, was entitled to the title "Princess Victor of Thurn and Taxis".
On 28 January 1915, Lida was awarded a verdict of £250 ($1,250) in damages against The Daily Sketch
in London after the newspaper
published photographs of Lida and Moffitt asking the question, "Who Is Princess Thurn and Taxis?"
, Lida's husband Prince Victor was called to serve as an officer
in the Austro-Hungarian Army
causing Lida to return to the United States. Shortly before Lida was to sail
to Europe
to rejoin her husband in the Austrian Republic
, Bernard Francis S. Gregory, known as "Count Gregory", filed a lawsuit
against her for $50,000 in damages on 8 May 1920 in the New York Supreme Court
alleging she had made false statements about him which had caused him to be "shunned by social circles" in New York City. Gregory received the order from Justice Robert Paul Lydon shortly after he learned from Lida's son Gerald Fitzgerald, Dr. Stewart Hastings, and Prince Herman of Saxe-Weimar that she was soon returning to Europe.
Gregory alleged in his complaint that in January or February 1920 at the Hotel Netherland in New York City, Count Rudolf Festetics
overheard Lida telling others that Gregory was "a thief and a swindler and had tried to swindle her out of $10,000 by trying to put through a milk
deal that was a swindle." He also alleged that Lida said Gregory was "not a gentleman, but an imposter, was dishonorable, and had been a coachman
in England
, and was a very bad man." As a result of these statements, Gregory claimed he had "been seriously injured in [his] good name and fame among [his] friends and acquaintances, and in social circles in which [he had] been accustomed to move [he had] been shunned and avoided by [his] friends." Gregory further stated that he was no longer invited to dinners and social functions "among the best families in New York" and that he had been "ostracized and excluded from the best society."
on 28 January 1928, Lida lived between residences in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, New York City, and Europe, however, she continued to maintain a residence at the corner of West Main Street and South Mt. Vernon Avenue in Uniontown.
Lida's life continued to consist of further legal disputes regarding alimony and family matters. On 19 April 1937, Lida went to Federal court in Pittsburgh demanding an accounting from trustee
s of alimony and trust funds held for her and her son. She claimed the trustees had been negligent in collecting the money and interest
of the trust funds which totalled $772,779.
An Internal Revenue Service
(IRS) appeals board in Washington, D.C.
ruled on 12 January 1938 that Lida owed no back income tax
es on amounts she received under an agreement with her first husband at the time of their divorce settlement in 1907. The appeals board further ruled that alimony payments to a former spouse were considered a "household expense" and therefore could not be deducted on income tax returns.
Lida and her son John Purcell Fitzgerald carried their appeal against the trustees of two trust funds in their names at the Second National Bank to the United States Supreme Court on an injunction restraining them from proceeding in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
.
She was later also entangled in a lengthy court battle in which she attempted to have the marriage of one of her adult sons annulled.
. At its final accounting, Lida's estate totaled $1,288,123.40, leaving a balance of $659,333.31 after tax
es. Her possessions included residences, properties, cash
, stocks
and bond
s, valuable antique furniture
, Venetian glass
, painting
s and statuary, china, porcelain
, silver
, and two wardrobe
s full of fur coats. Many of Lida's valuables were stored for years in a downtown Uniontown warehouse
and some had been in storage in a London warehouse since the closing of her home there in 1914. Most of the valuables were sold at auction
in 1966.
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Lida Eleanor Nicolls), also referred to as Princess Lida of Thurn and Taxis, (1875 – 6 December 1965) was an American millionairess, socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
, and the wife
Wife
A wife is a female partner in a marriage. The rights and obligations of the wife regarding her spouse and others, and her status in the community and in law, varies between cultures and has varied over time.-Origin and etymology:...
of Prince Victor of Thurn and Taxis. She was well-known for her involvement in several highly publicized legal disputes, making her a fixture in newspapers such as The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. The first such dispute was with former New York showgirl
Showgirl
A showgirl is a dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show. Showgirl is also often used as a term for a promotional model in trade fairs and car shows, etc...
Josephine Moffitt, who claimed to be the legal spouse of Prince Victor using the name "Josephine, Princess of Thurn and Taxis"
and the second was with Bernard Francis S. Gregory, who sued her for $50,000, alleging she had slandered him.
Early life
Born Lida Eleanor Nicolls in 1875 in Uniontown, PennsylvaniaUniontown, Pennsylvania
Uniontown is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh and part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. Population in 1900, 7,344; in 1910, 13,344; in 1920, 15,692; and in 1940, 21,819. The population was 10,372 at the 2010 census...
, she was the daughter of grocer
Grocer
A grocer is a bulk seller of food. Beginning as early as the 14th century, a grocer was a dealer in comestible dry goods such as spices, pepper, sugar, and cocoa, tea and coffee...
John A. Nicolls and his wife Lenora T. Nicolls. She was a niece of Josiah V. Thompson, a Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
banker, and coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
& fuel
Coke (fuel)
Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
operator.
First marriage
In 1899, she met her first husband, General Gerald Purcell Fitzgerald of IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Fitzgerald was a nephew of Edward FitzGerald
Edward FitzGerald (poet)
Edward FitzGerald was an English writer, best known as the poet of the first and most famous English translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. The spelling of his name as both FitzGerald and Fitzgerald is seen...
, a poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
famous for his translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
of Omar Khayyám
Omar Khayyám
Omar Khayyám was aPersian polymath: philosopher, mathematician, astronomer and poet. He also wrote treatises on mechanics, geography, mineralogy, music, climatology and theology....
's Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám is the title that Edward FitzGerald gave to his translation of a selection of poems, originally written in Persian and of which there are about a thousand, attributed to Omar Khayyám , a Persian poet, mathematician and astronomer...
from Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. He had relocated to Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the2010 census, the population was 136,606. The county is part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area....
to try his hand at the coal industry, where he laid out the coal town of Shamrock near New Salem
New Salem-Buffington, Pennsylvania
New Salem-Buffington is a census-designated place in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States and part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 808 at the 2000 census...
. They married in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, late in 1899.
In 1906, she obtained a divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
from Fitzgerald in Irish courts. British law required an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
to make their separation final. According to Lida, Fitzgerald treated her with "great cruelty." In her petition to Parliament, Lida recounted how Fitzgerald "dragged your subject out of bed in the middle of the room and she had to scream for help", and how at the Van Nuys Hotel in Los Angeles, he "seized and shook your subject most violently until her hat fell off and her hair fell down." Parliament passed the "Fitzgerald's Divorce (Ireland) Act" in 1907. In Pittsburgh, Lida was awarded an alimony
Alimony
Alimony is a U.S. term denoting a legal obligation to provide financial support to one's spouse from the other spouse after marital separation or from the ex-spouse upon divorce...
settlement of $20,000 per year and $300,000 in trust
Trust law
In common law legal systems, a trust is a relationship whereby property is held by one party for the benefit of another...
for two sons from the marriage, John Fitzgerald and Gerald Purcell Fitzgerald, Jr.
Second marriage
Lida married Prince Victor Theodore Maximilian Egon Maria Lamoral of Thurn and Taxis, third and youngest child of Prince Egon of Thurn and Taxis and his wife Viktoria Edelspacher de Gyoryok, in a wedding ceremony at the home of her mother and presided over by the Reverend Mr. Spence on 1 November 1911 in UniontownUniontown, Pennsylvania
Uniontown is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh and part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. Population in 1900, 7,344; in 1910, 13,344; in 1920, 15,692; and in 1940, 21,819. The population was 10,372 at the 2010 census...
. The couple had arrived from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
the previous Friday. Prior to the marriage, Lida was reportedly said to possess $1 million in her own right. Following her marriage to Prince Victor, Lida announced that she and her husband would reside in Europe and she would never again return to the United States. Lida and Prince Victor later registered their marriage in Baltisar, Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
in February 1912, where Prince Victor was a citizen by virtue of his father Prince Egon having become naturalized at the time of his marriage to his wife Viktoria Edelspacher de Gyoryok.
Jewelry robbery and wrongful arrest of Kid McCoy
While staying at a hotelHotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
in Ostend
Ostend
Ostend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, in July 1912, Lida was robbed
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
of jewelry valued at $80,000. The robbery was thought to have been committed by "a gang of international sharpers" who were staying at the same hotel as Lida. However, American boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
Norman Selby (better known as "Kid McCoy
Kid McCoy
Charles "Kid" McCoy, who was born Norman Selby was an American world champion boxer.-Overview:Born in Moscow, Rush County, Indiana, McCoy would eventually weigh 160 pounds, stand 5' 11", and go on to a record 81 wins...
") was arrested at the Hotel Cecil in London on 27 July 1912 on an extradition request
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
by Belgian police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
in connection with the disappearance of the jewelry. Selby was taken before the Bow Street Police Court Magistrate where he was remanded without bail. After the warrant
Warrant (law)
Most often, the term warrant refers to a specific type of authorization; a writ issued by a competent officer, usually a judge or magistrate, which permits an otherwise illegal act that would violate individual rights and affords the person executing the writ protection from damages if the act is...
for his arrest was read to him, Selby responded, "I know nothing whatever about it." He was incarcerated
Incarceration
Incarceration is the detention of a person in prison, typically as punishment for a crime .People are most commonly incarcerated upon suspicion or conviction of committing a crime, and different jurisdictions have differing laws governing the function of incarceration within a larger system of...
in Brixton Jail in London, where he wrote his own version of a "Ballad of Brixton Jail". He returned to New York City on 1 September 1912 aboard the American oceanliner SS St. Louis from Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. Selby instructed his solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
to commence a suit against the government of Belgium for $250,000 for his "wrongful arrest" which he claimed "ruined [his] European business". "I did not know that there was such a person in the world as the Princess of Thurn and Taxis when I went to Ostend to spend the week-end", Selby said.
According to Le Matin
Le Matin (France)
Le Matin was a French daily newspaper created in 1883 and discontinued in 1944.Le Matin was launched on the initiative of Chamberlain & Co, a group of American financiers, in 1883, on the model of the British daily The Morning News. The direction of the project was entrusted to the French...
, a French detective on the staff of M. Hamard conducted an investigation at the hotel which led him to suspect three "gentlemen" from London who occupied rooms next to Lida's apartments. The investigation found that the three gentlemen had formed a "gang of smart hotel thieves" and had intentionally taken rooms near those of Lida intending to take an amount of jewelry valued between $1 and $1.5 million. One of Lida's necklace
Necklace
A necklace is an article of jewellery which is worn around the neck. Necklaces are frequently formed from a metal jewellery chain. Others are woven or manufactured from cloth using string or twine....
s alone was reportedly worth $400,000, but the robbers were only able to abscond with a few pieces of jewelry lying on her dressing table.
Identity dispute with Josephine Moffitt
Josephine Moffitt (occasionally spelled Moffatt), who styled and titled herself "Her Royal Highness Josephine, Princess of Thurn and Taxis" and "Princess Josphine de la Tour et Taxis", claimed in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that she was the legal wife of Lida's husband
Husband
A husband is a male participant in a marriage. The rights and obligations of the husband regarding his spouse and others, and his status in the community and in law, vary between cultures and has varied over time...
Prince Victor. Moffitt was embroiled in another highly publicized legal case against her "old friend and admirer" James Henry Maur heard in the Westminister Police Court and known popularly as "the Thurn and Taxis blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
ing case." Moffitt alleged that she and Prince Victor had wed at a midnight
Midnight
Midnight is the transition time period from one day to the next: the moment when the date changes. In the Roman time system, midnight was halfway between sunset and sunrise, varying according to the seasons....
marriage ceremony at Rector's, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. As early as March 1908, Prince Victor had informed The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
that its story of his marriage to Moffitt was "absolutely false."
On 31 January 1914, Lida's solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
applied for and obtained an issue of writ
Writ
In common law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court...
in the Court of Chancery
Court of Chancery
The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid the slow pace of change and possible harshness of the common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over all matters of equity, including trusts, land law, the administration of the estates of...
asking for an injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
against Moffitt to restrain her from using the title "Princess of Thurn and Taxis" and from referring to herself as the wife of Prince Victor of Thurn and Taxis. Lida then traveled to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in February 1914 to defend her marriage and title against Moffitt's claims in person. In addition to settling the legality of her marriage to Prince Victor, Lida also sought to restore her reputation which had been blemished by Moffitt's conduct in "meeting men for supper parties and theatres."
In an interview with The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
on 15 February 1914 in her suite
Suite
In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
at London's Carlton Hotel, Lida presented her marriage certificate
Marriage certificate
In some jurisdictions a marriage certificate is the official record that two people have undertaken a marriage ceremony. This does include jurisdictions where marriage licenses do not exist...
as proof of her marriage to Prince Victor. Lida was awarded damages, trial costs, an injunction against Moffitt, and a verdict for $500. The Court of Chancery also ruled that Lida, and not Moffitt, was entitled to the title "Princess Victor of Thurn and Taxis".
On 28 January 1915, Lida was awarded a verdict of £250 ($1,250) in damages against The Daily Sketch
Daily Sketch
The Daily Sketch was a British national tabloid newspaper, founded in Manchester in 1909 by Sir Edward Hulton.It was bought in 1920 by Lord Rothermere's Daily Mirror Newspapers but in 1925 Rothermere offloaded it to William and Gomer Berry The Daily Sketch was a British national tabloid newspaper,...
in London after the newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published photographs of Lida and Moffitt asking the question, "Who Is Princess Thurn and Taxis?"
Slander dispute with Bernard Francis S. Gregory
Following the outbreak of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Lida's husband Prince Victor was called to serve as an officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
in the Austro-Hungarian Army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
causing Lida to return to the United States. Shortly before Lida was to sail
Sail
A sail is any type of surface intended to move a vessel, vehicle or rotor by being placed in a wind—in essence a propulsion wing. Sails are used in sailing.-History of sails:...
to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to rejoin her husband in the Austrian Republic
First Austrian Republic
The Republic of Austria encompasses the period of Austrian history following the signing of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye of September 1919, the settlement after the end of World War I which put an end to the Republic of German Austria, continuing up to World War II...
, Bernard Francis S. Gregory, known as "Count Gregory", filed a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against her for $50,000 in damages on 8 May 1920 in the New York Supreme Court
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
alleging she had made false statements about him which had caused him to be "shunned by social circles" in New York City. Gregory received the order from Justice Robert Paul Lydon shortly after he learned from Lida's son Gerald Fitzgerald, Dr. Stewart Hastings, and Prince Herman of Saxe-Weimar that she was soon returning to Europe.
Gregory alleged in his complaint that in January or February 1920 at the Hotel Netherland in New York City, Count Rudolf Festetics
Festetics
Festetics is a noble Hungarian family, prominent during the Austro-Hungarian Empire.On August 8, 1746, Josef and Kristof Festetics added de Tolna to their surname...
overheard Lida telling others that Gregory was "a thief and a swindler and had tried to swindle her out of $10,000 by trying to put through a milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
deal that was a swindle." He also alleged that Lida said Gregory was "not a gentleman, but an imposter, was dishonorable, and had been a coachman
Coachman
A coachman is a man whose business it is to drive a coach, a horse-drawn vehicle designed for the conveyance of more than one passenger — and of mail — and covered for protection from the elements...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and was a very bad man." As a result of these statements, Gregory claimed he had "been seriously injured in [his] good name and fame among [his] friends and acquaintances, and in social circles in which [he had] been accustomed to move [he had] been shunned and avoided by [his] friends." Gregory further stated that he was no longer invited to dinners and social functions "among the best families in New York" and that he had been "ostracized and excluded from the best society."
Later life
Following the death of her husband Prince Victor in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
on 28 January 1928, Lida lived between residences in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, New York City, and Europe, however, she continued to maintain a residence at the corner of West Main Street and South Mt. Vernon Avenue in Uniontown.
Lida's life continued to consist of further legal disputes regarding alimony and family matters. On 19 April 1937, Lida went to Federal court in Pittsburgh demanding an accounting from trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
s of alimony and trust funds held for her and her son. She claimed the trustees had been negligent in collecting the money and interest
Interest
Interest is a fee paid by a borrower of assets to the owner as a form of compensation for the use of the assets. It is most commonly the price paid for the use of borrowed money, or money earned by deposited funds....
of the trust funds which totalled $772,779.
An Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
(IRS) appeals board in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
ruled on 12 January 1938 that Lida owed no back income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
es on amounts she received under an agreement with her first husband at the time of their divorce settlement in 1907. The appeals board further ruled that alimony payments to a former spouse were considered a "household expense" and therefore could not be deducted on income tax returns.
Lida and her son John Purcell Fitzgerald carried their appeal against the trustees of two trust funds in their names at the Second National Bank to the United States Supreme Court on an injunction restraining them from proceeding in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania sits in Pittsburgh, Erie, and Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is composed of ten judges as authorized by federal law. The Honorable Judge Gary L. Lancaster is currently Chief Judge of the Western Pennsylvania District...
.
She was later also entangled in a lengthy court battle in which she attempted to have the marriage of one of her adult sons annulled.
Death and estate settlement
Following several years of hospitalization, she died in New York City at the age of 90 on 6 December 1965, intestate. In November 1972, Judge James A. Reilly issued a decree, which approved the final accounting of Lida's million-dollar estate and ordered that it be divided between her two surviving sons: Gerald Purcell Fitzgerald, Jr. of New York City and Edward Purcell Fitzgerald of Titusville, New JerseyTitusville, New Jersey
Titusville is an unincorporated area located within Hopewell Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. The area includes a post office with its own ZIP code , a small village of homes, and a large park dedicated to George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River in...
. At its final accounting, Lida's estate totaled $1,288,123.40, leaving a balance of $659,333.31 after tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
es. Her possessions included residences, properties, cash
Cash
In common language cash refers to money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins.In bookkeeping and finance, cash refers to current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-immediately...
, stocks
Stocks
Stocks are devices used in the medieval and colonial American times as a form of physical punishment involving public humiliation. The stocks partially immobilized its victims and they were often exposed in a public place such as the site of a market to the scorn of those who passed by...
and bond
Bond (finance)
In finance, a bond is a debt security, in which the authorized issuer owes the holders a debt and, depending on the terms of the bond, is obliged to pay interest to use and/or to repay the principal at a later date, termed maturity...
s, valuable antique furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
, Venetian glass
Venetian glass
Venetian glass is a type of glass object made in Venice, Italy, primarily on the island of Murano. It is world-renowned for being colourful, elaborate, and skillfully made....
, painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s and statuary, china, porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, and two wardrobe
Wardrobe
A Wardrobe is a cabinet used for storing clothes.Wardrobe may also refer to:* Wardrobe , a full set of multiple clothing items* Wardrobe , part of royal administration in medieval England...
s full of fur coats. Many of Lida's valuables were stored for years in a downtown Uniontown warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
and some had been in storage in a London warehouse since the closing of her home there in 1914. Most of the valuables were sold at auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
in 1966.