Above: The Vetsera residence at Salesianergasse 11 in Vienna, where Mary Vetsera and her parents lived from 1880.

Source: Planet Vienna: Palais Vetsera.

12. The Pursuit (continued)

After collecting her wits at the Grand Hotel, the Countess steeled herself to go back empty-handed to the Vetsera home. Here she found Helene, Mary's sister Hanna and Mary's uncle, Alexander Baltazzi, all of them distraught over Mary's disappearance and embroiled in an emotional scene.

Baltazzi had decided to talk to Krauss himself and he asked the Countess to accompany him since as Empress Elisabeth's niece she could get information that would be denied to a commoner. The Countess had no desire for another interview with Krauss but she reluctantly agreed,

Krauss told Baltazzi that he could not act without an official request from a family member. But he also warned that official involvement by the police would be hard to keep out of the newspapers. If the family wanted to avoid scandal he advised waiting until Mary came home of her own accord.

Krauss frankly admitted that his authority did not extend outside Vienna and that he would have to abandon his investigation as soon as it ran up against Rudolf or any other member of the imperial family.

By now Baltazzi had learned that Rudolf was at Mayerling. Krauss advised him to go to Mayerling himself to see if Mary had accompanied Rudolf there, but the evidence shows that Baltazzi decided against this and stayed in Vienna

Nevertheless the Mayerling mythology includes lurid tales of a violent confrontation between Rudolf and Baltazzi. In some versions Baltazzi kills Rudolf and in other versions Rudolf kills Baltazzi.