The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-01-20 00:00:00

ARREST OF PRINCE NAPOLEON.

The walls of Paris in several parts were found to be
placarded on Tuesday morning by a Manifesto, signed
"NAPOLEON," which attacked the Government on the
score of incapacity. A Cabinet Council assembled,
and directrsd the arrest of Prince Napoleon. The fol-
lowing particulars respecting the Prince's arrest are
given:—

The Pr:nca had breakfasted at home, 20, Avenue
d'Antin, and had gene out for a drive. He had no
idea of there being anything to fear. On his carriage
re•entering the archway, at two, a dozen men were
awaiting him inside. One of them shut the gate,
while another, putting on his badge, went up and said,
"Prince, I am instructed to arrest you.' "Have
you a warrant?" asked the Prince. "Yes, here it
is," said Commissary Clement prodvcing it. The
Prince glanced at it and said, "Did you not arrest me
in 1872?" "Yes, Prince." "So it is your special
function to arrest me. However, we cannot stop in this
archway; come up to my study." Meanwhile Baron
Brunet, secretary and aide-de-camp, Count Benedetti,
M. Adelon, and M. Maurice Richard, friends who
happened to be there, came down and persuaded M.
Clement to go up with the Prince pending the arrival
of 04-magistrate, M. Benoist.
The latter soon arrived and commenced a brief
interrogatory. "Do you acknowledge the author-
ship of the placard ? " "Yes." "Do you accept
the responsibility of it ? " " Quite so," "Was
it your intention to change the form of Govern,
meet ? " "No, my intention was merely to
improve it." "Did you mean to excite hatred of
the Government?" "No." "Can you give me the
draft of your manifesto?" "If I am obliged, yes."
"Then please give it me, and sign the interrogatory."
The Prince did so, and was asked to go down into the
carriage, M. Clement accompanying him. The magi&
trate stayed behind either to make an immediate or
an ulterior search. Meanwhile.the Prince was taken
to the Conciergerie, where arrangements had been
made to receive him, and where he arrived at 3.30.

At, the Chamber, in the evening, the -Minister of
Justice, in answer to questions, defended the course
taken by the Government, and the Government was
sustained upon a division by 417 to 89. M. Floquet
introduced a bill to exclude from French territory
Algeria and the Colonies, the members of all families
that had reigned in France; and, urgency having
been declared for it by a majority of 328 to 11?, the
Home adjourned.

Writing on Tuesday night the Paris Correspondent
of the Standard says :
There is a good deal of excitement on the Boulevard's
to•night, both respecting the arrest and the proposal
of M. Fb.quet for a law exiling the Orleans Princes,
for, although their names are not mentioned, the pro-
posed measure is applicable only to them and to the
members of the 'Bonaparte family. If the Bill in-
troduced by M. Floquet became law, it would exile
the follnwing Princes :—The Count de Paris: the
Duke de Chartres, who is Colonel of the 12th Regi.
ment of Chasseurs ; the Duo de Nemours ; his son,
the Count d'Alencon, who is a Captain in the
Artillery ; the Duke d'Aumale ; Prince Roland
Bonaparte, who is Captain in an Infantry Regi•
ment ; and the two.sons of Prince Napoleon, one of
whom is now a one year volunteer in an Artillery
Regiment.

The Paris Correspondent of the Daily Tele9raph,
writing on Tuesiday night, says :—I have just re-
turned from a second visit to the Avenue d'Antin,
where I found a number of Prince Napoleon's friends
discussing the events of the day. The Prince is at
the Conciergerie, the governor of which prison has,
it appears, acted towards his prisoner with all the
consideration consistent with the strictest obser-
vance of his duties. The Prince, being charged
with a criminal offence, is kept rigidly au secret—
that is to say, he is allowed to have no communica-
tion whatever with the outside world pending his
further examination by the Jnge d'lnstruction. The
Government will find themselves placed on the horns
of a dilemma by their action. If they do not release
the Prince, a course which would be tantamount to a
confession of weakness, they must try him publicly in
an ordinary court, or if his rank as a Knight Grand
Cross of the Legion of Honour really entitle him, as
some of his friends appear to believe, to special privi-
leges, before some higher tribunal, and the result of the
trial may be a'signal defeat. One thing only is certain
about the matter, namely, that the new press law
leaves it open to any French citizen to publish or
placard any document on his own responsibility, sub-
ject to the provisions of the penal code. It is thought
by Prince Napoleon's friends that M. Floquet's
Bill will be passed, and that, as. it will have imme-
diate effect, it will enable the Government to get
out of the present difficulty. Not only will Prince
Napoleon himself be expelled the country in this
case, but Prince Victor, who is now serving
with his battery at Orleans' and Prince Louis, who
was living with his father in Paris, will also be exiled.
The first effect of the manifesto has been to attract to
the Prince all those adherents of Bonapartism who
have latterly held aloof from him under the notion
that he had practically abdicated his natural position
as head of the Imperial dynasty. The Bonapartists
thus once more form a campace body, which the
Government of the Republic must in futute take into
account.