Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1843-02-03
THE EMP. LESS JDSEpnINE

The history OF the Empress Josephine.
had been very ~re~markable She was
oOrC in the West indies, aud ttskal ear
y been pro2hecied By an old nerress,
that she shou d lose her first husband.
be extremely unfortunate, but she shou &
afterwards b. greater than a.queen.
THE author heard the prophecy long
before Napo cons eva.ion TO the
throne, from tle late Countess.of An
cram, who WIS educated an the same
convent wish josephine, and had repeat.
edly heard her men ion he c~lrcumsian-
ces in early YOUTH This prophecy,
the authenticity OF which IS placed. be
You'd a doubt, was fulfilled in the mos,
singular manner. Her first husbund
Alexander BeuuharRoiS, a general orths
army on the Rhine, had been %guiHotined
during the reign Of terror: aud she her.
self, who was aso imprisoned at tho
same time, was only saved from impend
Ing death by thn.fGl Of R~obespierre. So
strongly was the prophecy impressed on
her mind that while lying IN the dun
geon OF Con crgerle, expecting every
hour 10 be su nmOLed To the re, olutiona-
ry tribunal, she mentioned it to her Eel.
low Priscuers;lnd To amuss Them, named
some Of them as lndiIs of The bed cham
Der, n Jest which she afterwards lived to
realize on one Of rh"ir.number.
Josephine her elf narrated this extra.
ordinary passage in her life, in the fol-
loving terms, IN her memoirs. -
"One morning the jailor entered the
chamber where | s-ept,with the Duchess
d'Aguii.on and two other ladies. and
told me he was going to take my mat.
treSs 10 give II to another prisoner.
Why said d'AguIllon eagerly. will no,
Madam INSTANTANEOUS obtain a better
one: No, no, he replied, with q fend
lSh smile, she will have no neeI of one.
Tor she Is about TO be ed TO the ConcIer.
ge-le, and thence, &c. the guillotine. a,
these words; my companions.in misfor.
tune uttered piercing shricks. conso
led them as well as | could: md IT length
worn cut with their erernal lamenta.
tons, told hat their grief was utterly
IN unreasonable; that not only | should not
die, but live TO be Queen of Fran:e.-
why then do you not name your maids
Of honor. said Madame d'AguilIon,irrita
ted at su"h expressions nj such q mo
meat. Very true, said Ii dad not thiL.k
OF tnst;well my dear, / make YOU one
OF taem. Upon this the tears Of one of
hese lad es fell apace, for they never
doubted | vas mad. But the truth was.
! was net gifted with any extraordinary
courage, but internally persuaded OF the
truth Of lheoracle.
MADAME d'Aguillon soor after be
came unwell, and | drew her towards
| tho WIntlntu Nuhaoh - 9.
through the bars a little fresh air |
there perceiveda poor woman who knew
US, and who was making number OF
sign s,which first could not understand
She constantly held zap her gown,( robe.
and seeing she had some object in view,
! called out robes, TO which she answer
cd yes. She then lifted up a stone and
PIT 1t IN her lap. whica she lifted up q
second time, | called out ''pierie.' IIp
on watch she cvinced he greatest Joy.
PerceIving that her signs were under
stood. J"ining then tie stone ia hcr
rob:, she eagerly initiated the motion o.
cutting offthc neck, and immediItely be
gan TO dance and .eV;ncc the most extray.
aSant JOY. This singular pantomine
awakened IN our minds a vague hope
that possibly RobcSpIcrrc might be- no
more.
AT this moment, when we were float
ing between hope and fear, we heard a
great noise in the corridor, and the ter RI
BILE voice OF our jailor, who said TO his
dog, and giving him at the same time q
KICK, "G,t out, you cursed Robespiere.r
hat coarse phrase at once taught to u.
that we had nothing 10 fear, and thai
France was sayed."-AkiSon's History oJ
Europe.