The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-02-01
Curious Story about Louis Napoleon In
New York.
from GrahAm's Magazine Of Januaryl

! InOugn III accordance Will eultOr1al custom we
generally refuse all anonymous articles, we have
been induced to relax in favor of the extraordinary
document bearing the above title, and which, IL il
have other merit, can at least claim high rank
the very ne plus ultra OF audacity. We give il pre-
Stunning that our readers may be as much interested
in such singular story as we were, and trust that
such Of the parties named in it as have bona tide
existence will pardon the mention made of them IN
| the text.
| In the year 1851 became acquainted in the city
| of New York. with woman named Louise Mercier,
| and whom l thought to be a native Of Belgium,
though she was generally known French Louise.
| She about forty years of age, possibly more,
| and person of intelligence and great vivacity OF
manners. In the Spring of 1858 again met her in
New Orleans. Here she was taken sick. and at the
request of friend visited her several times. She
| was very fond of recalling her adventures in New
| York. all of which, az told by her, struck me as
| being generally founded on facts but also as
greatly exaggerated, she being given to repre-.
| senting herself as heroine and the subject of
strange adventures The following was her most
remarkable narrative. At the time did not believe
word of it, but having subsequently amused myself
by imagining its possibility was amazed, on inves
tigating the matter to find the degree to which it
| was confirmed by facts And it is indeed the
strongest point in the story that Louise MERCER, who
| was ignorant, could not have been acquainted with
any of these facts. Her story and my own observa-
tons on it are as follOws:-
"She stated that twenty years ago she kept a
saloon in Grand street well known to the frequenters
of such places of resort 1t the nightly rendez-
OF the prOigate of both sexes. In addition to
the public bar where refreshments sold, there
were apartments above, where private parties could
be served with supper; that amongst the frequenters
and patrons of her saloon of the most constant
was the French Prince, Louis Napoleon, the son of
Louis Bonaparte, and nephew Of the great Napoleon.
| She said that he in the habit of entering into
conversation with all the girls who used the saloon
and of treating them to supper and other
| freshments that lattery, that is about the
midCle of the summer of 1887, he seemed to
have become very intimate with two girls in
1 49, Intl, 10
| and the police, one of whom was a Bayonnaise or
| Spanish Jewess from Bayonne, known by the name
| of Josetna Ballabo, but whose real name she be-
| Eeved to be Julia ", and the other was a French
| Canadian, who was Familiarity known by the soubr
! quet of Petite or Little and of whose real name
| she was ignorant. He was generally accompanied
| by young man, with whom he had made acquant-
ance at the saloon. and who was also an associate of
| these two girls This young man strongly resembled
| the prince in person and manners, about the
| same age, and spoke French perfectly. Mrs. Mer-
cier, in fact, for a long time believed him to be
| Frtnchman, until he on one occasion told her he
was a Yankee, native OF Boston, in Massachusetts,
| but that he bad been taken to France when very
young and educated there. and had Teen so long in
that country that he could speak the language bet
ter than his own: that she became acquainted with
his real name by picking up a letter which he had
dropped out of his pocket, which addressed to
| Lyman Clotin BOwen-[I presume these two to have
been the names according to her French pronunca-
ton, though they probably mis- spelled land
| when she asked him if it was so, he admitted
the fact: though even then she had some doubt
about it, as he had so many foreign ways with him.
| The four, that is the Prince, the two girls and
! Bowen sometimes engaged private room, where
they ordered supper and spent the night On these
| occasions the Prince and Bowen generally drank
freely and much so, sometimes, that thew had to
| be sent away in carriage in the morning. The
Prince made very little secret to who he was-the
other appeared to have no friends in New York and
she never knew what his means were, whether he
was in business not, or how be supported himself
she set him down as one OF those men who to be
found in every large city who live by their wits and
by the want of wit in others.
| One night, she believed it was about the begin
ming Of August, the Prince came to the bar. where
she was serving; he had evidently been drinking
and was accompanied by the two girls and Bowen,
and called for some drink for the party-after stand
room they usually preierred-where they called for
wine and cards. The wine was rep!enished
several times, and the party had been
there about three hohrs-when Bowen suddenly
frame trembling with excitement, and begged her
to come up stairs instantly for the Prince had been
seized with a violent lit. She ran up stairs accord
! ngiy, and found him lying ON the floor his coat
vest and shirt collar of. and his head resting on the
knee of Josefina. who was rubbing his temples with
her hands in distracted state; the other girl was
wringing her hands and exclaiming " oh my God
| he is dead! he's dead how did il happen ~ Mrs.
MERCER felt his pulse and heart and found that both
! had ceased to beat. His hands were cold aud his
! face growing livid: IT was evident he was dead !
in his chair that he suddenly put his hands to his
| heart. and uttered exclamation in French: his
head then dropped, and he would have fallen off the
chair II Josefna had not sprung up and caught him.
They laid him the floor and took of his coat vest
and Northumberland, dashed water in his face and
rubbed his hands and temples but in vain. There
could be no mistake about it-Prnce Louis Napoleon
Bonaparte was dead!
What was 10 be done? An occurrence like
this taking place under such circumstances. and
in house Of this description-the person being
foreigner of such high rank aud notorety,
| filed them all with alarm. II the polioe got
wind Of 10 the whole party would probably be
arrested on a charge OF murder and the saloon bust
ness be ruined The difficulty was got over by
Bowen. who suggested that the body should be con-
ceaed until il could be carried away and disposed
Of; that as he strongly rescmbed the Prince in man
ners and appearance he should take possession of his
watch and whatever other articles about him,
return 20 the Princes lodgings. shut himself up there
under plea of sickness until he could sail for Eu-
rope-which would be in day or two--that Bowen
then told her for the iist time that the Prince had
few days before received letter urging him 20
tuln Immediately 10 Switzerland IL he wished to see
bis mother again she had been taken dangerously
ILL., and that he had engaged and paid his passage to
Europe la ship that to sail almost directly.
Bowen offered to assist in burying the body, which
was done the next night. II having been placed in
grave dug in the cellar of the next house which
unoccupied
II was the interest Of all to keep the secret; but
Bowen told her that he intended TO sail in the ship
a. the Prince-that he would contrye take leave Of
a. few people as possible and that he meant TO try
his luck In Europe in his new character-and
added that If anything good came of il
he would remember her and the girls,
and do something handsome for them.
How he managed to deceive his landlady she didn't
know bat he did-and not only her but the ser
wants Of the house and others-and sailed for En-.
rope.
She never heard directly from him for many
many years but she read In the newspapers that his
mother. Queen Hortensc, had died either Just before
or Just after his arrival in Switzerland she forgot
which lat -he thought IL a singular slice Of luck
a. he would certainly have been found out IL the
Queen had not been 50 sick 20 De unable to dis
tnguish clearly who near her. She remember
ed the riot at Boulogne and how he got sent 10
prison for life. and was locked up in the Castle OF
Ham and she had Ut one time thought OF calling on
NJ. Wikon 10 inquire about him. ~ she heard that
gentleman had been TO see him in his dungeon--but