Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-08-25
QDblo Statesrlrarr,
Assassination of the Duke of
D., Parma. .i..,,,..
BY ALEXANDER DUMAS.

of King Jerome (Bonaparte) at QuartO
near Florence. Some of the most eminent
people of Tuscany were at the table: Prince
COrsini, Don Neri Corsini, his brother, and
old Fossombroni the latter is the saine per-
son Napoleon found Minister in Tuscany,
and who so Sstonished him by the grandeur
ofhis ideas. Napoleon said, as he left him,
"He Is a. giant in closet" '',--j -Hll
Prince Corsiniwas the granddaughter of
Pope Corsini--Lorenzo XlI.a He. was an
old man of seventy, very fond of dress, and
painted his face just as our lOrettes do. He
was to be met every night I'm the streets Of
Florence, after the reception and assemblies
of the evening were, ended, dressed in
white duck or some light-coIored cloth, a
small blue coat with gilt buttons, aribbOn
around his neck, and an enormous pOsegay1
in his waistcoat. When he met any acquaint7
ance, he drew down his straw, hat towards
the passer, as if he desired to conceal his
face; but he hoped, il the latter met him
next day, he would be guilty of the ami
able indiscretion of saying ''Where were
you going past one O'Clock, last night, with
a nose-gay in your waistcoat, Prince? All!
I'recognized youp VI ''' .''.'"''I '...'
The Prince would deny that hewa the
man, he would shake, his head, and play
the comedy OF the, discreet man. 1t was
curious study.
He was, notwithstanding all this, a man
of talents. His brother was Minister of the
Grand Duke and Prince COrsini, as well as
the Grand Duke, held the intellectual
powers of his brother in the greatest con-
tempt. Whenever the Grand Duke COM
planned to him of the way in which pOliti-
cal affairs were managed, the Prince would
reply: 'It is not astonishing, your High
ness, when you keep such jackass as my
brother, Don Neri, for your Minister" -"
| So | was dining, as | have said, at King
JerOme's table, with all these great digni-
taries of the Tuscan Court, when Don Neri
who hohored me with particular atten-
tion, which was all the more courteous on
his part, as he held in his hands the Minis.
ters of the Interior and of War-asked me
from the other end of the table: "Are you
going to the Lucca Baths this year, Mr.
Dumas 2" ~ n'"fn-fgu f u. 20
"Yes, think so, your Excellency." ..I
"lf you do, you had better take care of
yourself"
"Why SOP" ' a"-'n. ,1e
"Because there is on the road between
Lucca and the baths the bOldest highway
man we have seen in Tuscany this many a
year." u .... 3D.
"Bah! what is his name ?" .... =,
"NorcinO." '.i
San admirable brigand's name."
"Would you believe, that rascal carries
his impudence so far as to go to mass every
Sunday in his village church"
Every Sundays" ..
"He doesn't miss one." 30
"Why don't you capture him then| .
"'Tis impossible! The fellow is always
armed =" .... . alall
This reply, in the mouth of Minister of
War, rather corroborated the opinion Prince
Corsini expressed about his brother.
A short time afterwards we heard that
the terrible Norcino had been captured by
the Duke of Lucca's carabineers. These car
abineers formed a singular army at that
epoch in Italy. 1t consisted solely Of Cor
sicans, who had Killed man at home, and
who had instantly leaped into the great
wake made by vessels plying from Bastia to
Meghorn, to come to Lucca and enter the
Dukes service.
% l was well acquainted with the Duke of
Lucca. He reigned under the title of
Charles II, and was a man of great talents.
His subjects would have been the happiest
people on earth, if the taxes theypaid could
have proved sufficient for the expenses of
the Duke. Unfortunately, he was a Bour-
bon of the Spanish race, and sustained the
honor of his family by spending twice his
revenue, One dayI was still in bed, when
the servant announced, not His Highness,
Duke Charles the III, but the Duke of LUG
ca. put on slippered pantaloons and a
dressing-goWn, and ran tony drawing
room, began to offer excuses. 80,
He stopped me short, saying, have
come to ask Of you a favor. You have a
right to receive me as you -please.p .plfl
l expressed to the Duke the delight it
gave me to think | had it in my power to
"You are going to leave for France to- o
morrow"
eyes, your Highness.n
"Then be so good as to take this portrait,
and have it lithographed,p .-,,a = .I....-
He gave me water-color drawing,
which represented the features of an old
scholar, who was teaching him Sanscrit. q
The Duke of Lucca was a man of tickle
Imagination, who often pursued for fort
night studies which required whole years
of persevering labor. Sanscrit was one OF
those studies! brought the portrait of the
Dukes Sanserit-master to France with me.
l carried it to the. only man who could
make me alithograph of the drawing with
out losing its haracter-Amaury Duval.
This was, | believe, in 1S41. Amaury Du-
val was then at the commencement of his
career, and even then he had the reputa-b
tion of being one of M. Ingre's best pupils. q
/ said to him, "What will you charge me,
my dear friend, to make a lithograph of this ,
pr;rtraitPnl @ NV i''i1g 2 TlL 'aUli
-b'oIf it is for you, nothing. Ifit is for /.
anybody else, 500" .elt.I ...,..,- .... .a
/ / drew $40 out of my pocket, saying,
MY dear fellow, it is for the Duke of Luc-
ca, and he is able to pay twice as much as a
plain citizen. ...,,...
ogTabh. L carried it to the Duke. He was
delighted with it, and exclaimed it was al /
together too cheap, HeneveTrtheless did not
offer to repay me. n, .,.,,, o,,,l,...... ....,
4 A month afterwards | received visit,
not from the Duke of Lucca, but from his
Minister of Foreign Affairs. He said to
me, "M. Dumas, his Highness has charged
me with the agreeable commission OF anr
inouncing to you he has made you a, Grand
He sends Won the cross and the letters pat-a
ent. AS for the $40, due as fees, he begs
YOU willinOtthink of them.'' ynl si voL
! The Duke of Lucca had not dared to take,
out of his purse and pay me back In my
hand the $40, and he, contriyeds this most
Iprincely way of paying the debt he owed
lme. . LIt was Impossible to be at the, same
time more gracious and more delicate.
/ went IN turn to thank the Duke Of 14ueli
ca oHe was III bed. 10 When 1 sent in 1lyO
name he ordered me to beintroduced in his
chamber. There were two volumes on the,
stand. by his bedside, He quickly conceal,
ed one. but allowed the other to remain on
the table. After a few moments dohtersa-
tion, he said ''Do you know my sonP"
0t1 have nOttha honor!5gga Il g .gQ
He rang q bell, and when a, servant, APP
peared, he said to him, send Charles