The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-06
"Poor Carlotta ,u
From The Herald.

From The Herald.
"Poor Carlotta ~ Macmillan was shot
faced to the front. His last words were "Poor
Carlottal" How tender and touching is this
convincing illustration of the manly and gene
rOus nature of the fallen Emperor Abandoned
by France, betrayed by Mexican follower,
tried by military tribunal of his implacable
enemies, condemned to death, and brought
out for execution, all interpretations in his
behalf from the representatives of foreign
powers having failed, this distinguished victim
of Napoleon's grand idea" would have been
justified had he devoted his last moments in
denouncing the contrivers of his destruction,
and the barbarians thirsting for his blood, and
in deploring his untimely fall, in the strength
of his manhood and his hopes. But Macmillan
was man of larger breadth of mind and
heroism than this. He had deliberately cast
his life into the scales in defense of his en-
pire, he had pledged his word in the name of
his imperial house at Hapsburg to fight it out
with his enemies, and, like true soldier, he
was prepared for this last disaster. He recog-
nized his fate as resulting from the fortunes of
war, and had neither denunoiations nor regrets
on his own account to make. Like the dying
gladiator at Rome:-
"He reck'd not of his life, nor of the prize,
His heart was home, and that was far away"
Face to face with his remorseless execu-
tioners, awaiting but the word to ''fre ~ all
thoughts of his lost empire and his low estate
gave way to those endearing memories and
sweet affections which had linked his life, his
happiness, his fate, and his ambition with
''poOr Carlotta ~ As to a drowning man
numerous events of his past life, running
through many years of time, are wildly re-
produced in few heeting seconds, so to this
victim OF Mexican vengeance were, no doubt,
recalled in the last moments of his earthly ex-
saA, IL III
young, beautiful gifted, accomplished and
devoted wife, whereby he had become so
fascinated with his Mexican empire, and
his hopes of the Mexican people, that
he could only relinquish them with his life.
'Poor Carlotta ~ Her triumphal JOURNEYS,
her floral receptions, her welcome charities,
her gracious ways, her catholic piety, and her
resistless, womanly gentleness among the sus-
ceptible Mexicans, were all so faithfully de-
voted to his cause as to develop in him the
heroism of the feudal ages. He was her gal
liant knight, equipped by her own fair hands
for glorious crusade; she was his queen of
love and beauty, to whom his word as a sol
dier and his faith as devotee were pledged.
ALI these thoughts in the presence of the
grave, doubtless, recurred TO him as the
memories of golden dream, and from these
and that other thought, that she had hope
fully braved the dangers of the sea and the
doubtful generosity of France in his behalf,
only to be repealed in despair, and to be
doomed to living death, came the inspira-
tion to Maximilian which was expressed in his
last expressive words-"Poor Carlotta 20
Nor is there in the records of history, as the
last words of dying saint or hero, anything
given which appeals so tenderly to our better
nature, to all that beauties and softens the
human character, as these dying words of Maxi
milian-"Poor Carlotta ~ They will crown
in history this fallen man. However mis-
guided he was in his ambition or in his acts as
a ruler, those two words, with all their impress
sive and redeeming associations, will crown
him with the flowers of affection and the
laurels of the hero Had he recited and elo-
quently vindicated every step and every act in
his imperial career, he would have failed to
reach the eloquent defense embodied in his
dying exclamation of "Poor Carlotta |" To
her they will be the words of restoration or
dissolution; for him they are the wreath Of