Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1868-03-26

the A9paalA OF tho - hst hApAAe
nisaRlhropie Son Of Napoleon Bona
pArus in a Partisan HOvel.
The death Of the Countess Leon, Coun-
tess de Luxembourg, once the glass OF evil
fashion and the mould Of immortal form,
has been regarded as an event during the
week, perhaps for want Of better. The
history of the lady would be possessed Of
no greater element Of interest than that
already usurped by one or two of the sister,
hood, were It not that she enjoyed the ad-
ditional privilege Of having been proclaim
ed 1.-THE second Fupress Of the first EN-
pire p Denelle Leonie Laplaigne, who
has lust died in obscurity, was once, il-
deed, the second lady in the land Her
story belongs to its own time, and has
naught to do with ours, and must there
fore, be judged according to the standard
by which we are wont to measure the
heroines of the novels of that day.
The great Napoleon had his little mo-
ments ike ordinary mortals, and in one Of
these he consented to honor the establish
ment he had founded at st. Denis for the
daughters Of members Of the Legion Of
Honor, and of which he had just
made the highly respectable Madam Cam
pan the lady president. The visit was
made upon a solemn occasion. The hero
had Just returned from one of bis great
campaigns, and all honor was Of course TO
be exhibited toward the victor. And when
he entered the great gates and beheld the
immense colonnade all lined with fair
young girls attired all 10 white, each hold
ing a wreath of laurel to be thrown at his
feet, instead of the frowsy old monks,
armed with their brown old brevities, for
whom all these rare marble and chiselled
stone had been invested in the origin, it
cannot create wonder that his heart should
have been moved, and that it should have
been open to to the first soft impression
which afforded. This was soon produced,
for at the end of the colonnade there stood
the fairest girl Of all, chosen by cunning
old Campan for her grace and beauty,
holding In her uplifted hands crown Of
fresh green laurel, Just cut from the bushes
in the garden. This crown was to be
dropped upon the bust of the great man,
all gilt, as he drew near; but whether she
had not sufficiently well rehearsed her
part, or whether she had rehearsed 1t too
well, is not known; but, instead Of perform
ing the movement according to the pro-
gramme, the beautiful Leonie remained. as
II trans6xed, with her arms extended,
showing their beautiful rounded form to
the best advantage, and her complexion
displayed the most dazzling tints beneath
the fresh green laurel wreath. Little
recked the hero at that moment, Of all the
homage to his fame and glory to be eG-
hibited by the girls Of Saint Denis. He
gazed upon the beautiful Leonie for mo
ment, while she sank at his feet as if in
confusion at the complete fiascO che had
made of the scene prepared beforehand.
Madame Campan's tact and cleverness, be-
sides Madame Campan's entire devotion to
the Bonapartes, which quite equaled her
entire devotion to the BouTbOns, sharpen
cd her sagaeity; and soon after the lovely
Leonie La Plaigne had disappeared from
Saint Denis, and was transplanted to
the genial regions of the Chaussee d
Autin. s5lii st
The functions of the new favorite were
not, however, confined to the mere task Of
pleasing her master, but she was deemed
fitting instrument to assist In the great
work then going forward. 'Ieonie Is fitted
only for expense and display writes the
Emperor TO Fouche. She must be en-
ployed to receive the secondary class Of
diplomates and attaches suns aveu, whose
presence would not be desirable at the
Tuileries, and who, nevertheless, must not
be permitted to clamor for amusement. Let
the Countess Leonie, therefore, be permit |
ted 10 spend as much as ever she may
chose upon her suppers and receptions.
Remember that they are given by me, and |
are intended to represent q far greater |
value than ten fold their cost. And thus |
was Leonie La Plaigne placed in position |
Of the most dazzling brilIiancy-more
responsible than that OF the Empress her
self, her diamonds more brilliant, her
equipage more splendid, and her attrac-
tions 70 her salon much greater. She had
given birth to son, moreover, which cir
clmstance to q woman Of any ambition or
genius would have opened new horizon;
but Leonie was unfortunately weak and
frivolous, caring for nothing but the pass.
ing moment, and went through her career,
ofmad extravaganza without one thought
Of the morrow, until the downfall Of her
Imperial lover drove her into obscurity,
into which she sank deeper and deeper
still, until we find her dying Of actual pri-
vaion, self-imposed, 1t Is true, for the Sec
ond Empire which found her in want had
generously accorded her q pension sufii-
cient for her maintenance. But the lesson
taught by adversary had acted upon her
weak mind with such intensity that the
dread Of starvation had seized upon her
imagination and become the idee fxe In |
which she INDUCED. After the reckless ex-
penditure other youth, the abject poverty
other old age conveys moral which pos |
sesses some value.
Her son, known by the name Of Count |
Leon, shares with Count Walewski the |
honor Of being the acknowledged offspring
ofthe great Napoleon. The likeness be |
bears to his Imperial father is 90 striking. |
that he has more than once been accosted |
in the streets by artists, who, presuming
upon his ragged appearance, have imagin- |
cd that he would be happy to earn living
BY model for the battle pieces always iD |
hand for the Government. Il Is not long
since the intriguers Of the Tuileries were
anxious to setup rival against the in
triguers Of the Palals Royal, but they
found the Count impracticable. He had
quarreled with the dynasty in 1852, had
set himself upas . Red Republican candi-
date for the election az st. Denis, where
he resides, and bad limited IN his profession
De foi at the possibility Of being named as