The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-01-23
From ahe Cincinnati Enquirer.

From The Cincinnati Enquirer.
Death Of Ex-EmperOr Napoleon.
The Ex- Emperor Napoleon III. is
dead There are few names in the
history of the world, and none GER
taiiiy in the generations in which he
lived, WHO will occupy as large a
space in future history. However
men may differ in regard to his abili-
ty or any other point in his character,
the fact cannot be disputed thet he
has played an extraordinary role in
the annals of modern Europe. The,
incidents of his lite almost border on
the romantic, and from them a dozen
first-class romances and dramss could
be written and enacted. We will
briefly recapitulate7 Them: He was
born In the city Of Paris in 1903, and
was, therefore, sixty-fiEe years old at
the time of his death. His father was
Louis Bonaparte, the brother of EN-
peror Napoleon, and his mother was
Hortense, the daughter OF Josephine,
the Empress, by u former Inarriage.
I he marriage of Louis Bonanarte
was forced one. Both the parties In
it were engaged to Others. But Ma
UOlGOIi w dS d lfltlt All 90
pecially after political considerations
entered into it,. He had 10 hope OF
issue by tho Empress Josephine to
succeed him inothe immense position
which chad attained. lie therefore
conceived dhe irlea and in it was Sec
! onded by his wife, of. uniting their
blood by the marriage of her daughter
| to his brothef.d The marriage is said
/ f<s hox h.sk,- "a,
fnneral.x Butthe issue from it, in de-.
fault of any direct heirs, was TO inher-
it Tie throne. OF that marriage,
which after wards turned ont, as might
have been expected, so unfortunate,
Louis Napoleon was tho second child.
When he was born the Emperor was
in the height OF his grandeur. Can
non announced the birth from the
Seine to the Vistula. Althoug h after
ward the Emperor married Marie
Louise, the daughter of the Emperor
of Austria, aud by her had a son, new
ertheless the children OF Louis, as
contingent heirs, were looked after
with interest and anxiety. 1i4t3s
w hen Louis was seven years old
| the Emperor tell, and the towering
hopes of his family seemed to be fin
ally blasted by the battle of Waterloo
and the exile to st. Helena In 1888
the young Prince, by the death of the
Emperor, followed by his son, and by
his (LouisO elder brother, Charles,
became heir of the Napoleon. family.
But the leirship, apparently, was
| nothing but the advantages of a great
name, and from that not of the family
for a quarter OF century had derived
the slightest benefit. Louis Napoleon
alone estimated its power. In 1886,
with q few followers. he made rash
descent upon France, striking for the
imperial crown,,at the military fort
ress of StrasbIrg. The conspiracy
spread through the army, and but tor
an accident it would have succeeded.
AS it was, he was taken, and, by great
! leniency on the part OF the Govern
ment OF Louis Philippe, was exiled
| for one year. lie came to the United
States, and while here, impressed such
men as Chancellor Kent and Albert
Gallatin with an idea of hiss superior
talents and vast ambition,
Nothing daunted by his failure, he
in 1910 made another effort 10 gain
the throne of his uncle, by a descent
upon the coast at Boulognc. He was
again unsuccessful. was tried before
the Chamber of Peers, and was SEN
senced to imprisonment for life in the
Fortress of Ham. These successive
failures exposed him to Tidicule from
the unthinking, but not from those
| who looked below the surface OF
things. They saw that he was daring
and enterprising, and had great conf
! dence in his destiny. In 1916 he es-
caped from Ham in the disguise of a
workman, and was in England in 1848
when the Revolution broke out. That
| he had not miscalculated the affection
of the French people for his family
was soon apparent. He was elected
! first to the National Assembly, and
| then by an immense majority the
| President of France. He was ineligi-
7 BILE by the Constitution, rre-election
| but managed, by contest with the
| Assembly, to overthrow ii, destroy
| the Constitution, and TO become the
! first President for life, and then En-
| peror. In all history no coup d'etdt
1 was more ably or better carried out.
| That OF his uncle and of Julius Caesar
was not half so well done. This was
on the Sd of December, 1851, and
! from that time until September, 1870,
i W lien he fell, in consequence of the
war with Prussia, he was the Dictator
! Of France and the ruler of Europe.
His reign was connected with the
greatest events. 1t EN- oraced the al
! lance with Great Britain, the humili-
alton tof Russia at Sebastopol, the
freedom of Italy, and its creation into
one5State underlthe King. Of Sardinis,
and the overthrow of Austria. For
tune smiled upon him. Tho Holy AL
\ lance, hich exiled his uncle, was
/ Ebroken up. France doubled its for
| eign trade and trebled its wealth. The
opposition to his power and authority
was of tile most trifiing character.
The country enjoyed a longer reign
of tranquility under him than it had
seen for q hundred years. Not since
the great Emperor was it so powerful
or SO feared by the surrounding ma
tions. Ig~ v{-f
With the circumstances of his fall,
in 1870, it is not necessary here TO al
lnde, for they are within the recollec-
ton of the reader. They took the
world by surprise, and tits hard to
say which created the most astonish-
ment, the elevation or the destruction
: of the Emperor. 1t twas reverses oil
the army abroad that produced the
latter result. But for that-had there
been no; war-the Prince Imperial
would have succeeded his father as
peacefully as the Prince of Wales will
his mother in Great Britain.
But it was in the book of fate, that
like Napoleon L., he should die in ex-
lie. The condolences between him
and his uncle were extraordinary, and
may have caused him to believe that
? he was heheir of destiny. Both were
!, second soma of their father. One was
, forty-fve years old when he lost thu
: Imperial Crown, and the other forty
five when he gained it, Both were
elected Chief Magistrate OF France