Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-02-11
city omeial Journal,
.Poor oasrrio,sa."

the foreign papers a report OF the deat
of Carloita, who, for brief period, oc
cupied the fatal eminence OF Empress
Of Mexico, as wife Of the unfortunate
Maximilian. These reports are usually
contradicted the next day. The prac
tice has been going on for the last 6y
years. and probably no one has been b
often reported dead as this unhappy
lady. As concerns herself il probably
matters little 10 her how often such re
ports are set about, as her mind hal
been completely Frustrated by the an
guish she has undergone; but TO thos'
who are related to her. or attached 4
her from personal sympathy, these an
nouncements must cause much pain; bu
that does not seem 10 enter into the con
alteration Of those who originate the re
ports. Her story is a sad one, but tn,
details Of the crisis Of il were, until
lately, known only to few. However
in work recently published in Paris
entitled lie Dernier des Napoleon,
the fatal interview between her and the
Emperor Napoleon is reported at full
length, and il is not surprising that hel
warm and impnlsive nature succumbed
TO grief when she perceived that her be
loved husband was to be sacrificed. The
authorship of this very able and incisivt
book has been attributed TO Count
Beust; but there is internal evidence Il
show that the author is partisan of the
Legitimists, and Frenchman, and not
an Austrian; a remorseless foe TO the
Bonapartistes, and especially to the
late Emperor, who, having been sum
moHed to his account, can no longer be
affected by what is said Of him.
The Empress Carlotta, as she is
commonly called. is the third child
and only daughter of the late Leopold
/, King of the Belgians, by his
second wife, the Princess Louise,
daughter of Louis Philippe, King
of the French. She was born on the
7th of June, 1910. On the 9th of July,
1857, she married the Arohduke Fred
eric Maximilian, brother of the present
ruler of that Empire. With him, at his
beautiful palace of Miramar, on the
northern shore Of the Adriatic, she
passed several years Of unalloyed happi
ness, and would probably have contin'
ued to do so to the present time had not
her husband been tempted, in an evil
hour, to accept the offer of the Mexican
crown, and to embark in an expedition
that proved fatal TO those who planned
Il. Napoleon, finding that il the inva'
sion and conquest of Mexico was perse.
vered in he would be embroiled with us,
gave orders for the withdrawal of the
French army, leaving Maximilian to his
fate. 1t was then that the unfortunate
Prince fully comprehended the danger
of his position, and he at once sent
Carlotta to France to demonstrate
with Napoleon, aud probably to
provide for her safety. When she Jar
rived in Paris she put up at the Grand
Hotel and sent word to the Emperor Of
her arrival. No notice being taken Of
her, she went to the palace of st. Cloud,
where he was staying, and had an inter.
view with Him, explaining the situation
and imploring help. He listened coldly,
and said he would give her an answer on
the morrow. The next day he called on
her at the hotel, and informed her that
be could do nothing to help her husband,
Casting herself at his feet, she exerted
all her powers of persuasion, butin vain.
He simply replied: 1t is useless,
madam; not another man nor another
frame" and left the room. Then (says
the author of lie Dernier des Napo-
leon she followed him down the stairs
in a perfect frenzy, furiously yociier-
ating, II know you now, you butcher
Of my family And this is the way you
yreak your vengeance on the grand
daughter of Louis Philippe, of him who
supplied you with food and money when
you had nonel Be off and may God
curse you as he did Cain" She fell faint
ing on the floor, When removed to her
bed room she was raving, and it was but
too evident that her reason had given
away under the cruel blow thus inflicted
OH her hopes. Her friends carried her
to Italy, to the Vatican, hoping to re-
store her by change of scene and cli-
mate. but their efforts, though at first
apparently successful, were entirely
foiied by the news of the death of Maxi
milan. Since that hour the poor prin-
cess has lived on in state of confirmed
insanity, and all the time lowering be-
tween life and death, thus Offering an
excuse to the rumor-mongers to ocea-
sionally announce her deeease. The
author of the work above referred to
mentions it as ourious fact, that Mar
shal Bazaine, who was sent out TO Mex
leo to fight Juarez, actually married a
very rich lady there, a relative of Jnarez.
The world will probably agree with the
author in thinking this curious, to say
the least of it. l..