The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-03-07
Napoleon's Wandering Heir.

| For years it has been universally be-
lieved that the direct line of the " Lit
| tie Corporal" became extinct in the per-
| son of the unfortunate prince, and,
| although various rumors relative of a
secret marriage were prevalent at the
| time of his decease, they were gener-
ally regarded as the creations of an
idle brain. Events which have subse-
quently transpired give these reports a
semblance of truth, and, to render
them still more plausible, it is a we'll
known fact that the late Emperor of the
French spared neither expense nor
labor in forming a complete collection
of the correspondence and private pa
pers of "te fills de thOn1n1e."
It appears, however, that these writ
ings were not the only links which uni
ted the present with the past; for, in
the summer of 1871, an individual, who
bore an extremely striking likeness to
the Ronaparte family, made his appear
ance at Ischl, and was fined by the dis
tr1ct court and expelled from the Aus.
trian dominions for having made an
Objectionable entry in his wander
book"-a sort of journeyman's pass
port. He was tailor by trade, and,
for several years previous to this occur
renee, had been living at Wurzen, in
the kingdom of Saxony, and also al
Stuttgardt, under the name of Charles
Gustave Ludwig, and in both of these
places he had distinguished himself by
his diligence, skill, and modesty. His
intimate acquaintances affirmed that, IN
spite of his humble occupation, he had
always asserted his claim to the name
and title of Prince Joseph Eugene Ma
poleon Bonaparte, and, according to his
own account, it would seem as if he
was an issue of a secret marriage of the
Duke of Reichstadt with a Hungarian
countess. He stated that, when quite
young, his mother was induced by
Prince Metternich to apprentice him to
a tailor In Wurzen named Ludwig, as
means of getting rid of him, and in
order to facilitate her second marriage
in Saxony. As further proof of his
origin, he declared that there was an
author then living at Leipsic, but for
merly a Hungarian officer, who had
been witness to the marriage, and
who would, if it ever became necessary
for him to make known his rank and
title, supply him with the requisite
documents in order to compel the coun-
tess to recognize his birth and parent
age. After leaving Stuttgardt, he
travelled through Germany, Switzer-
land, and part of Austria, earning his
livelihood as tailor, and maintaining
his claim to princely rank, but never
attempting to obtain money or credit
by it. On returning to Stuttgardt, i'll
November of the same year, he found
that his conviction and punishment had
been mentioned in the papers of that
place, and he accordingly published an
explanation in the Burger Zeitu'lg, in
which he affirmed that he was not pun
ished for claiming his name and title,
his right to which the court at Ischl
had in no wise disputed, but merely for
writing it of his own accord i'll his pass
port before he had succeeded in estab-
fishing his identity before a court of
law. The reputed prince is still living,
and the CrOSs,--one of the leading
newspapers of Germany,-in an article
written at the time, states that not only
does he bear a good character for his
steadiness and general good conduct,
but he also produces a very favorable
impression by his manners.-Scribner's.