The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-07-23
A Princess Milliner in Trouble.

a LONDON letter 10 the boston FOSt say
Ii is rather a curious coincidence that just
as Henri Rochefort has once again come
into notice, in a very romantic manner,
. the world should be reminded of the exist
ence of Prince Pierre BOnaparte Your
readers will not have forgotten the tragedy
of which this truculent and uncomfortable
scion of imperial blood was the unenvia-
bic hero few months before the outbreak
OF the Franco-German war. The Prince
was big. Swarthy. grOss-lOOking person.
age, with but little of the NapOleOnic look
about him, who probably gave more trou-
bic to his eminent family Than any other
member of it; being, in fact. the entant
te Tible of the BOnapartes, whose rough
manners, fierce temper and turbulent OBJ
stinacy We're perpetual annoyance to the
late gOod-natured Emperor. SO utterly
incOrrigible was Pierre that, instead of
partaking of the prosperity and disiinc-
tions of the Empire TO which he was so
nearly allied, as did the Pince Napoleon
jerome. Notwithstanding his independence
of character, he WAS forced to live Us pri-
vate person in a far from imposing man.
sion at Auteuil, never appearing at the
Tuileries or in public anywhere that | :
know of, and being, until the affair to
which | refer, as completely forgotten As
his grandfather Lucien, or poor duped
Louis, King of Holland. 1t seems the
Prince prided himself rather on being a
COrsican than a Frenchman; and truly he
had more COrSc;m savageness than French
polish. He owned an estate in the native
isle of the BOnaparteS, and had an interest
in a newspaper there, for which he Occa- |
siOnally wrote the widest and most viru- /.
lent articles, full of ''hlOod and thunder /
TRADES against the Republicans and all .
other enemies of his august family. In
deed. despite the cold shoulder which was |
palpably turned TO him both at the Tuiler- |
les and the Palais Royal. he was a sort of |
literary Don QuiXote of BOnapartism. tilt |
ing against all sorts of wind-mills which |
seemed 20 be obstructing its path to glory. .
He was so hOt-blOoded, pugnaciOuS. and |
actually savage that the legend freely cir
culated in the bOulevardS when he was
living at Auteuil that he had killed half a
dozen men in fierce vendettas; and in his
neighbOrhOOd he was regarded .
as kind of ogre. He had no more prince
lv dignity than Christopher Sly, and de-
scended TO the most petty newspaper
Squabbles. This propensity brought him
into the quarrel which resulted in the kill
ing of poor Victor NOir. Prince Pierre
had a ferOciOuS newspaper contro-
versy with Ruchefort, whose shlrp pen
CALLED the COrsi:an tiger beyond endur-
lnce. The dispute finally involved Pascnal
Grousset, a colleague of Rochefort; and
Pierre BOnaparte's insults were so gross
that GrOusset sent young NOir, a fine,
>talwart fellow of twenty-three or twenty
four, and journalist of much promise, to
Auteuil with a challenge Pierre Bona
parte shot him down in the saloon without
A moments notice. He was tried at Char
tres and acquitted. Meanwhile. NOir's
funeral, attended by more than 100000
Paris Republicans, threatened to become
an inSuTectiOn; and only Rochefort's in
decision at the last prevented a bloody
conflict between the pOpulace and the
troops. But, though Prince Pierre got off
so easily, he was ruined man; and vet
more ruined when the war camesand the
siege and the downfall of the Empire and
he raging Commune. He repaired with
his wife to London. Tney were poor, and
he Princess was bright woman, full of
resources, and not too proud. She took
he (fOr PrinceSS) unprecedented style of
to support the big, turbulent
Prince and herself by her own labors. \
,aSe which has Just been heard in one of
he London courts tells the whole singular
story of princely vicissitude. They had
brought away some valuable pictures
rom Paris, among them Raphael and ,
VelaSqueZ These were their main re- .
source. The Princess proceeded to buy
)ut the stock and good will of highly !
fashionable milliner on Bond street, pledg- .
ID the pictures as security. and inserted ,
in the Times boldly an ,
louncing that the Princess Pierre Bona
,arte was ready to serve customers with !
he best styles of the latest Partisan milin- :
,ry. Ii is curious to know that she agreed :
o pay G3O0 for the good will and e236 for :
he stock. Meanwhile the Princess NOM :
nally separated from her husband. though ;
{ is saiu that she has been his main sup {
,Ort ever since, and that the separation }
vas a concession TO appearances. The +
Princess has been favored by thriving :
nd fashionable ctieFtete. and has recently :
Old out at considerable profit. But un- !
appily the purchase of the business has ;
lot yet been paid tor, and the Princess :,
nd Prince were about to leave for foreign :
artS, taking the priceless paintings with a
hem, when the milliner who sold to her {
he estab ishment on Bond street prayed +
Or restraint to prevent them from de 4
arting with the stipulated security. The
ice Chancellor granted the order restrain
lg the removal of the pictures, which will
robably be seized and sold to pay the
ebt. On the whole he Prince and the t
Princess Pierre BOnaparte appear in scarce t
' better light as London tradeSfOk than I
e did in Paris As a prince at leisure: for Y
hey appear to have become mere adven- =
lrerS, and more than ever an awkward d
to the imperial family. :