The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1875-12-10
this magnificent attendant concerning

negro came for - lrj 10 announce its al
rival, and immei iiately he was surround
eI by number of the guests, who wer
curious to see this splendid specimen o
servitude, whereupon the Duke, i'm hi
impatience, cried out: 'Selim, clear tn
way there? Draw your saber and Gu
HE down some half a. dozen of thes
impertinent creaturesH
Imagine the effect of this outburst il
the midst of a crowd composed of TIN
most elegant ladies and the highest dig
nitaries of the new Empire
If there was anything on earth that tn,
Duke loved better than diamonds it wa
a lawsuit. He would go to law abou
the merest trifle, or the most insignifi
cant sum. Once he sued washerwo
man for bill of seven frances. A sin
gle watch, which he sent to jeweler tt
be repaired, and of which the back wa.
formed of single ruby, was in itself the
subject of twelve lawsuits. The erection
of his hotel on the Rue Beaujon furnish
ed occasion for ten more. He said, him
self, just before he died, that he had
squandered millions in that way, and
that justice was lottery.
As to his diamonds, he consecrated
fabulous sums to the formation of his
collection, which speedily became cele-
brated throughout Europe. Among the
most remarkable of the tiinkets which he
possessed was pair ofepaulets, formed,
not of gold thread, but of magnificent
yellow diamonds from Brazil. They were
valued Mt 5000, 900 each, and were exhib-
tied at the Paris Exposition, in 1855,
watched day aud night by four police
men, who took turns in mounting guard
over the crystal case which contained
this treasure. These epaulets gave rise,
one evening, to IL curious and cOmical
scene. 1t was at a ball given by the
Count de Nieuwerkerke. The Duke, in
the uniform of Brunswickian General,
was blazing with diamonds, and had on
the famous epauIets. A lady, passing
by, remarked to the person who accom-
panied her:
"Only look at til ,se epaulets, made of
topazes!"
''Topazes, madam" cried the Duke,
indignant at the insult offered to his jew
els. ''Fhey are diamonds-the finest
yellow diamonds of Brazil. Look we'll
at hem if yon never saw any before"
Thus adjured; the lady, nothing 10th,
examined minutely the dazzling epau
lets; then she passed to the orders that
the Duke wore, and SO prolonged her
inspection that she attracted n number
of other lady spectators, and the Duke
was soon surrounded by crowd of la
dies, all admiring his gorgeous gems, and
causing him to resemble very mnch a
Palais Royal window, with its throng of
gazers.
He never forgot nor forgave the bro
ken promise of Napoleon Ill. to rein
state him on hls paternal throne. One
day. being present at some scientific ex
periments, shown before that sovereign,
on reducing diamonds to vapor, the Ein
peror offered, laughing, to sacrifice all
his diamonds to the cause of science, if
the Duke would do as much.
"Ah, sirep made answer the Duke,
with a meaning glance, Il am only ii
poor exile, and am forced to be eeonom
ical Were ever to have the happiness
of mounting a throne as your Majesty
has done, | would promise to be more
generous-and / keep my promises"
His daughters conversion to Catholi-
cism seemed to arouse in his breast ter.
ribIe ennity against her. Up to that
time he had treated her as became his
acknowledged child, but afterward what
ever heart he possessed seemed closed
against her. When she married the
Count de Cirrey, though he gave his con-
sent to the alliance, he was only repre-
sentcd at the ceremony by one of his
oliamberiains Prayers, entreaties, and
finally long years of litigation were ex-
hausred in the effort to make him pro-
vide for her and for her children, but in
vain. An adverse decision of the French
tribunal in this question drove him from
his fairy palace, on the Rue Beaujon, to
Geneva. Not a particle of his immense
wealth was bequeathed tc the Countess.
He at first intended to leave his whole
fortune to the Prince Imperial, and a will
to that effect was actually drawn up
When the war with Prussia was declared,
the Duke, then once more installed i'll
Paris, fastened to remind Louis Napo
leon of the old compact tnat existed be
tween them, and claimed from him in
aivance. rs the CG:'queror"of Germany,
the fuiii.!in AT ~ ',is ancient PROMISE
Bat few weeks later the Duke was
forced to fly with his diamonds from be-
fore the advancing iegions of the Prus-
sians. lie took refuge anew in Geneva,
anI there, in March, 1S7l, he drew up
the new will, which constituted the city
of Geneva his sole her, Oh the 18Th o.
August, 1873. he was engaged in a game
of chess quite late in tine afternoon; sud
denly he arose, and saying to his adver
sary, 500 not cheat me, F" he passed into
the next room. These were his last
words. When his attendants, surprised
that he did not return went to seek him,
they found him in the agonies of death,
and In few moments he expired. Thus
ended that strange, heartless, eccentric,
useless life, whose commencement had
been surrounded with such n halo of ro-
nance and chivalry.
L. was this sudden death that pre-
served to the city of Geneva that inner
itance of the eccentric old voluptuary,
who had sc indalized its Calyinistic walls
by his manners for three years past
Having carelessly thrown some water
IroH d tuiuoioi ouI VI q "hhuo"' IL hdio
drenched a passer by, who forthwith
threatened the Duke with legal proceed
ings. Furious at the threat, he resolved
to tear up his will, to return to Paris.
and to turn his back on ungrat-ful Ge-
neva forever. He would restore his rosy
Partisan palace which had been sadly
damaged during the Communei he would
60 back to the delights of his Parisian
life. His LAWYER and his steward had