The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1877-05-23
M.LMAISOy SOLD AT AUCTION.
,ru,xIsCENCEs OF THE HOUSE WHERE
THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE
LIVED AND DIED.

In l79S 1or tne SUN vi loo,ooo francs
nd afterward the residence of the
EMPRESS Josephine, has been sold at
onction by tue French government,
for $4,000. Thus, one by one, are
the old historical chateaur falling
under the auctioneer's hammer, or
crumbiug away i'll ruins. Chenon-
ceaux, the favorite residence of Ca
Uterine de Medicis, is now owned by
Radical deputy; Bouquets palace,
at Vaux, is the property of a sugar
reiner; Luciennes, built for Nine.
Dubarry, is in the hands of manu-,
facturer: the palace of Montmorency
ia owned by Victorien Sardou, play
waiter; linen draper has bought
Chanarande, q gift of Napoleon Ill.
tn the Duke Of Persigny. Others
have changed hands, while Mendon,
81 Cloud and the Tuilleries are a
heap of ruins.
II was at Malmaison that Joseph
Inc spent the happiest and most sor-
rowfnl portions of her life. Her
Thursdsy receptions are famous IN
the history of social events, and fur
Dish us with choice picture of de
lightful repose in the midst of busy
MYSTERIOUS times. 1t was here that a
small army of the elite endeavored,
by elegance of language, dress and
manners, to stem the torrent of
coarseness and violence then set loose
BY the revolution. It was at the
Malmaison that the eighteenth Bru-
MARE was prepared. 1t was there,
too, that Lemercier read his tragedy
Of aCharlemagne" to the first consul
who wanted him to change the de-
nouement so as to show the con-
quered nations coming to Charlie
magne to offer him in great pomp the
crown and empire of the East. The
Consulate raised Malmaison to it's
highest splendor, but no sooner had
Napoleon become Emperor than Jo-
sephine's modest chateau was aban-
doned for the palatial magniicence
OF St. Cloud. Subsequently jose
phine was divorced, and then she re-
turned to Malmaison. The allied
sovereigns invited themselves to
dine with her, and it was while
showing the Emperor of Russia the
grounds that she caught the cold
which carried her to tie grave three
days after. After Waterloo, and just
before going on board the Bcllero-
phon, Napoleon paid nocturnal visit
to the tomb of his once loved Jose
phine.
Soon afterward the pIece was
bought by the banker Haguermann,
and what remained of the property
IN 1872 was purchased by Qneen
Christina for 100000. Napoleon
Iii, repurchased it for 100000,
from whose possession it naturally
fell into the hands of the nation
During the late war it was occupied
by the Prussians, who craried off a
greater part of the furniture, and
spoiled a considerable portion of the
rest A billiard table, for instance,
which was sold the other day for 100
francs, had had the green baize
stripped from it. The French de-
clare that King Williams soldiers
employed the material to make them
selves cravats. BY good fortune
they left one most interesting piece
Of fnrniture--no less than the table
In the library on which Napoleon was
was wont to lay out his military
maps, and seated at which he may
have planned more than one of those
campaigns which changed the histo-
Vof Europe. This relic the State
has determined to keep. The
remainder of the broken furniture
amounting to 10 carloads-was dis
posed of few days ago, the whole
fetching the modest sum Of 1880
francs. AS has been stated, Napo-
leon, after Waterloo, revisited Nal
maison. Till 1870 q small pedestal
supporting an eagle marked that spot
Of the domain where the ex-Emper-
or's foot had rest last. The inscrip.
ton it bore contained merely these
words: "Dernier pas de Napoleon
partant pour Rochgort, lie 20 JUN,
1916, a quatre heures apres MIDI"
Siuce the war nothing-has been seen
Ofthe memorial, which is supposed
to be now somewhere in Germany.
GREAT REDUCTION THE SIN
VI { ..R SEWING MACHINES-the
Moo6s II Il 81 earn