The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-28
CLANDEsrrNE STATE PAPERS.
"A letter that COst Charles ' EEis Head
vfctor Hug0's History of n Crime.
tpall Mail Uagatta.l

iBRll MAIL tADebbotl
Historical instances are numerous In which
State documents of great Importance have
found their way into the hands Of people who
had no business with them; and sometimes
tho course Of the worlds affairs has been ma
Aeriallv influenced by such accidents. But for
n hazard which placed under UrOmwell's eyes
Il letter in which Charles stated that he had
mo intention to fulfill the promises which he
had made TO secure peace the negotiations
between the King and the Parliament might
have come to an issue; az II was Cromwell
refused 30 treat and IL may be said that
Charles unlucky letter cost him his head.
Similarly the breach between Louis XVI and
the French people was rendered irreparable
when blacksmith revealed the existence OF
tho famous iron closet at the Tuilerles, which,
having been broken open, was found to con-
tnin the damaging evidence Of the Kings ne
gOtiationE with the Austrian Court In view Of
an invasion Of France.
In 1894 Tallien, having read his name on q
piece Of paper which RObesplerre let fall from
his pocket In pulling out his handkerchief
concluded he was marked down for execution
and at the instigation OF his high-spirited wife
Immediately took measures which resulted In
Rubespierres downfall on the ninth Thermi-
dor.
10 come to more recent times. Louis Ma
puleon'B coup detdt was within an ace of fail
ing, owing 10 the ofiiciousness OF q lady In
communicating the plans TO Prince Napoleon
Ethn future Emperor's oousin) who forthwith
tried ID put some Of the Republican leaders on
their guard. Victor Hugo gives an account
OF this affair in his History of a Crime" and
he furnishes some details as TO the minute
precautions which were taken TO insure Sc
nrooy at the National Printing Office where
Louis Napoleon's proolamations were printed.
1'he place was guarded by soldiers and detec-
tivaa, and not workman was allowed to
leave the building until oil the copies were
struck off and In the hands Of the bll-sticsers.
M. Hugo might have added that the original
manuscripts of these proglamations were oil
ln the handwriting of the Count de Morny
and that no one save that able oonspirator
and his master was permitted to see them be-
fore they we're consigned TO the printer, st.
Arnaud, Maupas, Mocquatd, and Persigny
had been favored with o sight of prOClama-
ti0nB worded quite differently, and they grum-
hled by and by at not having been trusted.
hut De Morny trusted nobody.
In 1870 on the outbreak of the FrancO-Ger-
man war the world was startled by the pub
Iication in the Times of draft treaty drawn
up by M. BenedetH, and proposing the annex.
alton of Belgium to France. NJ. Benedict
nretended that he had been entrapped into
writing this draft under Count Bismark 3
tiictation; but, anyhow, its disclosure had
marked effect In drawing away British sym
pathies from the French side, and 1t com
pelled the Gladstone administration to sign a
treaty binding England to protect Belgian in
dependence.
nrphigt factions In France were terribly dam
ARBu Dy q NOuluenuhi ClICuiHI VI III. DSule,
the Home Minister, which somehow fell into
the possession of M. Gambetta In this
document nj, Beule suggested plan for the
wholesale corruption OF the provincial press
out of the public moneys; and when NJ Gam
beta had read this strangely cynical paper
In the tribune such storm of Indignation
arose, both In tho Parliament and in the
country, that the Broglie Cabinet became
hopelessly dlscredlted. Soon afterward M.
Benle was obliged TO resign, and within a
twelvemonth from his resignation he COM
mitted suicide.