The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-02-16
THE EX-EMrEESs EUGENE.

THE EX-EMrEESs EUGENE.
OFFERS or Marriage Hew sine Married ths
Emperor Napoleon.
IIoBdon TRUTH
In tho year iB4b. or shereahontH. the Pari-
alan prefecture de police turned Ito attention
10 the Countess do Montiio who was then re-
siding, with her two daughters. ON the third
floor Or a house In She Isuc III. Antoine, Paris
and asked the cominiasaife Of the quarter 10
make Inquiries about this lady. The request
was not an unusual ono. for the police Of con.
tinental cities are accustomed TO pry Into the
affairs Of strangers. 50 the commissaire
sent In report which ran substantially
thus "rhe Countess de Montiio. divorced
wife OF Spanish grandee. seems 10 live In
easy but not aiIluent circumstances. She re-
reives few ladies. but many distinguished for.
eigners Of her own and other countries. She
gives occasional tea parties. at which cards
are played. Her dauahters--one aged nine
teen. and the other eighteen are renowned
for their great beauty. II IL said that the
eldest II going 10 marry The Duke dAlbe. 7
etc
This report. founded probably on the gossip
nltrttgU from NafVHHhN ny " INpltEtt HHIfFHlEn,
was obviously untrue In come Of It's inainua-
tiuna but II wan duly lodged In the archives
az the Prefecture. whence Tho Republicans ex-
tracted II after the fall Of the SECOND Empire,
Tor publication In that shabby collection of
State papera, entitled "Faaooues." My OBJ
jeot In quoting II here IL to recall the impress
ninn which existed In the official mind as TO
the responsibility of the Countess do Montijo.
She was rated I'm police-books as a lady whom
society rather cut. and whoee drawing-rDm
LAtt has at.xft4 ~ az.
Haloon The truth In that there was nothing
against Nine. de Monnjo except her sspara-
zion from her husband. After this unfor.
tlnate domestic event ahe went travelling
about the world with her two daughters. who
received n kind OF flying education In Ger
many. IN England. and finally III Paris. The
Countess enjoyed handsome allowance and
her daughters were taught by the best mas
ters but Of course there was tinge Of Bohe-
mianlsm In the existence Of = lady roaming
from city to city with her children. and never
remaining In one place more than year at u
time. Ono can make some allowance there.
fore, for the pious horror of NJ Fialtn tbetter
known under the name 0f DE ParsiEny, which
he had uaurpedl, when. on hearing of Napo-
leon Ilf's intended marriage with Mile Eu-
genie de Montiio. he threw himself on his
knees and besonght his master not TO do this
rash thing.
This occurred In January. 1859. Napoleon
had tried to contract marriage with Prin-
bad then made an oIer Of his hand to the
prinopsa Torola Wasa of Sweden, but had
failed In this quarter also. With proper
spirit he resolved thai he would have nothing
more 10 do with marriages DO cnnvenanoe,
but would make n love match, He had re-
peatedly noticed Milo. do Mantiio, who used
u attend the balla nj tho Elyaee with her
mother and her sister, who had become
Duchess d'Albe- lilo gave the oounteHs an in
vitation TO spend week nt St Cloud. and ut
n Walt al 70
III hia Minister'S that ha was going to raise
Mile, Euaenie TO tho throne. Count De Morny
was the first to understand tho situation. and,
after warmly conHratulain9 tho Emperor on
his admirable choice, ran oil to prefer his
compliments to the future Empress. Her
majesty never in after time forgot this act Of
ehivalry and presence Of mind. Meanwhile
Fialin, above mentioned, was habbling out
his silty soul In distraught wonderings as to
what France would SAY.
France took the thing very caoly. Little
time was given for objections, ~ the mar
rage waa soiemninod eight days after the
notification appeared In tho Monich1, and the
Municipal Council II Paris had 10 vote their
Gift of E2i 900 10. the Empress with AZ much
haste ri, good speed. Mile do Montijo was
then ~ years old. and there IL no harm In
saving. since tho matter Is notorious, that
she had already had several offers Of mar
riage. Her reason FOR refusing some Of these
la said to have lain In little piQue which sho
Ind experienced at the very brilliant mar
riage which her sister had made Somehow
she had got to think that the Duke dAlbe
was paying his court to herself. when she dis
covered her mistake she bore the disap-
pointment Gf 1t was onel very good-na-
turealy. but vowed since her sister had
welded Spanish ara,des Of the ef llrst-
undel the rank OF Duke. One of Mile.
Eugenie's suitors was Scotch. officer Of the
British arms, young man of good family,
who met her at Brighton In 1916, and pro-
posed out Of hand. Ono would have liked 70
See the face of this worthy fellow when he
learned TO what high dcstinies
his cruel one had come He sd Is now ah like the
father Of grown-up family. M Ile.' dc Mon
tito was also sued by French sah noG IL nan
constituent assembly of 1S4s. and by a
famous and witty French author. who be
came an Imperial Senator. and lived TO con-
graduate the Empress frequently and laugh,
ingly on her good sense In having rejected
him. ill., remained single. though, and cher
ished TO his lite's end the most knightly
reverence for the lady whom he believed to
he peerless among women.