Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-10-15
An Emperer's Lost Henri.

| Al IiOSasJel III Brittany there Is llV-
ing an English physician named Thon-
as Cartwell, aged eighty-two years,
who tells travellers strange story in
which he says lie figured rs princi-
( pal actor.
On the 9Th of May, lS2I, Napoleon
the great died at LOnSwOOd, St, Helena,
after causing Sir Hudson Lowe so much
| unhappiness that he went crazy and,
returning to England, lost all his for
tune in extravagant speculati0ns in
stocks. The Emperor'S last comDan-
ions, Bertrand, Montholon, Gourgaud
and Las Cases, Immediately made de
mand for a physician expert in en-
balming. Sir Hudson Lowe, WHO
shrank from no expense, sent physi-
ciar, an Italian named AUtOmarchi,
who had attended the EmpOrer when
he was troubled with 4 sty ia the eve.
The doctor fastened to his work. but
certain Instruments were needed. lie
required at least two assistants, etc.
etc. Sir Hudson lowe made haste to
supply all his demands. lie sent .
boat TO an English frigate, at anchor in
the oifing, with a request for two na-
val surgeons, supplied with everything
req uired for the embalmiug process.
One of the two persons sent was 4
youth of twenty years, well educated
and full Of ambition. and he was re-
ceiyed on the island Is Assistant Sur
gecn Thomas CJrtwcl. He and his
cOmrade fastened 10 assist DIR. Auti-
march,. About four in the afternoon
of May 9th the work was begun. The
corpse of Napoleon [. was lifted from
the little bed where he had died and
placed on marble topped table which
was still intact when, in ISIS, NapO-
leon Ill, bought with government
funds, the small house in which had
died the man he persisted In making
the public believe to have been his un-
Gle. the process OF embalming was
not finished when night interrupted il.
Automarchi and his assistants agreed
that the completion Of it must be post
poned until the next morning. They
determined 10 20 to bed and resume
their work at daybrcak. First thev
covered the Emporer's body with q
white cloth which they spriral5t and
saturated with certain liquids 10 pre-
vent puIreiactIOn. The various inter-
nal organs that had been removed
were placed in metal cups OH the
operating table. Then the three opera
tors went to their rooms and slept pro-
foundly.
They had hardly been asleep an hour
when Marchand, the valet OF the dead
EmpOrer, knocked at Cartweli'S, door,
calling out Come down. sir, quick a
great misfortune has just happened"
"What is it," said the young surgeon,
appearing in his uniform. "Oh, sir,
the EmpOrer's heart has been eaten by
rats - 1t was true. The island was
infested with rats. They were "a thick
as the English. While Marchand was
out of the room, some rats had rushed
i'll and finding the heart of the con-
querOr of Austerlitz in a basin, had
made but mouthful of it. The valet,
on returning to the room, saw them
scamper away, and all he could do was
to announce the irreparabIe loss.
What was to be done: The physi-
clans met and consulted. 1t was i'm
possible to conceal the absence of the
organ that had been eaten up, the op-
Grafton of embalming having been be-
gun before witnesses who had seen it.
To confess the accident was TO expose
Marchand o severe rebuEe, and the
poor fellow was already wretched
enough. \ happy thought occurred
to Cartwell. ''lf we could only get =
sleeps heart" he suggested to Auto
marchi with excessive caution. All
the four persons present looked at one
another nervously, hesitated, and then
began to laugh together like four Ro-
man augurs. They understood one an
other. Marchand ran to a nei.hborinE
farm, killed sheep and brought back
the heart still WARM and pdlpitating.
On the next day, the 7th Of MAY, Au-
tomarchi and his assistants, in the
presence or General Bertrand and NJ.
de MoEtholOn, finished tire enbaIminS
of the EmpOrcr, without any person
among his suit in the least Suspecting
the extraordinary performance Of the
night before. Ii the story i true, and
If the old retired English eX-surSeon OF
Plogastel Is not joker the heart of
sheep of 81. Helena has been resting for
thirty-three years under the dome Of
the Invalids.