St. Landry democrat., 1879-11-08
An Ernperor's Lost Heart.
CHASTITY STORY ABOUT NAPOLEON
THE GREAT. .@
Epniia1nInhia Isnl,ntinl

Philadelphia Bul,etin.l
at pIOgastel, in Britanny, there j.
living an English physician named
Thomas Cartwell, aged 50 years, who
tells travellers strange story, in which
he says lie figured as principal actor
On the fifth OF May, 1921, Napoleon
the Great died at Longwood, st. Helena,
after causing Sir Hudson Lowe SO much
unhappiness that he went crazy, and
returning to England lost all his for
tune in extraragant specuations in
stocks. The Emper0r'S last comp2n
ions, Bertrand Montholon, Gourgaud
and Las Cases, immediately made a de-
mand for a physician expert in the
science of embalming. Sir Hudson
Lowe, who shrunk from no expense,
sent Il physician, an Italian named
Antomarchi, who had attended the
Emperor when he was troubled with a
Sty on the eye. The doctor hastened to
his work, but ccl tain instruments were
needed. He required at least two as
sistants, etc Sir Hudson Lowe made
haste to supply all his demands. He
sent e boat to an English frigatc ut
anchor in the otfing, with request for
two naval surgeons, supplied with
everything required for the cmbalmng
process.
One OF the two persons sent was Il
youth OF twenty yeats, we'll educated
and full Of ambition, and he was re-
ccived on the island as Assistant Sur
ge0n Thomas Cartwel. lie and his
cOmrado FASTENED to assist Dir. Antn-
march,. IAbont o'clock in the after
noon Of May 5 the work was begun.
The corpse of Napoleon | was lifted
from the little bed where he had died
and placed on ii long gHarblD topped
table, which was intact when. in 1853.
Napoleon III bought with government
funds the small house in which died
the man whom he persisted III making
the public believe to have been his
uncle. The process OF embalmlng was
not finished when nj ght came and in
terrnpted it. Antomarchi and his as
slstaEita agreed that the completion of
~ uust be postponed untii the next
morning. tth"v- determined tp 90 to
bed and resume work at dnybIcak.
First they covered the cmperOr'S body
witt. white cloth which they *plnklcd
and saturated Will. certain liquids to
prevent putiifact,nn. liia SaifQNa IN
ternal organs that had been removed
were placed in meta! cnRs OF the
operating table. Then the three opera
tors went to their rooms and slept pro
foundly.
They had hardly been asleep IN hour
when Marciland, the valet Of the dead
emperor! Knocked at CartwelI's door,
calling out: Come down, air, quick
\ great niltiortue has just happened"
" " nat ls IT." said tie young surgeon,
9npa1 IN
the empcror's heart has been eaten up
Infested with rats. They were We rs' as thick
as the Euglish. While Marchand was
out OF the room some rats had rushed in,
and finding the heart Of the conquerer
of Austerlita in basin had made but a
mouthful Of it. The valet, on return
ing to the room. saw them scampcr
nounce the irTeparable loss.
What was now to DC DONE The
physicians met and consulted. 1t was
To conceal the absence of
the organ that had been eaten up. the
opel atlons of embalminG having been
begun before witnesses who had seen it.
To confess the accident was to expose
Marcliand to severe rehukc, and tho
pOOI lSilOM Was il4tduS AISlE1lGA
enough: A happy thought occurred TO
CartWeli:
"If We could only get a sheep's
heart" he suggested to Antomarchi.
with excessive caution. All tue four
persons looked at one another nervous
", hesitated and then began to laugh
together like four Roman augurs.
They understood one another. Mar
chand ran to Heighhoring farm, killed
a sheep, and brought back its heart
still warm and palpitating.
On the next day. the seventh OF May,
Antomarchi and his assistants. in the
presence of Gen. Bertrand and NJ. dc
finished the rmbalminS of
the Emperor, without any person among
his suit in the least suspecting the cS-
performance on the night
before. --
Ii the story is true, and if the old rc,,
tired English surgeon OF Plagostel
ia not a Joker, the heart Of the sheep OF
st. Helena has been resting for thirty
three years under the dome Of the ln-
yiiiies.