Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1881-03-15
sulernal Machines.

|
of en- pl, yipg iuminair 6 prccess agsilst the
Chief Of ,ts State was adCptadi 10 Francs, where
/ twice withio two months an attempt was made
to blow up Napoleon, at that ii as First Con-
sui WAS in each instance CO the occasioo of
silitg lne opera that Napol:on, acc ndi. to
the dts'g gas Of bis euemles, wss to bo blown to
| pieces. 10 addition TO the twu attempts made
upor the lie Of Napoleon | it Was in front of
the D Oyera that the 0 sini sballs were thrown
| the Year 1851 Ii WAS bsnea h the tor,icJ TOO,
| 10 tie old Opera in the Roe Richelisu, that the
Duo de Bern WAS a. s.ssinated. 1t WAS iutend-
I'd 10 employ sgains; Napolson |. destructive
method OF mixed KIDD. Rockets and greuades
| we're to be bueod from various paris OF the
| theatre into bis box. But to insure bis death
| oouspirators srmed With daggers and pistols
| were stationed 10 the corridor into which the
| box opened, with orders to shoot and stab him
| if escaping the missiles, be attempted to make
his way to the outsr dsors The conspiracy,
according to Napoleon himself who told the
| story at St. Helena, was revealed by captain
in the liue. The informer having been brought
before bin Napoleon at first suggested to the
Prefeot of Police that be should not be allowed
| TO g. to the opera that evening" 1t was deoid.
| ed, however, that bis absence would awaken
| the suspicious of the other conspirstors. and
| everything was allowed to 90 on as though the
plot had not been discovered.
Tho senLinsls outside Nspoleon's box were
ordered to let 90 one approach who had not the
SUI g departure for the opera; tor it was known
that Certain number of conspirators had taken
| up their position in the corridor to exlioguish
| the lights at the moment when the rockets were
to be frod and the shells thrown. The opera
of the evening was Lies Horsoes" and the
signal for ion Was to be the delivery of pas.
sage in Which the a0rstii swear to conquer or
die. Then all the tights were to be pat out,
and apart from the shells intended specially for
the Empertr fireworks were to be cast indis-
| crimlnaLely about the theatre, while the geues
| raj confusion was to bs increas, by cries Of
Fire |" The leaders of the plot, like the cls-
qaers Of the present day, had attended the re-.
| hesrsa of the opera 30 is to note the cue given
| to th,m for their grand demonstration and at.
tack. But at the petformsLc, the Prsfee ure
OF Police was alsU largely represented, and there
| we're sltogether upward OF two hundred per-
500, iu the theatre who were paying DO at
teotlou to the music eXcspt with view to a
particular quartet, 10 whioh the old Hofstius
| opened the piec, by calling upon bis sons to
| swear 'qae le dernier dc vous sera mort on
| valrquer." The instrumental introduction to
the quartet was, however, the sigual for ac,ion
chosen by the police. and before the singing
began the consprsLots were all 10 custody io
one of the vestlbues of the sheatre
| The secopd attempt on graod scale sgsinst
| the life OF Napoleon was executed two months
lster, on the 24:h of December, when on his
way to the Opera be was made the mark of ap
Internal mschioe." asydn's Creation was
to be given, and the performance bad already
commenced. when during the soft adagio of the
introduction the dull report of sn explosion was
heard. Immediately sfterward Napoleon en-
tered bis bcx. attended BY the prlacipsl mem
bers Of his slsff. JOsephine's love of dress had
saved him. As she was getting icto the car
riage she thought of making some onauge 10
her toilette, and going back 10 her apartments
for few minutes, caused delay but for which
Bonspsre and herself would, foowiog the
osher carriages, havs passed before the internal
machine at the moment of its tx, lJsoa.
| 10 pass to Louis Phiippe's reisp, the most
remarkable thing in connection with Fieschi's
crime was the entlre abs=ucs of pulnical. or 10
deed aoy other apparent motive. Fie:cbi Wss
neither reput llcao nor legilimis'; nor mad
be auy personal gfievsue, agains: the Kiog
| whose Ito he had resolved TO take n ,thiog
but 80 inssne love of notoristy seems 10 have
| inpel!ed him toward the commission of tbe
| srine Hs devoted himself 10 the construc
siou of 80 called "iuternsI msohiGe"-a sort
of mitraiIl Use. with no fewer than twenty Eve
barrels Ftesobl mounted this species Of Dat
try 10 the third fl Jor OF bvuss Rb CT over
looked that portion of tho BJulevsrus along
which Louis Phi iDpe vas to pass after holding
a review in CONNIE % Jra,ion OF the fifth ami.
verssry OF the events which had placed him Oh
the throne.
The construction of the machine must have
c:st considerable amount of money; aud it
appeared at the trial that he had been supplied
with tuods by several work men. bis sccompli-
oes. On June % 1886 as the Kipg, or rather
the Kings ssff. PASSED 10 front of the machine,
il was exploded and with terrible results. for
Mortier chief of thu staff. AID several officers
! tell morlally wounded. The King, however,
escaped with but slight i, ju.ies occasioued BY
hs rearing and plugging OF Ills horse FleScbl
| imm. diately after the explosion took to d ght,
and woradtd Us he was by tbe bursting of one
of the barrels, escaped into 30 adj ,iuiog court
card. where be Was arrested aud taken first to
nrisou and sftervsrd to a hospital Cured Of
his wounds be was brought to trial aDd senten
Iced to death; and his demeauor throughout
the exsmioauon went far to show that the
| origin of bis insane and iofamous attempt was,
indeed, nothing more than 90 absurd LOGGING
to become known to the world, in no matter what
character. he assumci 10 caurt the sttltud,s s
and gestures of q sage brisaod, sod made
mint f kissing bis band firm time to tlms aud
as often ss possible to bis mistress. who made
signs to him in return. =,
Some 20 years later, IN 1857 Paris was again the
scene of an attempt TO destroy the ohiet OF the
BY wnsa by the
of :infsrnsl." Felice Olsini msde his attach
upon Napoleon III, with hand shells containing
new and terrible fulinsling powder composed
Inv himself Orsini was born conspirasor