The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-03-02

The celebrated Fouche, Duke of
Otranto, sometime Chief of Police to
Napoleon, was retained but short
time, it is known, in the service of the
Bourbons after their restoration to the
throne of France. He retired to the
town of AK, in Provence, and there
lived in affiuence and ease upon the
gains of his long and busy career. On
one occasion the company assembled in
his salon heard from his lips the follow
ing story:
By degrees, as Napoleon assumed the
power and authority of king, every
thing about him, even in the days of the
Consulate, began to wear court-like
appearance. All the old monarchical
habitudes were revived, one by one.
Among other revivals of this kind, the
custom of attending mass previous to
the hour Of audience was restored by
Bonaparte, and he himself was punctual
IN his appearance at the Chapel of st.
CLOUD on such occasions. Nothing
could be more mundane than the mode
OF performing these religious services.
The actresses of the opera were the
chorists, and great crowds of talkative
people were i'll the habit of frequenting
che gallery of the chapel, from the win
dows of which the First Consul and
Josephine could be seen with their
suites and friends. The whole formed
merely daily exhibition of the Con-
sular court for the people.
At one particular time the punctuality
of Bonaparte in his attendance on mass
was rather distressing to his wife. The
quick and jealous Josephine had dis
covered that the eyes of her husband
was too much directed to window in
the gallery where there regularly APP
peared the face and form of young
girl of uncommon beauty The chest
nut tresses, the brilliant eyes and grace
ful figure of this parsonage caused the
more uneasiness to the Consul's wife, as
Che strangers glances were bent not
less often upon Bonaparte than his
were upon her.
"Who is that young grip" said jose
phine, one day, at the close of the SER
vice; what can she seek from the
First Consul? / observed her drop n
billet just now at his feet He picked
ut up I saw him"
No one could tell Josephine who the
object of her notice precisely was,
though there were some who declared
her to be an emigree lately returned,
and who probably was DESTROYS of the
intervention of the First Consul in
favor of her family. With such guesses
as this the Consul's wife was obliged to
rest satisfied for the time.
After the audience of that same day
had passed, Bonaparte expressed
wish for a drive in the park, and ac-
'cordingly went out attended by his
wife, his brother Joseph Duroc and
Hortense Beauharnais. The King of
Prussia had just presented Napoleon
with q superb set of horses, four in
number, and they were harnessed TO an
open chariot for the party. The Consul
took it into his head to drive in person,
and mounted into the coachman's seat.
The chariot set off, but just as it was
turning into the park, it went crash
against a stone at the gate, and the First
Consul was thrown to the ground. He
attempted to rise, but again fell pros
trate in a stunned and insensible condi-
ton. Meanwhile the horses sprang
forward with the chariot, and were only
stopped when Duroc, at the risk of his
life, threw himself out and seized the
loose reins. Josephine was taken out
m swooning condition. The rest of
the party speedily returned to Napo-
leon, and carried him back to his apart
ments. On recovering his senses fully,
the first thing which he did was to put
his hand into his pocket and pull out
the slip of paper dropped at his feet
dp the chapel. Looking over his
shoulder, Josephine read upon it these
words:
"Do not drive out in your carriage
this day"
"This can have no allusion to our late
accident" said Bonaparte. mo one
could foresee that / was to play the
part of coachman to-day, or that L
should be awkward enough to drive
against stone. Go, Duroc, and ex-
anime the chariot"
Duroc obeyed. Soon after he return
ed, very pale, and took the First Consul
aside, "Citizen Consul" said he, chad
you not struck the stone and stopped
eur drive, we had all been lost"
allow so ?" was the reply.
"There was in the carriage, concealed
behind the rear seat, massive bomb,
charged with ragged pieces Of iron,
with slow match, and kindled. Things
had been so arranged that in quarter
of an hour we should have been scat
tered among the trees of the Park of st.
Cloud. Fouche must be told of this.
Dubois must be warned"
"Not a word to them" replied Bona
parte. 1.-THE knowledge Of one plot en-