The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-12-02
Pretender NaundOrf's Career.
fFrom the London Daily News.l

From the London Daily NeWs.J
NJ. Naundorff, who, as the son OF the
pretended Dauphin. son OF Louis XVI. and
Marie Antoinette. laid claim to have his
title and rights recognized in the French
courts about ten years since, died lately al
Breda, in Holland, in such distressed cir
cumstances that his body was placed in
pauper's coffin and buried at the expense
of a charitable society. NJ. Naundorff,
who called himself "Prince Charles
Edward De Bourbon" was probably q
believer in his pretended royal descent,
and was at all events not the originator
OF fraudulent pretense, which has from
first TO last given much trouble to the TIL
bunals. The real impostor was, in fact, his
father, an obscure person believed to be OF
German origin, who by the circumstan-
TALLY OF the story OF his rescue from the
Temple and long concealment In German
town, as well as by a certain imposing air
and manner, contrived to make many
dupes. During the early years OF The
reign Of Louis Philippe the elder Naun-
dorff even kept handsome establish
ment In Paris. with horses and carriages,
supported by the contributions OF be-
levers. Skeptics, nevertheless, were abun-
dant enough among the royalist folk OF
the Faubourg st. German, particularly as
Naundorff was ignorant Of the Dauphin's
mother tongue. One, interrogating him,
observed: You-supposing you to be the
DaupEin-were an extremely clever child,
and spoke French with ease. How hap
pens il that you have completely forgotten
your own language?" The Pretender re-
piled that thirty-seven years Of absence
a,,rol,r onnnnb m oceonnf
for this circumstance" but the answer was
not considered satisfactory. About the
wear 1888 he was expelled from France,
the police suspecting that he was the OBJ
ject OF certain intrigues, and coming 10
England he established himself at Gambler
well and at Chelsea as manufacturer OF ilre-
works and new patent explosive shell.
Failing in these pursuits he went TO Hol-
land, and died at Delft in August, 1874, IN
great poverty. The appeal OF the widow
Naundorfr and her children was finally
heard in February, 1874, when the court,
after due investigation, decided that the
true Dauphin died in the Temple; that the
tale told by the elder Naundorff OF his es-
cape from that prison by means Of double
substitution was "mOst fantastic y; that
NaundorfI had himself fabricated the
documents on which his claims and
those OF his descendants were based,
and that the whole case consisted OF
"singular allegations, vain rumors, and
futile presumptions." The Judgment went
on to say that Naundorff exhibited no quail
ifications but those Of an audacious adyen-
turer, man without talent, who under
took TO play part rendered the more easy
by the mystery Of his birth and origin. IL
was added that the cunning and skill which
he had exhibited were not more remarka-
BILE than those of other impostors, his pre-
decessors in the same character, the court
further observing that a large following OF
credulous believers "has never been want
ing to pseudo Dauphns in France" Naun-
dorfi. the son just deceased, Is stated TO
have left widow and four children, OF
whom three are sons.