The Indianapolis journal., 1885-05-23
EUGENIE'S RIVAL.
Eyentful Career Of Woman Who Is Now
Preparing Her Memoirs.

ladies who played a sensational part during the
second empire has written and is going to print
her memoirs They will be rich and racy for
the Countess knows deal Of court life at the
Tuileries and Compiegne and of the goings on of
her own fast set here in Paris. Even if she tell
no more than what actually passed in her own
house. ii will do Eccentric in her old age-and
she is not so very old, either-and almost forgot
ten by that Paris of which she was once one of
the brilliant beauties, these memoirs ought to be
for Napoleon III what those of Nine. Du Barry
were for Louis XIV. And they will be, if she
writes as she talks. Her father, the Marquis
Oldoino, was an attache of the Spanish embassy
in Paris, and her husband, the Count Francois
Verasis de Castiglione, was an Italian nobleman
of great wealth, whom she soon ruined by her
extravaganza At the time of his marriage he
was in the diplomatic career, but after the .oss
OF his fortune he became secretary to Victor
Emanuel, the King Of Sardinia. When she
year. That was in 1855, and unfortunately, as
she has always decl ared, she came too late, for
had she done so few years earlier perhaps she
and not Engenie de tijo-would have been
selected by Napoleon III to share his newly es-
tablished throne Not being able to become the
mistress of the Tuileries, she contented herself
with becoming that of its master, whom she
fairly brought to her feet at fancy ball given
at the palace, where she appeared in the cos.
tune OF Salammbo, with M. Raynal1 de Choiseui
dressed as page, holding up her train.
The imperial liason soon became known to
everybody in Paris except the Empress. Napo-
leon used to arrive in plain coupe, which would
drive mp in front of the Office of John Arthur,
an English house agent who failed under shady
circumstances last year, and whose wine-celar
is amusingly described in one of Daudets books.
would pass through this Office and out by back
door, into a sort of alley communicating with
the vestibule of the house in which
the countess lived One day M.
Pietri, Chief of Police, discovered that some
Italian conspirators-they were the same VINO,
led by Orsini and Di Rudo. few weeks later
attempted to destroy the Emperor by exploding
an Internal machine under his carriage as it
drew up to the door of the opera-had arranged
to lie in wait for him in this alley. M. Pietri
was unable to find any one about the court who
would undertake to betray their knowledge OF
his intrigue by warning Napoleon, and at last,
supposing that the Empress was quite well
posted in regard to her husbands carvings on,
he went and told her all about his discovery
Eugene sent for Napoleon, there was row be-
tween them, and he stopped going to the Rue
Castiglione; only, however, to ride out to the
Rue de la Pompe where pretty little house
had been fitted up for his bien aimee. This
street is almost at the very edge of the BoiS de
Boulogne. The Countess did not quit her resi-
dence IN the Rue Castiglione for this little box
at Passy, and it was only used as place OF rem
devious by the two lovers whom Eugene had
tried in vain to separate A few years later she
did give up her residence, and went to live in
the Avenue Montaigne, but she soon found that
that was too far out, and returned into the heart
of Paris, taking house not exactly in the old
street. but just where it ends, in the Place Ven
dome.
Nor could Eugene keep her out of society
for, mind you. she was living with her hus
band all this time. and had the entree as the
wife of one attached to the Italian court. She
was at this time most seductive woman Her
eyes were magnificent. her nose delicate, the
mouth small, the hair admirable, the neck and
shoulders raviShing. In those days La Castig
ione seems to have been courtesan, like AS
pasta; she was proud of her charms and con
cealed just as little of them as was necessary in
order to secure admission into social gatherings.
/ am afraid she was not true to the Emperor, for
she used to 20 alone to see Nieuwerkerke super
intendent of fine arts and at that time lover OF
the Princess Mathilde, and pass hours with him
in his private apartments at the Louvre, drink
ing tea, eating cakes, etc. Nieuwerkerke al
ways swore that there was nothing between the
countess and himself, because, as he said, he
had no desire to compromise his position with
the Emperor and the Princess Mathilde; but for
all that most people used to believe there was an
improper intimacy between him and the coun-
tess, and his friends said that it was rashly i'm
prudent on his part to thus receive her at the
Louvre She expressed desire to go one even
ing and hear the clocks of all the parishes in
Paris strike midnight, which wish was gratiied
a few days later when she spent the best part of
the night on the immense roof of the Louvre
with her friend.
The Empress was becoming more and more
jealous of the countess, and finally, at ST.
Cloud, where certain sOvereigns had gone to pay
visit of courtesy. the feeling of bitterness cul-
minated in grand scandal When the sover-
eigns entered the room all the ladies present
arose from their seats, with the single exception
of Nine. De Castiglione thereupon Eugenie
went to the Emperor and declared that she
could stand it no longer and would leave at once
for Scotland. The next day, while holding a
council, Napoleon received message from his
wife to the effect that she intended to come in
and explain in person to the ministers the rea-
sons which prompted her abrupt departure. The
Emperor sent one of his chamberlains to stop
her, and he authorized that official to resort to
any means that might be necessary in order to
prevent her fulfilling her threat. The chamber
lain, finding eloquence of no avail, quietly left
the room and turned the key IN the lock- Eu-
genie noticing that her bell remained unan
swered, set the window curtains on fire. In the
meantime the Emperor had dismissed the minis
ters, and he now came in person to relieve his
wife and thank the chamberlain, which he did
most warmly, for having so literally carried out
his orders. AS the Empress refused to be paci
fed he consented to her paying visit to her
cousin, the Duchess of Hamilton, in Scotland,
and it was not until he had formally promised
to get rid of the Countess De Castiglione that
she consented to return to Paris. The promise
was kept, and for time the Countess absented
herself from the capital. On her return she i'm
itated another royal mistress. Nine. De la Val
liere, and entered a convent, but as, unlike
Louis XIV, Napoleon III did not go after her,
she soon tired of playing the Puritan and re-
turned to the world again.
1t was at this time that she went to live in the
Place Vendome. One day, with the assistance
of certain other noble dames she organized a
charity bazar for the benefit Of the suffering
Poles A Russian of high rank was taken to
this bazar by Partisan without being told why
it was gotten up. and as the fair saleswomen
praised their goods with all possible charm in
their words and looks he lavshed his money at
the various stalls and left with his car
riage loaded with articles. On his way
to his hotel the Russian and his