Omaha daily bee., 1886-09-12
MAlMAISON.
The Dismantlcd Home of Napoleon,
Where Josephine Lived and Died.

The Dismantlcd Home of Napoleon,
Where Josephine Lived and Died.
Edward King in Boston Journal: |
went the other day to Malmaison, the old
home of Napoleon and Josephine, and
the quiet oldfashoned mansion in which
Josephine died. | had not been there
since 1861, at which time the Imperial
government had organized complete
Napoleonic museum in the old place.
The library, where Napoleon had worked
out his campaigns, the boudoirs, the
salons, were all fitted up with the furni-
ture which had done duty in the early
days of the First Empire, and one could
almost imagine, while stroling from
room to room, that the Little Corporal
would suddenly appear and in curt tunes
inquire to what the intrusion was due.
The small bedroom in which Napoleon
slept on an ordinary camp bedstead was
filled with his old clothes and cooked
hats; and his favOrite books were thrown
down as ii they had just quilted the i'm
patient imperial hand, which they some
times did in great hurry, as Napoleon
would pitch book even out a travelling
carriage if he happened to find anything
which was not in harmony with his own
notions. During his Austrian and
Russian campaigns he had light car
riage fitted up with compact library,
aide-de camp who followed this camp
was the rescuing from the mud of the
war-wOrn roads Of the time the books
which Napoleon SHE'D into the air when
he disliked them. Malmaison was dread
fully cut up during the Franco-German
war, and to-day there is but little left of
the old-fashloned country house. Some
of the rooms are so unsafe that visitors
ara requested not to venture on their
shaky floors or under their ancient cell
ings. Not book remains in it, and the
concierge who shows visitors over the
T house dwells with kind OF ferocious EN-.
phasls upon the mischief which the
Prusslan headquarters officers did during
their long sojourn there. The beautiful
park into which Napoleon used to pass
from little drawbridge rugged over
moat directly from his private bedroom
is being parceled out and sold to the rich
landlords of the neighborhood. The
magnificent alley of sycamores which
leads to the chateau is now unkempt and
somewhat desoiate, and there is none of
the old.tme life or gayety ut Malmaison
save when joyous party of litterateurs
or painters penetrate the old domain on
their capricious way to Bougival for row.
ing or driving parties.
went into the little room in which
Josephine Dreathed her last. 1t was as
desolate and forlorn as that of some old
colonial mansion on the eastern coast of
America. Life and thought had gone
away 1t seemed impossible to believe
that in the. suite of rooms adjoining were
once assembled the most brilliant col.
lection of French poets that has been
known in the last two centuries. Jose
phne had fine frenzy for calling about
the court of the future dictator the liter
AIRY men OF France and so went to her
little country seat men like Bernardin de
st. Pierre, Ducts, who tortured Shak-
speare on his procrustean bed; the elder
Legouyey, Joseph ChGner, Talma, Picard,
Duval, and Girodet. In the wake of these
poets, all of whom were men of fine
manners and certain distinction in litera.
ture, always followed Il number of pretty
women. There were Hortense de
Beauharnais, who was then dazzling
creature of Is, the Countess Fanny, her
sister, and host OF ladies OF rank and
fortune who, in the intervals OF the clash
ing of swords and the noise of politics,
helped to honor the muses.. In these now
desolate rooms Arnault declaimed his
fables, Bouilly read his dramas, and
Legouvey recited his poems when
Bonaparte was pounding up and down
Egypt and haranguing his soldiers as to
the spectral host which contemplated
them from the tops of the pyramids.
Josephine was working with feminine
Iedi anu dcts W rally dDOul IL tllOSe sllIll5
which still hesitated. Had it not been
tor her work at Malmaison he would
never have been able TO undertake the
18th of Brumaire or to become First
Consul. He was sincerely grateful in
those days to Josephine for all that she
had undertaken in his behalf, and moth
ing pleased him so much as to visit NAL
malson and rest there from his ambitious
projects. Josephine tried to make a
new Trianon at Malmaison; and in the
park, which will now soon be lost To
view. she had built all sorts of klos4ues