The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-18
BAzAINE's FIRST WIFE.
How She Met Most Horrible and
Mysterious Death.
From the Ne,c York World.

From the Ne,c York World.
But few persons of the present generation
are aware that the widow the late ex-
Marshal Bazaine, who died ten days ago in
exile at Madrid, was only the second wife of
the disgraced French general. His first
wife, who was one OF the most fascinating
OF the bevy Of beautiful women who consti-
| tuted the encourage Of the Empress
Eugene, died under terribly tragical cir
cumstaAceS i'll 1864 Her husband was
away in Mexico at the time commanding
the French troops who were engaged in the
hopeless task of maintaining the lll-tated
Macmillan on his lettering throne. Sad to
relate Nine la MARKETABLE. who was
considerably younger than her soldier
husband, who had fought his way up from
the lowest rank of the army to the highest,
was as frail as she was fair, and took
advantage of her spouses absence to mis-
conduct herself in the most fragrant man
ner. Her escapades brought her into con-
tact with men of the type Of the notorious
Pranzini, and one morning in the summer
of 1864 her dead body was disco vered in a
house Of questionable repute in one of the
suburbs of Paris The head was almost
severed from the trunk by "A cash across
the throat and the corpse had been subjected
to terrible mutilations, while the aspect OF
the room left no doubt as to the orgies
which had preceded the crime. Every
effort was made by the government TO keep
the matter from becoming public, but to no
effect, for the news soon leaked out, and In
an incredibly short time the newspapers
were filled with the most revolving details
about the whole affair.
Bazaine was passionately attached to his
lovely wife, and his devotion to her and
blind confidence in her virtue were well
known at the Tuileries. Both on public
and personal grounds, Napoleon was
determined that, at all costs, the news
should be gently broken to the marshall.
Accordingly he dispatched one of his
favorite aides-da-camp to Maxico, intrusting
him with long autograph letter, and with
the task of communicating Nine. BaZaine' s
death to her husband At the same time he
adopted the extraordinary measure OF
laying an embargo on all ships about to sail
for Mexican ports, and prevented the
dispatch of any of the ordinary letter or
newspaper mail by the steamer which bore
his messenger to Bazaine.
Unfortunately the vessel was greatly
delayed by bad Heather, and it was not
until a week after the dav on which he
ought to have arrived that Napoleon aide
de-camp reached the French Headquarters
in person and executed his mission. Bazaine
appeared almost broken hearted and utterly
crushed by the news of his wife'S death.
But on the following day he happened to
light on Paris paper which had found its
way into Mexico via the United States and
the first thing which met his eyes was the
heading of paragraph entitled, "Assassinat
dc la Marechale Bazaine." No detail was
spared in the account given of her murder
and of all Of the attendant circumstances.
Bazaine never uttered a word, but became
terribly pale and withdrew to his tent,
taking the newspaper with him. For the
space of three days he remained Invisible TO
all, refusing either to eat or drink. Then
he issued forth again among his troops, and
went about his business as if nothing had
happened, never by one single word or act
referring to his murdered wife. 1t was as
if she had never existed. Three months
later he met beautiful young Mexican
girl, the present Mime. Bazaine, whom he
married few weeks afterwards, and who
now survives him.