Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1890-10-07
THE THIRD NAPOLEON. {.
What Duke Ernest Of saxe-Coburs Says
Of Him In fiis Memoirs.


Of Him In Ills Memoirs.
The Duke of Sake Coburg. Gotha
Queen Victoria's brother-in-law, saw tn,
Emperor Napoleon III. closely. Hi
Hlghness was again in Paris and at thu
opera on the night Of tho Orsini attempt
lie went there alone instead OF in tn,
company OF their Majcsties, and that
probably saved his life. lie stood await
ing them in the vestibule, when u first
explosion was heard, and then, an In
slant after, a second. II was still stand
ing there" he says In the volume of his
memoirs just Published, ''petriflcd with
horror. when the Emperor and Empress
rushed In. They seemed about to fall.
The Empress seized me, as 1t we're, me-
chemically by the arm and said pretty
calmly, 'Sauvezmoiv The Emperor
was like one stunned; he staggered and
/ thought he was wounded. Ills hat
was little knocked in and torn on one
side by bullet" And this was only
the second explosion. for there was still
to be third. In this case the bomb
must have been thrown straight at tho
door OF the hall, for fragments OF the
shcll and bullets smashed the windows
and reboundcd from the cciling. ~
dragged the Empress, whom had on
my arm, away with me, and rccollect
having knocked down some person who
blocked the way, us was endcavoring
TO reach the staircase leading to the
box. The Emperor appeared at loss to
know in what direction to turn Then
he followed us up the stairs, and at last
We all reached the box"
As soon MS they had composed them
selves the terrified pair stepped to tho
front OF the box, but they met with no
reception. Not a hand stirred. not
sound was raised. "Thc Emperor said
to me in German; There you see the
Parisians-thoy are never treated harsh
ly enough" Presently the marshals
and the members OF the Imperial family
came into tho box. Marshal Canrobert
wept like Il child. and when the Princess
Mathilde arrived there was scene OF
passionate excitement, for she had lost
all self control. quite late in tho
evening Prince Napoleon also put In an
appearance. When he approached their
Majesties the Empress turned her back
upon him, while the Emperor said to
him coldly, before tho Prince had time
to make any fine phrases: 'C'cst bien!
c'est bien!" Tho Duke was to SEQ this
much tried ruler and man once more,
and this time in his greatest trial OF all.
1t was at Sedan. messenger brought
the King of Prussia the famous letter of
surrender from Napoleon III. Listen"
said the King to those who stood about
him, and he read the letter aloud. Then,
sitting upon pillow, he wrote hi an
swcr on tho back OF his aid dc camp.
The same day the Duke met the En-
peror driving from Donchery, and bow
ed to him from his horse. "lle waved |
his hand in a friendly way, but did not |
speak word. For tho last time in
this life saw his sad and ovcrshadowed
features" The Duke necessarily passes
most OF his time OH what his illustrious
countryman, Aucrbach, calls the
Heights. lie rarely descends to the
plains. We hear little of peoples, but
very much OF those who govern thcm.
Even his brothers great achievement,
the exhibition OF 1851, was, in the |
Dukes eyes, ''pre-emincntly aristo-
cratic" Some Of us have thought that |
it was not without popular features, but
let that pass. The nobility undertook |
the representation of England in u man
ncr such as 1t has never done egain on |
any other occasion. On the opening |
day nearly 1000 state eqnipagcs appear.
ed, and the royal party drove up almost
daily in full splendor to visit the exhibit
ton" The Dukes history. however,
must DO taken from the Dukes own
point Of Wow. and in that 1t is not alto
gether without consolidate for, those
who like to preserve their faith in popu-
lar destinics. Dcmocracies can not pos
sibly make greater mistakes than have
been made for them by those who oblig-
ingly undertake to relieve them OF all |
trouble in the management OF their own
Affairs. London News.