Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-05-10
EMPRESS EUGENIE'S ESCAPE.
How 1t Was Accomplished by the Aid
of a Wisconsin Man.

/
of one of the ladies of the Empress
Eugenie's household, writes Of The
Tuileries Under the Second Empire in
the March Century, from which we
! take the following account of the es-
cape of the empress by the aid of a
| former citizen of Wisconsin, who al
| the time was a Partisan dentist. from
the downfall of Napoleon in the
| FrancO-German war:
! The chamber of deputies had been in
vaded by the mob; the downfall of
the empire had been decreed; the re-
public had been proclaimed. The cries
of the popular fury were heard in the
very gardens of the Tuileries, and the
enraged populace was coming nearer
and nearer. The crowd reached the
reserved garden in front of the palace,
and tore down the emblematic imperial
eagles. 1t was then a quarter past 5
in the afternoon.
The Austrian and italian ambas-
sailors now entreated the empress to
leave the palace, but she warmly re-
jected the proposal. The daughter of
! a noble race, with the heroic blood of
the Germans flowing in her veins, she
could not but consider flight as an act
! of cOWardice. She was a sentinel left
to defend the post. and she would die
there. The roar of the mob became
louder and louder; the cries of ''Vive
la Republiquer' were distinctly heard.
Madame" then said her faithful
,,1,,
you will cause a general massacre Of
your attendants"
She seemed struck by this, and, turn
ing to Gen. Mellinet. she said:
Can you defend the palace without
bloodshed?
Madame, | fear not"
Then all is over" said the empress.
She turned to those present. Gentle
men, can you bear witness that have
done my duty to the last?'
They hastily answered Yes" again
urging her to leave.
All her usual attendants Of the SER
vice d'hOnneur were assembled in the
rOse-colored room, fairy bower, III
suited as frame for such a tragic
picture, and which she was never to
see again. She babe farewell to all.
Strange to say-and the ineXplicable
fact has never been denied nor eX-
cuSed-nOt one of those present offered
to follow her; not one asked her where
she was seeking a refuge Let us
hasten to add that her ever-faithful
friend and follower. the Due de Bias
sano, was not there; he was at the SEN
ate house, vainly trying to stem the
food. But there were others who
could have filed his place.
All were bewildered and absorbed
by selfish fears. One lady who filed
a secondary, though CONFIDENTIAL post
in the household. Nine. Lebreton, sis
ter to Gen. Bourbaki, followed her I'M
happy mistress into exile. With one
faithful attendant, Pietri, and the two
ambassadors, the empress threaded the
galleries communicating with the
Louvre, while the mob broke into the
TuillerieS on the other side. There was
a door of communication which was
found locked, and for one brief moment
anxiety was intense; but the key was
happily found, and crossing the
splendid Gallery of Apollo in the
Louvre the fugitives found their way
! into the place opposite the church of
Saint-Germain fAuXerrois.
Two columns of insurgents were
coming in different directions; the dan
ger was great, and the Austrian am
bassador, Prince Metternich. went in
haste to seek his carriage. Meanwhile
a street boy called out: There is the
empressw Much alarmed. the Italian
ambassador, Chevalier Nigra. hastily
thrust the empress and Nine. Lebreton
i into a hackney carriage and turned
to silence the boy. The driver, fright
ened at the approach of the mob. drove
, off in violent haste. and the two am
, bassadors Immediately lost sight of
, the vehicle.
! The empress had no money about her
and when, on reaching a quieter re
giOn, the driver asked her where he
was to take her, she knew not whittier
! to 60. Several calls were made at the
| houses of friends; none were at home
and the empress, utterly exhausted
and not knowing where to find a ref,
uge suddenly remembered that DR.
Evans, the American dentist, lived
near, and to him she went DR. Evans
was about to go to dinner, and at first
refused to see the unknown lady who
came at such an unpropitious time; but
as she insisted upon speaking to him
he came out, and was struck with as
constituent on finding himself in the
presence of the fugitive empress. TIC
his honor be it said that never in the
imperial prosperity could she have me-
with more respect or more devoted
zeal in her service that was shown or
this occasion by DR.. and Mrs. Evans
Nothing that could be done for hel
comfort was neglected, and DR.. Evans
never left his imperial guest until hi
had safely landed her On the English
shore. Here, at least, there wa.
neither ingratitude nor selfish fear, ant
the conduct of DR.. Evans on this mem
orable occasion will be remembered
as a title of honor to his name and tx
his country.