The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1894-04-20
THE FLIGHT OF EUGENE.
HOW THE FRENCH EMPRESS ES.
CAPPED FROM A PARTISAN MOB,
A Ilasty Departure From the Tuilcr-
les HaTborcd and Assisted by AZ
American Dnntisi.

Empress EupenleS household, writes !
of ''Ihe Tuileries under the Second !
Empire in the Century, from which
we take the following account of the
escape of the Empress after the down
fall of Napoleon in the Franco-German
war:
The Chamber of Deputies had been
invaded 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
three in the afternoon.
The Austrian and Italian ambassG-
doris entreated the Empress to leave
the palace, but she warmly rejected
the proposal The daughter of noble
race, with the heroic blood of the Ger
mans flowing in her veins, she could
rot but consider flight as an act Of
cowardice She was q sentinel left to
defend a post, and she would die there.
The roar of the mob became louder
and louder; the cries of give la Re-
publique" were distinctly heard
Madame" then said her faithful
Secretary Pietri, "by remaining here
YOU will cause general massacre of
your attendants She seemed struck
by this, and turning to General Mel
linet, she said, Can you defend the
palace without bloodshed?" MADAME,
I fear not" "Then all is over, said
the Empress. She turned to those
present. Gentlemen, can you bear
witness that have done my duty to
the last?" They hastily answered,
eyes, again urging her to leave.
All her usual attendants of the ser
vice d'honneur were assembled in the
rose-colofed room, fairy bower, i'll
suited as frame for such tragic
picture, and which she was never to
see again. She babe farewell to all.
Strange to say-and The ineXplicable
fact had never been denied nor eX-
cused-not one Of those present
offered to follow her; not one asked
where she was seeking a refuge. Let
us hasten to add that her ever-faithful
friend and follower, the Due de Bas-
sano, was not there; he was at tho
senate 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 filled second
airy though confidential post in the
household, Madame Lebreton, sister
to General Bourbaki, followed her I'M
happy mistress into exile. With one
faithful attendant, Pietri, and the
two ambassadors, the Empress thread
ed the galleries communicating with
the Louvre, while the mob broke into
Tuileries on the other side There
was door of communication which was
found locked, and for one brief mo-
ment 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 German lAuXeTrois.
Two columns of insurgents were
coming in different directions; the
danger was great, and the Austrian
| Ambassador, Prince Metternich, went
in haste to seek his carriage. Mean
while a street boy called out, "There
is the Empress :" Much alarmed the
Italian ambassador, Chevaliers Nigra,
hastily thrust the Empress md Ma
dame Lebreton into n hackney car
riage and turned to silence the boy.
The driver, frightened at the approach
of the mob, drove off in violent haste,
and the two ambassadors Immediately
lost sight Of the vehicle.
The Empress had no money about
her, and when, on reaching quieter
region, the driver asked her where he
was to take her, she knew not whittier
to 90. Several calls were made at the
houses Of friends; none were at home,
and the Empress, utterly exhausted,
and not knowing where to find n
refuge, suddenly remembered that DIR.
Evans, the American dentist, lived
near, and to him she went. DIR. 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
establishment on finding himself in the
presence of the fugitive Empress. To
his honor be it said that never i'll the
days of imperial prosperity could she
have met with more respect or more
devoted zeal in her service than was
shown on this occasion by DIR, and Mrs.
Evans. Nothing that could be done
for her comfort WAS neglected, and
DR.. Evans never left his imperial
an l. 1. hos ~,