Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1894-05-10
EMPRESS EuGENuEs ESCAPE.
How Ii Was Accomplished by the Aid
of a Wisconsin Man.

Miss Anna L. Bicknell, who was for
many years a goveruess in the family
OF one of the ladies OF the Empress
Eugenie's household, writes OF The
TuilerieS Binder the Second Empire In
the March Century, from which we
take the following account OF the cS-
cape of the empress by the aid Of
former citizen of Wisconsin who ut
the time was a Partisan dentist. from
the downfall of Napoleon IN the
Franco-Gcrman war;
The chamber of deputies had been in.
yaded 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
aud nearer The crowd reached the
reserved garden in front Of the palace.
ana tore down the cmblematic imperial
eagles. IL was then a quarter past ,
I'm the afternoon
The Austrian and italian ambaS-
sailors now cntreated the empress 10
leave the palace but she warmly re
jectcd the proposal the daughter Of
noble race. with the heroic blood of
the Germans flowing in her veins. she
could not but consider flight as an act
of cowardicc. 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 "Elye
In Rcpublique" were distinctly heard,
Madame" then said her faithful
secretary, Pictn, by remaining here
you will cause a general massacre OF
your attendants
She seemed struck 10y this and, turn,
ing to Gen Mcllinct, she said:
Can YOU defend the palace without
bloodShcd ~
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, I'll
suited "a frame for such tragic
picture, and which she was never TO
see again. She babe farewell TO all
Strange to say ana the incNplicable
fact has never been denied nor eX
cused mot one of those present offered
to follow her; not one asked her where
she was seeking refuge. Let MS
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, valnlys trying to stem the
flood But there were others who
could have filled his place.
All were bewildered and absorbed /
by selfish fears one lady who filled
a secondary, though confidential, post
Ia the household, Nine. Lebrcton, sis .
ter to Gen Bourbaki, followed her I'M I
happy mistress into exile. With one
faithful attendant, Pieri, and the two I
the empress threaded the
galleries communicating with the
Louvre. while the mob broke into the
Tuilleries on the other side. There was
q door Of communication which was
found locked, and for ore brief moment
anxiety was intense; but the key was
happily found, and crossing the
splendid Gallery Of Apollo in the
Louvre the fugitves found their way
INTO the place opposite the church of
Saint 4, nr1uofn rAuyprr1is
Two columns of insurgents were
coming IN different directions; the dan
ger was great and the Austrian am
Jassador, Prince Mettcrnich, went In
haste to seek his carriage. Meanwhile
a street boy called out There is the
ompressr Much alarmed, the Italian
Cheyalier Nigra hastily
thrust the empress and Mime. Lebreton
into a hackney carriage and turned
10 silence the boy. The driver, fright
aned at the approach Of the mob, drove
off in violent haste, and the two am
Dassadors Immediately lost sight Of
he vehicle
The empress had no money about her,
and when, on reaching quieter re-
zion, the driver asked her whore he
was to take her, she knew not whittier
10 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 a ref
lge suddenly remembered that Or.
Evans, the American dentist lived
near and TO him she went. Or. Evans
was about to 90 to dinner, and at first
refused TO see the unknown lady who
came at such an unpropltious time; but
rs she insisted upon speaking TO him
be came out, and was struck with as
constituent on finding himself in the
OF the fugitive empress To
bis honor be il said that never in the
imperial prosperity could she have met
with more respect or more devoted
zeal in her service that was shown on
this occasion by Or. and Mrs Evans.
Nothing that could he done for her
comfort was neglected, and DIR Exams
never left his imperial guest until he
had safely landed her on the English
shore Here, at least, there was
neither ingrahtude nor selfish fear and