Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-04-21
IT WAS POISON FOR JOSEPHINE.
EVIDENCE THAT THE WIFE OF
NAPOLEON WAS THUS KILLED.
SHE WAS IN a STATE sEcRET-IT
is SAID THAT SHE KNEW THAT
LOUIS XVII WAS ALIVE AND
COULD PREVENT LOUIS XvIlIss
ACCESSION.

bOtlo NNll WAS ALIVE AMI
COULD PREVENT LOUIS XVIII
ACCESSION.
One of the most interesting stories re-
vived by the Napoleonic renaissance ia
that which goes to show that Jose
phine,. Napoleon's divorced wife, was
poisoned.
The brief illness ana death of
Josephine were attended by such Pc
euliur circumstances as to give rise
in the minds OF those most closely con-
nected with her to the belief that she
had been poisoned. This theory is
based ON the belief that Josephine I'M
doubleday knew and was about to re-
veal state secrets OF the gravest nature
{ regarding the continued existence OF
Louis XVII, VINO was supposed " nave
dled in prison IN 1893, Wnen ten years
! Old. o.
/ May 10, 1874, the ex-Empress Jose
phine was at the chgteau vi 81 Leu
Iavernay, where she expected the(~ar
Alexander 1. OF Russia tUSqlpe win heF'
she rose at an early nOur tftsl morning.
took her usual promenade IN tAe pafN'
ana HIter breakfast, NOTWITHSTANDING
the cold, damp wuatner wnIcn pteNai-
ca, Went out IN an open carriage. Upon
her return sne telt the hrst - mptOms
OF the Illness winch was about 10 put
premature end 10 her interesting
career.
Believing 1t but slight indlsposi-
ton, she had one Of her malus OF
honor, Mile. AvriilOn, prepare some
lime-water mixed with an INFUSION Oh
orange flowers, and, after taxing TINS
lay down, dressed upon her bed. ke-
fusing to yield to the solicitations of
her household and wishing to greet in
person her distinguished guest, she
went down to dinner little later She
remarked that she had taken slight
cold, from which she would not be
long In recovering, and, as precau-
tlOn. abstained from eating, following
the counsel of Dr. Corvisart, whose
theory was that grave Illnesses OFTEN
resulted from not observing rigorous
diet at the first appearance of dis
case.
After dinner the empress took part
in a game Of barre, but her strength
failed her, and she was forced to retire
to her apartments. She departed next
day for her chateau at Malmaison, hay
ing, apparently, entirely recovered.
Josephine was fatallst. She had
seen accomplished part of the pro-
phecy of the gypsy who told her before
her second marriage that she would
become greater than n queen" and
that she would ode in hospital" She
had occupied a throne, and the latter
part of the prediction is fancifully held
10 have been fulfilled, because Malmal-
son means a refuge for the sick.
The evening Of May IL Josephine
dined with her children and ate as
with chills and nausea, and suffered
greatly during the night which fol-
lowed The next day fine eruption
appeared upon her body. especially
upon her arms and breast This dis
appeared twenty-four afterwards with
out leaving a trace The following
night was worse than the preceding,
and the next day brought increased |
fever, suifocating agOnies and extreme |
weakness.
At the first news that the empress |
was seriously Ill the car sent to her I
his own surgeon, Sir James Wylie, one |
of the medical celebrities of the time. |
He agreed upon all points with Dr. |
Horau, who had commenced to despair |
and brought back from Malmaison the |
gravest prognostics.
Saturday May IL. the crisis came |
shortly after midnight she sank into a
lethargic slumber which lasted five |
hours. At 10 o'clock In the morning |
Dr. BourdOis judged her case hopeless
she died.
The body was scarcely cold when
rumors OF poisoning began to circulate |
at first in secret, then openly. These |
reports were borne out by the state |
ment that the empress knew the secret |
XVIII from the Temple prison. and |
had even lent her aid thereto, and that |
her sudden death was the pnnalty for
some revelations she had made, to the !
effect that the real DauRhIn still lived |
and that another child had died in his
stead from the brutality of the jalers. |
Louis XVII, titular king of France,
was the third son of Louis XVI. and |
Marie Antoinette. He was born at YER |
sailles, March 81, 1855, became Dauphin |
in June, 1Is9, was proclaimed king after |
the execution of his father, and was |
recognized as such by the governments |
OF England and Russia. 1t is generally |
supposed that he died in the Temple |
prison, where his parents were con- |
fined prevides to their execution. Many |
Frenchmen have believed, however. |
that he escaped from captivity and |
lived to manhood.
1t is beyond question that shortly be-
fore her death Josephine had had a |
secret conference with Alexander of |
Russia, who decided that the govern !
ment of France should remain in a |
provisional state until the son of Louis !
ANl. could be discovered and his iden- /
tity proved The car stated that he |
would cause justice to be done him, |
TO whom It was legltimately due"
1t has further been proved that all |
OF Josephine's papers were seized in |
April, 1914, and many letters from Ma
poleon to Josephine taken away.
In 1873 scarcely year after the death
OF the empress, rumors circulated OPEN
ly IN the salons that Louis XVIII. had |
wished to make sure OF his throne by |
embarrassing himself of documents |
whose publicity might have worked |
against his projects of usurpatlon.
French nobleman, who writes
anonymously, states In his souvenirs
that he saw In April. 1914, less than a
month before Josephlne's death, "some
documents which contained secrets ca
pable of overturning Europe, II ever
they saw the light" He entreated the
piled:
My resolution is taken. I will speak
again TO the Emperor Alexander. He
Is lust, without doubt, since he wishes
each person to have his rightful rank
ana place. He viii espouse the inter-
ests Of this unhappy young man"
I made no objection" adds the mar
rator. Josephine acted as she had re-
solved, and revealed what she might
better have kept secret. Her sudden
death buried forever In profound OBJ
SECURITY all accurate knowledge of n
very singular case, and relieved Louis
MNlil' or a powerful witness against