The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-28
TIE DIVORCE OF NAPOLEON
AND JOSEPHINE.
dam, Tarce!l Writing in Mcclure's
Laraz:ne for March.

for her. and even 50 far back as the Fl
Egyptian campaign had urged Napo- 5
loo, 10 seek a divorce Unwisely,
.fosonhine had not sought in her early /
=, ,rriod life to win their affection any
more than she la. sought to keep |
Tanoleon's; and when The emperor was
crowned. a:loy had done their best to {
,,rovent her coronation When, for
state reasons. the divorce seemed nee
essary. Josephine had no supporters
where Sic might have bad many
Her grief was more poignant because
She had come to love her husband with
= real ar,l,r. The jealousy from which
re had once suffered she now felt, and
xarolcon certainly gave her ample
cause for It. i!cr anxiety was well
l.no,vn 10 ali lie court, The secretaries
;,onrrienne ana Menevai, and Madame
do Eema.at being her special conf
d,r..s since 1897 it had been intense,
for i v3s III tlat wear that Fouche,
probably 1t Eapoieon's instisatlon'
tried 10 persuade the Empress to sug-
oest the divorce herself as her sacrifice
t. the country
After Naeram it became evident to
her that at last her fate was scaled but
thoueh She beset Meneval and all the
,,arnbers Of her household for infor
nation. Il was only q fortnight before
the rllh!ic divorce that she knew her
fate. j was Jo2ephine's own son and
daughter, Eugene and Hortense, who
broke the news to her and it was On
the former that The cruel task fell OF
l3dor.ing tie divorce in the Senate in
tie name Of himself and bis sister.
.io.cahlro was terribly broken , her
DISGRACE. bu. she bore it with a sweet
mes and dignity which does much to
m:.Re .a..e ~ forget her earlier frivoi-
1ty AID nsinccrty.
Il cas- nevcr forget" says Pasqnier,
Tho evening on which The discarded
empress did the homo Of her court FOX
he IL. ti.o ii was tie day before
the o.;;o.... dissolution. y great throne
was e,rc-e..e. asa supper was served
According to custom, IN the gallery Of
Diana. on . nurnl,ec OF little tables
.Iosephine sat ct the centre one, anC
the men went around her, waiting To-
that particularly graceful nod which
she was in the habl5 OF bcstowing OF
those with whom she was acquainted
stood 4. a short distance from her 70
= few minutes. and | could not hel
being struck with the peEfec ion of he
attitude III the presence Of all thes
people who Still did her homage, Will
knowing fuIl well that 1t was for tn
last time that IN an hour she woui
descend from the throne, and leave TIL
palace never to re-enter it. Only wOme
can rise Is such i situation, bat | ha,
nv doubts as to whether second or
could have been found to do it wit
such perfect grace and composur
Napoleon did not show so bold fro,
rs did lis yictIn'
There IS no doubt but that Napolec
suffered deeply over the separation.
his love had lost its illusion, he W
genuinely attached to Josephine, al
III a way She was necessary to his ha
piness Alter the ceremony Of sepal
ton, lie was 10 go to st. Cloud, she
Malll,aison while waiting for his G.
ria2e, lie returned to his study in t
palace. For o long time he sat siIe
and depressed, his head on his han
When he was summoned he rose, /
lace distorted with pain, aud went il
the cmpress's apartment. Joseph
was alone.
When she Jaw the emperor, $
threw herself on his neck, sobbi
aIoud, lie pressed her to his bose
kissing her again and again, until ov
powered with emotion, she faint
leaving her to ner women, he hurr
to his carriage
Nencval, who saw this sad parti,
remained with Josephine until $
became conscious and when he we
she begged him not to let the empe
forget her, and to see that he wrote !
often
e MARRIAGE TO MARIE Louise