Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-02-06
De LESSEPS' WIFE
Was the Reigning Beauty of Her
Time.
THE HEIGHT OF DE LESSEPS' FAME.
Master in the Art OF Suggestion, He
Seemed to Hold Magnetic Power
over all People.
HE HEIGHT OF DE LESSEPS' FAME.

letter contains an entertaining account
of the days when De Leseps was at the
height of his fame. 1t starts out by
speaking of his second marriage to the
famous creole beauty who is now his
widow. She was really intended for
the wife of Charles de Lesseps, but she
preferred the father. She had dowry
of 100000. 1t was invested by M. de
Lesseps' advice in Suez scrip, which is
now worth $500, 900. Her mother died
on the way to Europe, and was pre-
served in barrel of rum, to receive
Christian burial ON land.
Ferdinand was one of the most capti-
waiting of men, if not the most. Charles
took after his mother-was cautious,
wrapped up, dandyish, and not at all
magnetic. He did not wear the willow
because his father was preferred to him,
and never ceased to be an admiring and
dutiful son.
The papers in the autumn of 1869
were filled with accounts of wedding
presents sent to M. and Nine. de
Lesseps. Then followed accounts of
the triumphant Inauguration Of the
Suez Canal by the Empress. Eugenie
They read like fairy tale. The coun-
try of the Thousand and One Nights
was brought close to Europe. England
feared, and France was certain, that
the poles of the commercial world were
changed, and that London was going
to fall to the mercantile level of
Venice. Who knows but what she
might if the war of 1870 had not given
her great odds against the continental
powers, and especially France? AT any
rate, all was elation ON board L'Aigle
The Crown Prince of Prussia took
offense at the triumphant manner of
the Empress, who looked on the victory
of her cousin Ferdinand as her own
victory. She was hailed by the press
as the Isabella the Catholic of the Suez
Canal, and M. de Lesseps as the Chris
topher Columbus. And we'll she de-
served to be thus lauded. Had she not
threatened herself to drive knife in
Walewski's S heart if he yielded hairs
breadth to Palmerson ON the Suez ques-
tion?
The first of the twelve children OF the
second Nine. de Lesseps was born just
as war of 1870 was declared. The de-
olaration was precipitate, but it had
been long intended. The Empress
had come back from Suez full Of the
idea that Prussia needed lesson.
1t is to de Leseps' honor that he never
was SO devoted to her as when her
throne was falling. He braved for her
sake unpopularity and an angry multi
tude. He was not merely at her beck
and call, but multiplied himself to
advise and serve her. He sought to
get hold for her of Theirs, who was
large holder of Suez shares, and had
all but succeeded when the crash of
September came. On the forenoon of
that day De Lesseps found her deserted.
The household remained for lunch and
then fled. She had only few subor-
dinates and Nine. LIE Breton with her.
M. de Lesseps kept back the multitude
from invading the Tuilerics until his
Isabella the Catholic had got away.
For the ten subsequent years M. de
Lesseps was the administrator of Suez
and the paterfamilias merely. LA
petite familie" by 1880 consisted of ten
children. There were two sets of twins
The day that Panama was launched
the eleventh was christened Paul, after
the bishop of the diocese through which
the canal was to be cut. Queen Isa-
bella was the godmother. The Nuncoi
officiated All of the ten children
were present. Their father, whom
they clustered round, WAS proud of their
high spirits and health. When they
were ON ten ponies, and he on horse
back at their head, they all looked like
circus advertisement. They were
certainly meant to be Panama adver-
tisement. A twelfth child was born
in 1898. Panama had been going
spread ON the Bourse it regained
twenty points. A more skillful adver-
tiser never lived than LIE Grand Fran
cais-a name given him by Gambetta,
whose friend, Levy Cremieux. had
taken up 60,000.000 francs worth of
Panama scrip, which he wanted to get
rid of.
De Lesseps was master in the art of
suggestion. He could make a meeting
of shareholders believe what he liked.
DR.. Charcot's power to magnetic was
nothing to De Lesseps'. once saw
him with his son Bertrand, who was
i'll of fever The child was brought
down to the father, who took him in
his arms, stroked his head, talked
soothingly, persuaded him that he
was quite we'll, and sent him into a
deep sleep. I also saw him lull the
angry apprehensions Of a number of
widows who had invested heavily in