The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-26
Queer Fancies Of Napoleon.

IQu0er fdnCleS OF NdpOiSOH.
All the world has long known that tn
great Napoleon was more or less supersu
tious, but until the recent publication o
his letters no one knew how firmly he be
Heyed in occult forces
HIS firm belief was that a star presided
over his destiny and that, according Il
the brilliancy or obscurity OF this star, 81
would his career be. We first hear OK tni!
star on the night of August IA. 1Ios. wher
it appeared to the Able Martenot, beins
posted at that time IN the midst of tbs
constellation Of the Virgin. On the follow
ing night Frederick the Great saw at Bres
| lau, in a dream, this star. and II was full
! Of light. Suddenly, however, Il was OBJ
scured by another star. which much sur
| passed IL in splendor. The two stars strug
! gled with each other for while, and II
the end the second one vanished The
Chevalier De Ben;erne tells this story, an6
! he adds that we may also find it in several
| biographies and histories OF Frederick III
| which were printed IN Germany before and
after the death OF that sovereign, and al
! time when Napoleon was still student
| at Brienne or at most a simple officer OF
| artillery
| After the battle Of Jena Napoleon asked
| Wieland what ne thought Of Frederick 5
| dream and Wieland replied: THE dream
| has come true, SIRE
1 There Is a strange menace in IL for US.
| remarked the emperor, for Il is very evil
dent that the star of him who is dead will
J ultimately triumph over the star of him
| who is living"
At Bayonne Napoleon ordered a captain
of a corvette to take some very important
| dispatches through the English lines, and
assured him OF success, by saying. Don't
| be afraid, Captain; my star viii guide you
| safely"
Rapp, on his return from the siege of
Dantsic, happened 10 enter the emperor s
| study without announcing his arrival, and
| he was surprised TO see Napoleon jump up
from his chair and to hear him exclaim
There, don't you see II, my star? 1t Is
before you, shining brilliantly. Never has
it abandoned me, and on all great occa-
SONS it has made itself manifest to NE.
At present it orders me TO go ahead, and
know that it is sure foreboding Of hap
piness."
In 1911 Cardinal Fesch begged Napoleon
to put an end to the war but the emperor
in reply took the churchman by the hand.
and, leading him to a window, pointed TO
the star, which happened to be shining
brilliantly.
Even in apparently simple occurrences
Napoleon saw foreshadowing Of his future
greatness. When Nine de Montesson went
TO Brienne in order to preside over the dis
trbuton of prizes, she placed on Bona
parties head laurel wreath, adding the
conventional words, MAY ii bring you hap
piness." The First Consul was overjoyed
at her act. seeing in it a most fortunate
symbol and he covered her with honrs.
In 1874, while at Marseilles, he consulted
a fortune teller, and she said to him: You
will cross the seas: you will be victorious;
you will return, and yiu will become greater
than ever"
One day, at Cairo, while he was walking
with his officers. ne came face to face with
an old woman, who did not know him. but
who yet unhesitatingly cast his horoscope
and predicted his divorce and exile.
At the beginning of 1909 he had at Fon-
tainebeau a dream, which disturbed him
greatly. He saw. among other things, a
man clothed in imperial purple being car
ried away by two kings. who We're loaded
with chains. In aftes years he became con-
WINGED that these two ings were sent to
warn him of his two periods of captivity,
one at Elba and the other at Saint Hell
ena.
Napoleon also consulted Mile. Lenormand
the famous clairvoyant, but the exact ma
ture of her predictions is not known. True,
in her Souvenirs dune S:bylle' there is
a horoscope of the emperor, but the gen.
eral opinion is that il was cast after his
downfall. The emperor, however, had great
faith in her ability to foretell the future.
He also had absolute faith in his own
presentiments. In his book on the Empress
Josephine, NJ. Turquan tells US that, while
he was on his way to Egypt, the emperor
would often hold long discussions with
Monge, Bertholet, and other Swans In re-
nd ~ +ha trrft nv fol ~ cnrst
ments, as well as well as in regard to the
interpretations Of dreams. No matter how
the others might argue, he could never
bring himself to believe that there was not
some truth in presentiments.
According to Constant, the emperor, while
in Italy, happened to break in his pocket
the glass cover of Josephines portrait,
whereupon he al once despatched courier
to inquire as to her health, and che could
not rest until the courier returned as
he could not rid his mind Of the idea that
Sc was dead.
On October "a. 1900, the day when an in
fernal machine was exploded in the Rue
Saint Nicaise. in Peris. he for long time
resisted Josephine's entreaty to take her TO
the opera, as he had a presentiment that
scme danger threatened him.
The fire which broke out at the Hotel
ScHNd tztilDuiS' III IoIv dl tHe tiiie Oh has
marriage TO Maria Louise, caused him ma
ny anxious hours. Toward his wife, too
he began to feel bitterness, which increas-
ed with years. and on one occasion he went
so far as TO accuse her Of trying to do him
harm. This was when he was thrown from
his horse, the animal having become fright
ened by a red dress which the empress
wore.
Many mournful presentiments troubled
him during the Russian campaign, and in
the work entitled. Prophecies de Nlpo- !
leon" we read that a presentiment OF Saint |
Helena came TO him on the eve OF the |
battle OF Austerlitz.