Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-02
NEW LIGHT ON NAPOLEON
Suppressed Correspondence to Be Published
by Leon Lechtre.
The Ambitious Soldier spared Neither
Friend Nor Foe Who Ran Coun-
ter TO His Will.

NJ. Leon Lechtre, curator of tho trr.ncb
archives. will issue during the present week
the hrst volume Of 3o0 letters which were
suppressed by the editors OF Napoleon's
correspondence, issued I'm 1Saen as not cal
culated 10 Increase the glory OF the rrea,
French emperor The volume includes
some heated family letters. and some Wig
orously worded epistles to Fouche ana
Dubois, the ministers of police aud war
respectively. A letter to Marshal Soult I'm
1904 shows that Napoleon did not hesitate
in adopting any means OF obtaining con-
LESSONS. He orders Soun 10 arrest a fish
erman suspected Of communicating with
the British. adding:
IF he refuses TO speak you must squeeze
his thumbs i'm a musket lock-
This was a method adopted to extract
confessions in the cases of persons g,,s-
pected Of espionage.
Napoleon's list of persons to be arrested
Stael was unceasing.
Estimate Of Prusstan Princes.
Learning in 1897. through Marshal Vic
tor. that Prince Augustus of Prussia was
intriguing against him in Berlin Napoleon
wrote:
II am not astonished. because he has a
dull mind and has spent his time counting
Madame de Stael at Coppot (Switzerland)
and. of course. could only pick up bad
habits with her. Send word to him that
at the first mschievous remark he uttcrs
you will lock him up I'm his castle and send
Madame de Stael to console him. There
no men so cringing as these princes of
Prussia
Writing to Tallcyrand in 1908 that princes
Of the former rcigning family of Spain
were about to arrive at Nallence. Ma
poleon said: You may send for Madame
1l.x-w
the Prince of Asturias should form at
tachment for pretty person. IL will be no
drawback. as ii would supply another
means of watching him.
Talleyrand's Delicate Mission.
Another letter from Napoleon to Talley-
rand reads:
Your mission is honorable enough. to re-
ceive three illustrious personages and
amusa them, and is quite in keeping with
your character"
When Napoleon received the news. June
IL. 1899. that the pope had excommuni-
Gated him, he wrote:
Il spare the pope no longer. He is a raw
ing mailman and must be locked up
Some scolding letters to his brother
Prince jerome. are interesting. When
Jerome outwitted by the Austrian
General kienmayer. he still boosted of his
strategic plans, in an inflated order OF the
uay- L MS caused NapOleOn 10 write as 1ol-
lows:
Il have seen your order of the day, which
makes you the laughing stock OF Austria.
Germany and France. Haven't you $.
friend about TO tell you plain truths? You
king and a brother of the emperor. These
are ridiculous titles. In time of war You
must be a soldier and nothing but q sol
oier. You must have no minister. no d.plo-
matte corps. no state. You must camp
with the vanguard, be day and night on
horseback and march in the van to pick up
news or remain in ones harem.
Plain Talk to Jerome.
You make war like satrap. Is 1t from
me, good God, that you learned that from?
l. who. with army of 2ea.ooo men, keep
at the head of my skirmishers?
The people are provoked with yen.
kienmayer, with 12.Oo0 men. has laughed
at you and your ridiculous pretensions,
and has Slipped away from you and fallen
upon Junot. You have a lot of protein
sions some little mind and a fen good
qualities but these are married by your ia
tCity and your extreme presumption. You
have no knowledge of the fitness of things.
Leave of being ridiculous. send your diplo-
matte corps back to Cassel, have no bag
wishing to earn glory and reputa5i Try
to deserve the rank you have reached and
the esteem of France and Europe VINO are
watching you. and, by God, do right and
speak in a seemly manner IL you can"