Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-18
ONCE RULED MEXICO
Mad Empress Charlotte, Who is Dying
at the Chateau Bouchant.
Was A VICTIM OF her own AMBITION
Her F ate is Watched With Great
Interest in This City.
A GEORG ETOWN ROMANCE
Was A VICTIM OF her own AMBITION
GEORG ETOWN ROMANCE
Written Exclusively for The Evening Star.

Written Exclusively for The Evening Star.
Charlotte, the mad Empress of Mexico
is dying in the gloomy old chateau outside
Of Brussels that has been her home during
he last decade of her thirty years i'm
prIsonment. Whether the Chateau of Bou-
chant has really been a prison or merely
paiatlal insane asylum, the outside world
does not know, probably never will know;
but whether the one or the other, it's silent
walls inclose a fast ebbing life that has
known more of romance, of mystery and
adventure than that Of perhaps any other
one woman in this enlightened nineteenth
century.
Strangely enough, the story of this mad
princess is linked in way with one of the
quiet and staid families of old George
town, and for this reason her passing will
be watched with more than casual interest
by many old Washingtonians who knew
the actors in this strange drama and
watched the passage of events when they
were current news instead of history
Charlotte was the adopted mother of
Prince Augustine de Iturbide, formerly of
the metropolitan Club, and oEetime claim
ant to the throne of Mexico. The real
mother of the prince was formerly Miss
Alice Green of Georgetown, and she IT was
VINO was kidnapped by Charlotte and shirt
ed out of Mexico in sixteenth century
m ar oft;
chapter for a novel.
through this incident, too, it came to
pass that an American woman had much
10 do with moding the destiny of the Mex
lcan people. and aided in bringing to an
uEt,meiy end the short-livcd empire of
Maxlml!ian; for after the kidnaping epi-
soGe, which at the time created consider
able stir in the United States, pressure
was brought to bear by this government
upon France to the end that Napolson III
Withdrew the French forces from Mexico
IN direct breach of his promise to Max
lmlllan. ard the latter, deprived of his for
etsl regions, fell comparatively easy VIC
tim to the onslaught of that old Indian
hero. Juarez. the Washington of modern
Mexico.
An Ambitious Woman
Charlotte was an ambitious woman, ard
IL was this trait of her character that IT,
cuced Macmillan to accept the throne of
Mexico when Napoleon and a French bond
syndicate decided to annex the country
Except fer the ambition of Charlotte. Max
imllian had no need to come to the western
hemisphere for home. He was the Sec
ond son of Francis Charles Archduke of
Austria, and was reared for the sea at
one time being in command of the navy
ana later appointed ruler over the Veat-
t'an-Lombard kingdom. But when his ck
der trother succeeded to the throne OF
Apstrla the petty royalty Of Lombardy no
longer satisfied the ambitions of Charlotte
She yearned for empire for herself and
husband, even if it were half-sayase
empire in the new world: and when the
chance for royal promotion showed itself
IN Mexico she sHatched at the opportunity
Macmillan yielded, against his will to her
ontreaties, and accepted the offer of Ma
poleon to assume the throne of Mexico
and found a new dynasty in the new world
Accordingly. on May 8. 1864. he and his
empress, under convoy of fleet of French
warsEips and transports. landed at Vera
Cruz. They journeyed swiftly through the
hot. unhealthy belt of the TERRA eaiiente
to the temperate region of the central pla-
teau. and we're soon installed. if not act
ually in the halls of MonteZuma at least
on the site of that ancient capital, whose
fiat-rocfed palaces overlooked the sapphire
waters OF Lake Chalco Their reception
was apparently enthusiastic, and for a few
months the new-made sovereigns tasted all
the joys of empire. To be sure it was
rather a barbaric empire, somewhat the
same as though today some younger son
of European royalty were to be offered a
crown in the Congo Free State or some
new-made African kingdom. But Charlotte
had her adherents, both European and ma
tive. and they gathered about them all he
trappings and circumstances of an impe-
rial court.