The Worthington advance., 1898-11-03

TIE MURDERED EMpRFSS.
wild Rides Of the Late Lady, OF AUS
trin and Her sympa thy WITH tine
Poor while IN Hormandy.
d IN 1875 the murd cred empress Of Aus
tria, upon the advice Of her physician,
took up her residence in Normandy,
in the Caux country, where she rented
the chateau of Sassetot. She arrived
there on July 81 with the little Arch
duchess Valerie, her daughter, and
suite of about 60 persons. On the day
after, her arrival she appeared at Pc
tites-Dalles, where she was to begin
the sea bathing which had been pre-
scribed for her. During the two
months she was there she took a6
baths, for which she paid right roy
ally 5000 francs. Every morning the
master bather went foG his orders and
if he were told. that the empress in
tended to battle he had every thing pre-
pared.
Often on her way to or from Sassetot
the empress would stop before some
little cottage, get out of her carriage,
talk to everybody near her and caress
the children. Her hand was always
open and her visit was a godsend to
the poor of the country, where her
suite also spent much money and paid
for everything royalty. Every day her
grooms bathed her horses in the surf.
The empress was fond of boating.
Sometimes she went on board a yacht
which was placed at her disposal by
rich gentleman from Rouen, but her
preference was for a little sailboat
handled by the son ofthe master bath
er, boy of about II or Is summers.
AS much as possible she suppressed
all formalities of etiquette. Every day
she mounted her horse and set out
unaccompanied, delighted -, at the
chance of having ride alone, and very
often, too, she went great distances
straight ahead, according to her ca
price and to the great despair of the
fuhctionaries of her court. whom the
emperor held responsible for her safe
ty. In the neighborhood of Sassetot
everybody knew her and before her
all heads were respectfully uncovered.
Once she strayed long distance from
the village and wandered about in
places totally unknown to her. One
| of the grooms who was dashing
through the country searching for her
found her in a field where a maid was
milking COWS. The empress was chat
ting familiarly with the young woman
and drinking out of milk can.
The second time she got lost she was
on foot and asked the way of priest
whose little church was in neighbour
| ing valley. Taking her for IN ordinary
visitor he showed her the way, and
on the road she entered into conversa-
ton with him. He incidentally spoke
of the poverty of his parishioners, and
was much surprised on receiving the
next day a considerable sum of money,
| which seemed really to come to him
from Heaven. for he did not know that
| the lady he met on the road was the
empress of Austria.
An incident which might have had
grave results put an end. at least for a
time, to these rather imprudent excur-
sions on the part of the empress. On
September 1S, 1875, her doctor having
| left her in the castle after her prom
ise not to go out, proceeded to Petites-
Dalles to take bath. After bathing
messenger came to him and said that
he was wanted Immediately at the
chateau. In great haste the doctor
jumped into a carriage and proceeded
to Sassetot. The empress had been
thrown from a horse in the castle
park and her condition appeared to
be grave. When the doctor arrived he
found her unconscious. Her fainting
spell lasted a long time, and it was de-
cided to telegraph to the emperor,
from whom they at first desired to
! conceal the accident. After the tele-
gram was sent the empress regained
| consciousness and soon recovered.
Her companions implored her to aban-
don her wild and breakneck rides.
Shortly afterward it was reported that
On receiving the dispatch the emperor
went to Sassetot incognito to see the
empress. At the Austrian court the
story of this visit was always denied.
| They said that he was on the point of
starting. but on receipt of reassur-
| ing news gave up the idea.
The empress quilted Sassetot on
September 20. 1875. On leaving she
gave substantial evidence of her gen.
erosity. Nobody was forgotten, not
even the master bather, the little pi-
lot, the church where she attended
mass or the poor of the country, whom
she had already helped over and over
again. She left Sassetot followed by
many regrets and benedictions. Later,
when she was told of the death of the
master bather,who was drowned while
endeavoring to save swimmer III dan
ger, she headed subscription list for
his family with handsome sum of
money. It is not astonishing that the
news of the sad death of the empress
was received by the Norman peasantry
with heartfelt sorrow.-Paris Figaro.