New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-08

ed NJ. Carriers owed its existence to the accom-
plished assassination Of the Due de Berri; just
as the structure on the Boulevard des Capucineg
owes its erection to the mScarried attempt on
the life Of Napoleon III Yet the motives that
prompted the two identical measures were es-
scntialy different.
THE NEW OPERAS PREDECESSOR
4 score of years before the late Comtc d.
Chambords father fell under the knife of Pierre
Louvel. Bonapa:tc. then First Consul, narrowly
escaped similar fate twice within the space
If three months. The first affair is known as
the "Cerachi and Arena plot the second as
the explosion Of the Rue Saint Nicaise
Cerachi and his accomplicas intended To stab
Bonapartc in his box itself. as Louvcl stabbed
the Due De Iierri In the private entrance in the
Rue d.. Isam.au Jean Francois. alias GORDON.
and his fellow -chouans relied on a barrel tightly
filled with powder and ball. and to which was
attached a ,un-barrel with it's hammer and
tr ggcr. but minus its butt end. The ccntrivanc"
was placed in rickety old cart with decrepit
small horse pony in its shaft. and was guard
Cd by child. The vehicle and its contents
stood in the direct road Of the consuls carriage.
but his escort removed II. apparently most
gently. for the explosion occurred few seconds
after the cortSse had passed There was mis-
calculation somewhere Contemporary reGcides
haN" no lualmS Of conscierc" with regard 10
useless bloOdslrd. the hoy guardian WAS shat
tered 10 atoms TIE first Bonaparte. though. took
no steps flr he building OF a new opera house.
In view II his constant exposure To death on
the battlefield. Il was scarcely worth the trouble
Nor was IN" dc, ision ~ the HOurbons To that
"fifct based ip' personal motives Ihcy Wcr"
entirely swny'd by religious considerations
The Duo de- Hcrri hrrathod his last in the
opera house II The Rue De Richccu, ana partook
II tn" supreme rites Of the Church there adj
ministcr.d bv the Archbishop II Paris. They
determined that IN" place should never open its
doors again - profan" entertainments. and. in
fact c,mm"morativ" chapel had already part
" arisen On n" spot when Ne revolution or
1870 drove them from the country Louis
Philip" had rot only not III" deccncy 10 com
plrt" IL. but uprootrd II - max" room for the
fountain ~ tn" SIulr" IOuvois. which il there
80 The present dav.
by that time the opera house II the Rue l.
p"l"ti"r had been in cxist"nc" for nearly
loz.n years and. ihough meeting with varying
f1rtrres had upon the whole nourished cH
cecdingly TIL. original estimates. exclusive Of
III GROUND h.orring To- ~" Duc 4" Choscul.
like that on which tho Op"~a Com:qGe * being
rebuilt amounted - Nn"@ francs. hut they
,vrrc finally exceeded by 10000 francs
Th"'e was r"c"ssity for now oo"ra house
""d least - All 'r an opera houf" II he size 81
h. present ~" = h. stag IN ~" Rue " P"lct'cr.
u Which iha la'" Emil" Perrin produced that
wonderful shin - Il Nfricaine." was to all in
~ ror -" int.-'pr - tho r"w hous". mean the
r.ri irn devoted - 'hc Grating 4 I've spectators
'No "-onortiors diTcr hut little from thosc ~
ttc rm"r ono.
THE oRsINI CONSPIRACY.
/ doubt whether the building Of a new opera
house Mas Included in the original plans Of
Napoleon Ill and his project liaussmann. Tor
The opera house IN the Rue lie Peeticr did we'll
enough Us architect. Debret. had run the
gauntl,t II every kind 81 satire FOR many years
after It's completion. for the house that saw
the first performances II "Guillaumc Tell. -
.H,i.r, f.. Diahlr" Les IIugucnots." and
l., Juivr." not by any means thing of
architectural beauty. but /; vas comfortable
and commodious. and from an acoustic point
Infinitely superi, r t. It's SUCCESSOR
Thu concept ns ~ the Second Empire. whether
social or political. were" however. not always
TAT hy BE that il the
idea ~ building a new opera house 10 r"piac"
thu. I'D vas never preached even among
The Immediate aniOuragc - he Emperor until IN"
carly part ~ 1873 On January ! |. lNIN
th. Emperor vas proceeding - IN" opera, and
had nearly reached its entrance when his life
Was attempted IN ia" narrow"st part 81 IN" I,ii"
L., r.lctirr Ay prsini and mis- conird"rlt"S. 10y
something lik. "A miracl" Napoleon III escaped
the fate of ia" late Cont" dr thamhprds rather
Who WAS stabbed 10 death under an"l"EouS'
though not altogether Identical. circumstances
In IN. old opera house + the Rue de- lIich'!.eu.
I,ut though Napoleon III was literally SKIN
whole the slaughter around him was terrible.
Halihazar Gerard Jacques Clement arr FfancplS
Ravaillac in "llon Times and Pi'rr" I'uy'l
T. riy, ghi ycirs ls fore that scene in the lu' l."
Pc-iier had aimed at tho taking 90 On" lt",
and went stradfnstly about ih"ir purpl*'. win
ont fear before the accomI lishu"nt II their
deeds without rem Jrsc aft rward They marked
their victims. who. according t. them. were
roa'hsonc To God and IN II. but they would
probably have hcsitat'd t. stain their hands
with tie BIO 4 I innocent fell IW creatures. ana
i'm fact. postponed tn" execution Of their de-
signs I'm order 10 avoid such useless hl"odshrd.
We are not iIralzing: there is historical 'Vi-
d.ncc To that effect in all the four cases cited
{. utcrnporary would regicdcs- with the eN-
ccption perhaDs II the Russian Nihsts have
no such qualms Of conscience. or II they nave.
silence them 10y specinus argument the kuS-
slams declared long ago hat the w"nankinl
Of the "tyrants" were sacred To them ana actrh
up to their declaration. Save IN the hroski ran
,vav affair they never made an attempt on
either Alexander II or hs successor when ne
was accompanied by his wife. There has been
nroof that they were ignorant Of the presence or
the Czarlna In the train.