The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-23
EUGENIE's DEAD SON.
Why the Ex-Empress Pays "A Visit to
Paris Every Year.
From the Independence Beige.

at about s o'clock under the arcades of
| the Rue de Rivoli may notice an old lady,
! stopped and leaning with difficulty upon
a cane. She is usually accompanied by
another lady older stllL From time to
time the first old lady gazes sadly upon
| the garden where the Tuileries once stood.
| This feeble old lady, with white hair. is
! the ex-Empress Eugene, the once be
| wildering beauty" Every evening She
takes little walk and returns in silence
! to one of the cosmopolitan hotels looking
out upon the Rue de Rivoi. which was
the scene of so many brilliant spectacles
in the days Of the second empire
What powerful motive induces the form
er Empress 10 come to the city where she
once knew the joys of triumph, and
where so many scenes must bring back TO
her most painful recollecuons? The ser
wants who accompany her win tell You
that she comes TO Paris to be treated for
some internal malady. and that she seeks
the services of some famous doctor who
will not consent to cross the strait
But is there not another motive? Evil
IDENTIFY there is. For a long time the ex-
| Empress has visited Paris every year, in
spite OF her age and her inhrmities. The
truth IS that she comes simply to see the
son Of the Prince Imperial-the young man
who after having been a pupil in one of
| the lyceums, has recently passed his ex-
| animation for bachelor of arts
! one can easily understand the airs of
| Indignation of the personages belonging to
the old Bonapardst party when this
| grandson is mentioned. But Princes have
ricrhf to .,
| mortals, and it is foolish TO affect aston
| ishment at the simple statement that
| young man of 20 years had a mistress and
| child. At one time it was believed that
| there was secret marriage in the case,
| and Prince Jerome, who remembered the
trouble caused in the Bonaparte family
! by the marriage of a Napoleon to
| young Baltimore lady named Patterson,
| investigated the affair and was convinced
that it was simply liaison.
The Prince Imperial was 20 years of age
and pupil of Woolwich when he first be-
came acquainted with Mary Watkins
| The Empress, who was always Stingy,
deprived the young man of the money
| which is usually allowed to persons of his
| rank. Consequently, when he met the
| young girl he told her that he belonged
to a small family in business and that
| his resources were limited. The couple
| becames smitten with each other. Miss
! plished girl. Her father was a sort of
chief or head gamekeeper of the Queens
| forests This was the commencement of
the romance The sequel follows.
One day Miss Mary noticed her lover
| speaking pleasantly to Lord Beaconsfield
at Brompton, on the occasion of the mar
| rage of the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk.
| Naturally she thought that for an ordi-
nary individual he had very aristocratic
| acquaintances. Shortly afterward she saw
! in the window of a picture shop a pho
| tograph of the Prince wearing the cross
Of the Legion of Honor. That was how
she first learned his identity. But the ro-
| nance continued all the same. Just as
she loved the private individual, she con-
| tinued to adore the Prince. When the
| child was born the mother came to Lon
don and liver at No SO Germyn street to
which address the Prince often wrote to
her. To be precise, he gave her in all 1895,
| including f40O on his departure for Zulu
| land, whence he was destined never to
| return
At this time the enemies of the Bona
| partists represented the son of Napoleon
III as young man of little intelligence
! and with a disagreeable temper 1t was
| even added that he failed in his examina-
| ton at the end of the year in the military
| college of Woolwich. But all that was
nonsense. AS a matter of fact, 1t was
| well known that the Prince Imperial was
| q n,
having failed in his examinations at Wool.
| wich, he came out among the first, his
| number being 6. Documents to that effect
are in existence. He was a favorite in
London with everybody on account of his
| cordially, which contrasted so strangely
with the reserve of the English officers
Here are two letters of undisputed au-
thenticity addressed by the Prince to his
mistress at No. SO Germyn street. Lon.
don. The first bears the postmark of the
18th of April, 1873. 1t is as follows:
station of the Arsenal of Woolwich,
Saturday Evening.-My Dearest. L shall
be at home Tuesday afternoon. 1 write
you this in haste because l want to eaten
the post train. 1 received you letter, which
reached me at Ethan. I have not much
hope in this transitory world, but 1 want
10 be kind to you, and you will not re-
proach me, my little angel
Eyes. am yours, although utterly I'M
| worthy of you. But the world is so little,
and you are my universe!
Believe me. as ever, fondy and elm
cerely yours Louis"
Buckley, D. m.-My Dearest Lottie.
am very sorry that 1 cannot come to
Ludgate to-day. l not only lost the train.
but 1 found a dispatch which, compels me
| to return to meet a devoted friend of my
mother Be good enough 20 meet me to-
morrow morning at 1890 in Cannon street,
at the usual place.
1--WE will go together to make some pur-
chases and win return to Picadilly.
with fondest love, l am yours,
Louis"
When the child was born and the ex-
Empress was informed of the fact her
| raere was intense She had planed for the
marriage of her son with the youngest
daughter of Queen Victoria. Consequently
wishing at all hazards to break this la
sion she induced the Prince to go to
Zl1l,,1and. After the death Of the young
Ronaparte Miss Mary watkins visited
Chislehurst, but she was not received.
Then she came to Paris, ana gave her
son 10 a lady named De Bercy, who raised
the little fellow with the greatest care.
! Miss watkins went to Melbourne, Aus
tralia, where she earned her living honor
ablv at a school teacher. Princess Ma
tilda. hearing Of the affair, wanted to see
! The child. who was then about 10 years
| old Two or three years atterward the
! Ennnress Eugene herself welcomed the
! ahandoned one. and she was often no
! ICED In the Bots de Boulogne in company