The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1899-07-15


A marvellous career. full of romance
and pathos, respondent with the .glories
"of dazzling and unexpected rise to su-,
tpreme power, dinmed as suddenly and.
Unexpectedly by the tragedy Of en- ire,
trievable fall, was that of Eugeuie Marie
de Montijo, countess-duchess of Teba in
her own right and by her marriage With
Napoleon III. former empress of the
French, false report of whose death:
became current Il few days ago. ,,
Born on May ., 1926, she was descended
on her fathers side from Spanish fam
lily of high mobility, the head Of which, in
1892, received the title of Coxrrrt de Teba
at the hands of Ferdinand and Isabella
A remote ancestor was the Immortal
Alonzo de 'Guzman, who defended Tarifa
in 1902. Her father, Ciprano Palafax,
Count 6e 'Teba, subsequently created
Marquis de MOntijo was at one time an
officer in the Napoleonic army under
Murat, and later served with distinction
in the Peninsular wars, whence he
emerged with the loss of an eye and
badly wounded leg and hand.
This gentleman married a Scotch wom-
an, the daughter of William Kirkpatrick,
merchant in Malaga, Spain, who for a
period had acted as British and also as
American CONSUL in that city. 1t is said
that the preliminary consent of the king
of Spain had ito be obtained ITO the union
of a Spanish :grandee with a coInmoner.
The services of Scotch genealogists were
accordingly enlisted in the search for a
pedigree They proved to the kings sat-
isfaction that Mr.. Kirkpatrick was on
the maternal side a member of the cadet
branch Of the Stuarts and consequently
distant kiEsman of Queen Victoria her
self, and 1hat his ancestors ON the pater-
nal side had borne the title of baron.
Thereup@n the king exclaimed: Eyes, let
the son of G1lzman wed the daughter OF
Fingal"
After their marriage the count and
Countess de Teba removed ito Granada,
and later to Madrid. Two daughters were
born to them. The eldest of these, Fran
cesca, subsequently married the duke of
Alba and Berwick, the inheritor of the
ducal ::o:lors of Linares. The younger
was Eugene On March 10, 1889, the
Count de Teba died, leaving his widow
and children in comfortable circum-
stances The dowager countess, who
seems to have inherited all the Scotch
love for wandering, took her small fam;-
ly first to one capital of Europe and then
to another In some ways the life was
beneficial to the future empress, as it
gave her opportunities OF acquiring
knowledge Of the world, which she turned
to good account when called upon to
fill an exceptionally difficult and trying
position. 1t also gave her a mastery of
French, English and Italian, besides
Spanish Curiously enough, she was
never able to learn German.
Returning to Madrid the Countess de
Montijo was appointed first lady of honor
+o nf in Of
the most prominent figures in the society
of the gayest capital OF Europe.
After the marriage of the elder daugh-
ter the countess in 1910 took up her resi-
dence with Eugene in Paris. Here the
young lady became celebrated for her
beauty. her amiability and her rare men
tai gifts. She was likewise daring
hOrsewoman at time when very few
French ladies even learned to ride. The
son of the then American minister to
Paris, William C. Rives, fell madly in
love with her His family would not
that the issue of the union should be
brought up Protestants. This condition
the bride-elect refused. Young Mr.. Rives
returned a bachelor to his ancestral home
in Virginia, but eventually married and
became the father of Amelie Rives.
Eugene made the acquaintance of
Prince Louis Napoleon, as he was then
called, when he was living in the Elysee
in his character as president of the
French republic. They sometimes met
at Fontaine6leau, where the Montijo fam
lily always spent a few weeks during the
hunting season. From the first he was
attracted to the brilliant young Spanish
girl. But when he became emperor, in
1862, his mind was set on an alliance with
some European royalty. At that time,
however, his throne was considered so
unstable that first one and then another
r>v3v ~nf, ,cNI - ~ oIx
Finally he determined to follow the die
tates Of his heart. Early in January,
1853, he startled his ministers by an.
nouncing that he had determined upon an
alliance with Mile. de Montijo. The news
was published in the official Moniteur
next morning. 1t excited much opposi-
ton, not only in the cabinet, but among
the French public. An alien empress, not
of royal blood, was distasteful to them.
But the emperor stood firm. In a formal
communication made at the palace of the
Tuileries, in the presence of the highest
French dignitaries and the representa-
tive members of his owI: family, he de-
scribed his future bride as French at
heart, by education and by the memory
of the blood shed by her father in de-
Tense Of the first empire" The royal mar
rage was thereupon fixed to take place
on Jan. 20 and 80, the civil celebration
being performed on the first day and the
ecclesiastical ceremony in Notre Dame on
the second. ~
The first act Of the new empress was
full of grace and tact The municipal
council Of Paris had voted her a wedding
present of diadem of the value of 600,-
600 francs, but she refused the gift, with
the ommendation that the>sum be de-
voted to the founding of a charitable in
stitution. This bit of self-sacrifiee went
farito ingratiate her with her subjects.
The first good impression was deepened
by her many unostentatious charities to
the poor Of Paris
Three years elapsed between the en-
peror's marriage and the birth of his only
child The event was anXiOusly awaited,
not only at the Tuileries but all over
France On the morning Of March is, 4
1856. the booming of cannon told Paris
that child had been born to Napoleon
III The one hundred and first report de-
fined the sex of the new arrival and the
waiting populace cheered Wildly at the
knowledge that France had at length a
prince imperial, the first to bear the
title. for the unfortunate son of Napoleon
I. was styled the king of Rome. The
christening services at Notre Dame ex-
tended over several days. The babe was
named Napoleon Eugene Louis.
With the birth Of this child troubles
arose between Eugene and the Bona
parte family. She was jealous and sus-
Dicious of all possible pretenders to the
succession. These family broils at the
er.l of a few years alienated nearly ali
her husbands friends. But the empress
still reigned supreme over the hearts Of
Defective