The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-01-03

contained In the letter which was given
to him by the New York merchant
| Just before the steamship on which he
was a passenger sailed.
He determined to go Immediately
| to the address Indicated and as soon
| as ne 'ound the letter in his drawer
| at his lodgings, he bade the driver
take him to the place. He inquired,
when there, IL any one Of that name
| lived there, and in a minute was cor
| daily received by a gentleman whom
he had never seer Vefore.
you are Mr.. Weed?" this gentle
man said, rather than asked, lie
spoke excellent English.
| II am Mr.. Weed and l have come
not knowing why"
"Ah, have been expecting you My
dear friend in New York wrote me
that he had given my address to you.
l had asked him to do that whenever
any man of authority left the United
States for France"
Il am with a friend of the United
| States, perceive?" said Mr.. Weed.
"A friend who can serve you. You
| have come not a moment too soon. You
| want an audience with de Morny. 1t
shall be furnished for your, but that
| is not all you want You have need
of something to say to him, and can
| tell you what to say that will serve
| your purpose"
| At first Mr.. Weed was both surprised
and distrustful. But he was a master
at fathoming the purposes and probing
| the secrets of men. A brief conversa-
| ton convinced him that this uneXpect-
ed friend was in perfect faith seeking
to serve the Union, and this conviction
| was confirmed in other ways.
NAPOLEON PRETEXT FOR WAR.
Good understanding having been es-
| tablished, Mr.. Weeds friend substan-
tiated the report that had reached Mr..
| Weed of Napoleon's intentions. The
| emperor's preteXt, he said. was that
many of the artisans of France wer2
in danger of idleness, perhaps starva-
ton, because the Federal blockade de-
prived the cotton mills of France of the
staple.
1t was not to be expected that France
would consent to suffer on account of
a quarrel for which she was not re-
sponsible, and in whose results she was
! not concerned.
The emperor had given tho United
( States nine months to suppress what
he called an insurrection, and an insur-
rection that could not be crushed in
nine months could not be crushed at
all, or, if finally overcome, it would be
. only after a. protraCted struggle. The
emperor did not intend longer to per-
init his people to suffer. Upon that
ground he would justify his purpose
not to recognize the blockade.
But that means war; said Mr..
Weed. MY government will not per-
init the blockade to be broken"
Undoubtedly, and that is what the
emperor expects" was the repN'. "The
emperor will claim that you have no
right by precedent or any rule of in
ternational law to blockade ard thus
destroy port so far as the commerce
or neutral nation, whose ships do not
orlng arms or munitions of war, but
only seek to get a staple commodity
needed by the people of that neutral
nation, is concerned
ARMED AGAINST PERFIDY
Thus the friend of the United States
revealed to Mr. Weed the emperor's
purpose and pretext. Then he went or
to say that he thought he could put in
MI. Weeds hands a perfect weapon OF
defense, one which would silence the
emperor. He said:
You shall have an audience with the
minister. Later in the day / will senC
word to your lodgings of the hour OF
the meeting. You must not ask me how
It happens that l can procure the audi.
ence for you, and, above all, you must
not permit it to be even suspected that
you obtained from me the information
upon which you are to act. 1t is, in
truth, so accessible that the wonder is
that de Morny has overlooked it.
i nave it here. 1t is copy of the
treaty OF Utrecht. At your leisure to.
day read it carefully. You will d scoyei
its Importance when you have done
that. Tomorrow then, when De MornN
mas received you, confess what yOl
know of the emperor's purpose Argue
against it as you see best Then at last
when you find that De Morny is un.
yielding ask him to send to the arch.
ives Tor the treaty of Utrecht. Wher
ne has received it point to the para
graph that applies, and watch him a,
ne reads it, You will discover from hi,
manner that you have cunVin, ID him
and you will leave him with the assur.
ance that the address which the en-.
peror has prepared will not be deliv
cred"
The friends manner then suggested
that IT might be well to end the inter
view. MI. Weed asked that his friend
ana associate ambassador, Archbishop
Hughes, be permitted To join with hin
IN the call upon De Morny. and wa,
grained 10 learn that the archbishop
would De included in the appointment.
After arriving at his lodgings Mr.
Weed lost no time in examining tn,
copy of the treaty of Utrecht. WheI
he had done that he shared the faith OF
the mysterious friend that the grave
peril would be averted. There We're No
happier men in Paris that day than tn,
archbishop and Mr. Weed after the,
received message informing them tha
an audience would be granted them b,
the minister at an appointed hour upor
the following day.
In the excitement which the expected
meeting with De Morny and the conf
dence in their ability to convince hin
that the emperor could not in honor ol
without grave impairment of prestige
repudiate the Federal blockade, the,
paid less heed to the mystery of tn,
friend and the greater mystery of hi,
ability to procure for them AN audienc,
with the minister and real power in tn,
empire, That was something that gay,
them greater interest afterward
A DESTINY MAKING MEETING.
At the appointed hour they We're il
the presence of the minster-a destiny
making meeting between men who's,
careers had been as far apart as zenitI
and nadir. The minister, half-brothel