Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-06-14
UNHAPPY LIFE
OF CLOTILDE
PRINCE ee OF HOUSE OF sAvov
PATHETIC FIGURE IN
HISTORY.

BY the world almost forgotten, in
her old age trying to bury In good
works the memory of her loveless
marriage and the years of wretched-
ness that it brought her. Princess
Clotilde Of Savoy is one Of the most
pathetic figures in modern history.
She inherited the bluest strain Of roy
al blood in Europe and with sorrow
and misery she has paid Tor It.
When only 16. fresh from convent
school, knowing nothing of the vices
and wickedness that are often ~.
ISOLATED with exalted hereditary rank,
she was married in 1859 to Prince
Napoleon, the son Of Jerome Bona
parte, the youngest brother OF the
great Bonaparte-"le petit corporal"
whose ambition drenched Europe in
blood and cost millions Of lives. The
marriage was dictated by purely 20.
litical considerations. The girl was
sacrificed because Of her pedigree.
The battle of Magenta and solferino
had been fought and won; the Aus.
TRANS had been driven back across
the Alps; the unity of Italy was fairly
in sight and the dream of Victor EN-.
manuel almost realized. The price
demanded by the emperor Of the
French for his assistance against Aus
tria was the province of Savoy, the
cradle of Victor Emmanuel's dynasty
and the kings daughter for his cou.
sin, Prince Napoleon.
Given to Jerome.
It is said that only twice in his life
were tears known to dim the fierce
eyes of Il Re Galantuomo"-once,
when on the field of Levara, his faith
defeated, despairing, dying-tooh
the crown from his brow and bade
the soldiers hail Prince Victor EN-
manuel as king of SARDINIA and Sa'
vOy; and again when, after long in
terviews with his minister Cavour, he
sent for his child Clotilde and told
her he had promised her hand to the
most notorious "viveur," the coolest
hearted man of his time, Jerome Ma
poleon, the French Emperor's kins
man and possible SUCCESSOR man
considerably more than twice her age
and whom she had never beheld. And
thus the motherless girl-Queen AIDE
laide had died three years before
was given to the man who presided
over the orgies of the Palais Royal
AS had happened to princesses OF hel
house before, she was ruthlessly bar
tered away for value received. She
was sacrificed to the cause of Italian
unity.
The Palais Royal, where Prince Ma
poleon installed his bride, had beer
the scene of many intrigues and tn.
center of much plotting and counter
plotting since the days of the grea
cardinal, whose GROWING extravaganza,
the building had been. Richelieu lef
the Palais to his master, Louis XIII.
and Louis widow, Anne of Austria, in
habited it until it became the asylum
of Henrietta Marie de France, widow
Of King Charles I. of England. In tt
magnificent rooms lived the Englisl
queen and her youngest child, Prin
cess Henrietta. Henrietta married tn,
Due d'Orleans, brother of Louis XIV
The Palais Royal was the home of tn
royal pair and there poor Henriett,
saw her dream of wededd happiness
fade away like fairy gold. She diel
there in very few years-of poison
it was said. Such were the tragi'
memories of the place to which Prince
Napoleon brought his girl wife.
Did Not Like Paris.
Princess Clotilde had been reare,
by the good sisters of Santa Clara Il
esteem simple goodness, and piet,
and feminine virtue above all things
Her beautiful home in the old cit,
of Turin, within sight of the snow
of the Alps, within sound of the rush
ing green waters of the Pc, had II
prepared her for the meretriciou
gaudiness of Paris under the third en-
pire. And she could not forget tina
Turin itself had been subjugated an
Inundated by the uncle Of her bride
groom. The very bridge by whiCl
she crossed the river had been bull
by Napoleon I. with the spoils of tn
affairs of the cathedral of Turin, tn
terrible Corsican having torn the YER
crown from the brow Of the virgin an
the jewels from the chailces in tn
sacristy in his impious disregard 70
holy things and his greed for gold.
II the ways of the court Of the TUT
cries were distasteful to Princess Clt
tide, she herself was in her turn dis
tasteful to the imperial pair then sea-
ed on the throne of France. The beat
tiful empress loved to see around he
women as radiant and as frivolous q
herself; she wished, she said. he
court to be as "gay as the sunshine.
The grave face of the King Of Italy
daughter-it was never q pretty on
I-annoyed her; she hated in thos
days before the cup Of sorrow tha
she was destined to drink to the dree
had been presented to her lips. t
have people around her who took lit
seriously.
Napoleon III. disliked his cousin
and he did not even attempt to lik
his cousins wife, though she was q
/ his own choosing. II Prince Napt
Icons airs stung him to the verge q
fury, Princess Clotilde's long pedigre
and undoubted pure blood aggravate
l him in another way. He dislllced {
be reminded how very slight was tn
link that held him to loyalty. H
might laugh sometimes as he calle
himself "parvenu," but the fact ranl
led nevertheless.
As for her husband-cynic and rou
combined-he made no pretext OF col
cealing his aversion for his puritanics
bride. His licentiousness continue
| unchecked. Bound to such q maj
l Princess ClOtilde's married life ct tn