Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-02-14


and brought to his home on the banks
of the Yazoo, In Carroll county, Mis-
sissippi, two score years ago. by John
Peter lie Flore, half-breed and ex-
chief of the Choctaw tribes, who had
accumulated a great fortune from
government land grants and founded
palace of his own which he named
Malmaison."
For the past. three years emissaries
of the French government and of M.
Osiris have been negotiating with the
heirs of the lie Flore estate to recover
these priceless souvenirs of the EN-
press Josephine, and most of them
have found their way back to their
original home in sunny France.
Row LIE Flore came to acquire these
treasures is romance, as was the
mans whole life Son OF a French
father and Choctaw mother he OBJ
! tanned such influence among the Chico
taw people that he was chosen chief
a power he welded until the Indians
were driven by the whites from their
lanuS 10 reservations.
1t was at this time that the United
States government rewarded lie
Flores services in connection with a
peaceable settlement of the questions
in dispute by huge grant of land
and cash bonus of 100000 Then he
prospered exceedingly; an1 finding
that the best whites met him as an
equal LIE Flore started in to found a
family
First family seat was needed, SO
brow of lofty hill. called 1t NAL
maison," and straightway departed
| for France to purchase all the furnish.
ings and decorations from the palace
| of Malmaison that bore the name
upon them Malmaison was then
owned by Queen Maria Christina OF
Spain and money would have pur.
chased every stick in the former
home of the unhappy empress OF the
| French
lie Flore secured great collection
of royal souvenirs, and as he had
married white woman of standing
and refinement. "Malmaison" On the
Yazoo soon had no rival north OF
New Orleans as social center. With
| his death, the fortunes of the family
| sank. so that the treasures gathered
| by the thrifty half-breed will once
more grace the country palace of Ma
| poleon and Josephine.
| Josephine was plain Nine Bona
| parte when Malmaison came into her
possession in i79S for 10000 francs
part of the purchase price coming
out of her dowry
/ The death of Josephine marked the
passing of Maimaison as a royal resi-
dence. M. daguerrean. Swedish
banker, bought the chateau In 1926
and ne, after reducing the size of the
park, sold the palace in 1912 TO Queer
Maria Christina of Spain. From ths
hands Off Christina. Asslmalson cam,
into possession of Napoleon III. whS
paid 100000 francs for it in 1851
but by that time many of its chic
treasures had been sold Following
the war of 1ST0-7l, Malmaison wen
TO other hands. being bought finally b,
NJ, Osiris. who presented it to tbs
French nation after spending years
and fortune in restoring it to "a
former state
la Maimaison is therefore rapid,
assuming the appearance 1t had be
tween 1TeS and 1914. and many al
object that was often touched by tn,
hands OF Josephine Bonaparte ha
been restored TO its rooms In tn,
bedroom where she died are her worl
table. a little desk on which she prob
ably wrote some or the touching lei
tiers TO the husband who had divorce,
her. lavabo in which she washe,
her hands, and FIRE screen that sh
' embroidered with her own needle