The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-02-11
GREAT LOVE
STORIES
OF HISTORY
BY Albert Paysor Terhune
NAPOLEON III AND
EUGENE
tCopyrlShi, ny the Authorl
BY Albert Paysor Terhune


Eugene. yet Napoleon III. merited the
title of adventurer-and far worse.
When Napoleon the Great tNapo-
leon II was crushed and the old Bour
bon monarchy once more swayed
France, there was a more or less
strong party that still clamored for
the resto alton of the Bonapartes. Ma
poleons next of kin. in succession,
was his nephew. Louis Napoleon,
known later as Napoleon Ill. and nick
named by his foes as Napoleon, the
Little" He was a sensationalist. a
mountebank, a charlatan. a man whose
word could never be relied on Time
and time again. as a man. he made
ridiculously useless efforts to per
suade France TO accept him as its
ruler. He was laughed at as a failure
and twice was thrown into Jail Later
he escaped to England. where he was
at one time so poor that he was glad
TO accept a job as special policeman.
He crossed TO America, taught school
in New Jersey
and got into trou-
in New Jersey. h,e ns.r Rordan.
town, n. J.. for shooting a farm
er's little pig, which he mistook
for a rabbit. At last he was allowed
to return to France. Elected to the
national assembly he wriggled and
schemed his way to the presidency of
the French republic. Then. violating
his oath as president and causing his
guards to commit wholesale slaughter
he had himself declared emperor, in
1852. under the title of Napoleon III.
His empire was built upon a tissue OF
lies and was soaked in the blood of
innocent people. 1t could not endure.
Napoleon III. when he looked about
for wife, quickly learned that other
European rulers had no faith in him
or in his empires permanency. For
he could find no princess who would
consent to marry him. 1t was about
this time that he fell completely under
Eugenies influence.
Eugene was the daughter of an i'm
poverished Spanish nobleman and a
Scotchwoman. She grew to be one of
the most beautiful of women. When
Louis became emperor he met
Eugene much more often than
before and speedily found him
self as madly in love with her
as his sluggish. crafty tempera-
ment would permit. But Eugene held
him at arms length. She had no in
tention of becoming morganatic wife
like Mrs. Fitzherbert. She meant to
make herself empress.
One day she was leaning from a
ho1o
Seeing her there and wishing to Join
her on the balcony, he called out:
How can reach you?"
Through the church, only, Sire"
was the girls laughing retort.
At another time he placed a crown
Of flowers on her head.
Il would prefer a heavier crown
than this" she suggested
At court she was snubbed right and
left. At length she came to the en-
peror in tears, declaring she could
endure his courtiers' insults no longer
and that she was going to leave Paris
forever. This move brought Napoleon
to terms. He asked her to marry him
Eugene, well-trained, referred him to
her mother for consent. This consent,
naturally, was easy to obtain; and Ma
poleon informed his ministry of his
approaching marriage. In disgust his
advisors resigned But, by specious
arguments, he won the nation over to
his views and in January. 1858, made
Eugene his wife and empress of the
French. She was 81: he a.. Other
royal families avoided the couple with
the exception of Queen Victoria. whose
friendship Eugene soon won. The
young empress lifted her court to I'M
equaled heights Of gayety and set the
fashions for all Europe. She also gave
largely to charity and visited the
plague hospitals, Before long she be-
gan to dabble in politics and to in
f1uence Napoleon to diplomatic blund-
ers that led to his final downfall
A son-Napoleon Eugene Louis (the
prince Imperial'D-was born to the
couple. France rejoiced. But some
historian observed that no French
no.,t.u - kings son. in
~ more than two
-p centuries, Ia d
lived to mount his fathers throne.
Napoleon the Little" continued utter
~ under his wifes influence. Once
according TO Malmesbury) when she
was dangerously i'll. for Is hours the
emperor cried and sobbed without
ceasing. The empress party" in
1870 brought on the disastrous war
with Prussia, which cost Napoleon III.
his crown. The empress called this;
conflict. My war" When the down.
fall came she at first thought to ap.
pease the furious Parisians by riding
through the streets in black But
among all her 500 magnificent gowns
no one black dress could be found An
American dentist, Or. Evans, helped
her escape TO England. after the col
lapse of the empire. There her son and
husband Joined her. Napoleon III
died soon afterward; and in 1879 the
prince imperial was killed in Zululand
The aged ex-enpress lives on. lone
", heartbroken. in England some
times stealing back to Paris TO gaze
on the scene where once she reigned