The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-08
EMPRESS EUGENE
STILL HAS HOPE
Of Seeing Napoleon Descendant
on French Throne
FORTUNE TELLER'S WOES
Predicted and Now His Customers
Are Sorely Disappointed and
File Complaints In Law

| Paris, May Especially Empress Eu-
genie, widow of the last unfortunate ruler
of the house of Bonaparte, has given
proof that she still clings to the. hope of
seeing a descendant of the great Napo-
leon on the throne of France
| Through her private secretary she has
few days ago made an announcement
which will. bring gladness to those old
| army veterans who took part in the cam
pagns of the second empire An old AL
satan soldier appealed for assistance to
the enpresss private secretary, and has
received lengthy letter from the latter
The communication sets forth that the
empress intends to remember the faithful
soldiers of the Emperor Napoleon III
There will be only one condition attached
to her majesty's generosity. 1t is thus
set forth: LAS her majesty admits that
every old soldier of the empire has re-
manned faithful to the sacred cause, to the
imperial eagles, it is necessary so that
her majesty may be assured of devo-
ton of which sheer rather the legiti-
mate heir to the throne-will perhaps have
need sooner than one thinks, that she
receives from you letter In which she
will find the expression of your unshake-
able devotion to the memory of Napoleon
III, and to the imperial cause as well as
the expression of your mistrust of the
present regime" t4t
Is jilted bride or a disappointed
bridegroom justified in lodging COM
plant against a fortune teller If the
fortune" has not turned out as it was
predicted? Such, 1t seems. is now the
ca Sc submitted to a Paris magistrate
concerning a man described as an as
trologer, inhabiting one of the pfctur
esque heights on the outskirts of the
city, and who has had customers
enough to populate a large town.
Young and old have come to him to
have their future revealed. Girls
wanted to know If they were going to
marry soldiers and be happy and young
men wanted to know how to find the
brunei or the blond that would suit
them with a handsome dowry; while
widows looked for a second husband,
and disappointed lovers wanted to
know how fate would revenge them
The so-called astrologer has, IL
seems, been giving satisfaction to all
until recently. Some of his custom
ers, finding that the predictions did not
exactly come out as they had expect
ed, vented their discomfort in a formal
complaint, which they lodged with a
magistrate. A police officer was ap
pointed to inquire into the case and
the first discovery which he made was
that the fortune teller had vast
practice" which the most successful
practitioner might envy. He had as
many as $4,000 customers in all ranks
| Of society. When applied to he would
| readily and without exacting a fee
cast the horoscope of the applicant. IL
more was wanted the price was $40
! for a complete fortune" IS for one
less complete. 10 francs for a period of
IL years. 10 francs for 10 years, francs
| for years. etc. Those who encour-
aged the alleged astroioger actually
( proposed a sort of association of his
followers, to be called the Universal
Fraternal and Spiritualist Union" with
the object of buying him a house, to
cost about $4,000, to be built somewhere
in the country, preferably on a high
spot and with a nice garden round 1t.
Much of the money it seems had al
ready been subscribed, when this CON-
| plant came along to interfere with
the scheme.
| In passing, it may be said that the
trade of an astrologer or fortune teller
| is not one of the legally recognized pro-
| LESSONS In France, and the police have
| from time to time tried to check the
| practice. But so many disappointed
lovers, prospective brides and Tilted
spinsters. and perplexing specimens of
the sterner sex long so much to have
their fortunes told by men with foolscap
bonnets and wizards sticks that the po-
lice gave up as hopeless to uproot the
prejudice, and connived at the goings-
on of astrologers and their clients. The
| one against whom the complaint has been
| lodged is no better and no worse than
his colleagues. and is going about In
full liberty, carrying on his trade un-
molested by the police inquiry, which
he hopes will turn out to his advan-
| tage.
| A curious conflict has arisen between
| a pretty suburban place known as VILE
neuve-le-Roi situated not far from Ju-
visy, and the Orleans Railway company,
whose line passes through the town. For
the last 10 years the residents of the
district, who number about 5000, have
been petitioning to have station. and
the company has persistently ignored