Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-24

been exceptional and 1t is hoped that us
| intent will be fulfilled
| The contributors during the past year
were: Mrs. William Bowie. Mrs. Edison
Bradley, Miss Helen Amory Ernst. Mrs.
Arnold Hague. Mrs. James Hartman,
Mrs. Robert r. Hit. Mrs. Richard Nor
ris Hunt. Mrs. Hennen Jennings, Mrs.
| Morris K. Jessup. Mrs. Frederick a.
Keep. Mrs: William Kingsand, Miss
Murray Ledyard. Mrs. l.. T. Letter. Mrs.
Allan McIane. the Countess Carl Won
Moltke. Mrs. Thomas Nelson Page. Mrs.
II. *. Porter, Mrs. Dean Sage, Mrs. Will
liam A. Slater, the Baroness Speck Won
| Sternberg. Mrs. Frederick; F.. Thompson,
Mrs. William Wharton, Mrs. Norman
Williams and others. :.
Exhibited in Brooklyn.
Many years ago Mr.. Thomas Wilson.
late curator of the department of anthro-
| pology. made an interesting collection OF
laces, which was intended for the mu-
scum, but after his death was taken
away by his son. and at last accounts
was on exhibition in the Brooklyn In
| stitute.
| AS Mr.. Rathbun has suggested. as
| soon as the pictures are removed to the
| new building the laces can be displayed
! to much better advantage. and 1t would
be great thing II other wealthy Wash
ington women would be equally generous
in sharing the pleasure of their posses
sions with their neighbors who are less
fortunate and visitors to the capital.
Somewhere in New York Is a small but
superb collection Of brussels point lace
of great historical as we'll as intrinsic
value, for it once belonged to the III
| starred Princess Carlotta, sister OF the
late King Leopold of Belgium. and wife
! who, as You remember, was the tool Of
Napoleon when the latter tried to found
an empire on American soil. These laces
are said to have been presented to Car
4 10<ta NV no lon Ter of q
the time Of her wedding: therefore you
can judge of their beauty and value.
| They came into possession of an Ameri-
can lady in Havana In singular man
ner. To appreciate the situation 1t is
necessary to refer to a little history.
Louis Napoleon III. emperor OF the
French. had an ambition to extend his
power to the. American continent and
brother of Francis Joseph. Emperor of
Austria, and man, of pure and noble
character, to lead the invasion. Maximil-
liam captured the City >of Mexico, pro-
the throne of the Montezumas on the
historic hill Of Chepultepec. The United
States interviewed as soon as the civil
war was over, and Louis Napoleon was
informed that he would find it gravaly
announcement if he did not recall his SOL
diers from Mexico. He took the hint and
acted promptly. and the Mexican empire
survived just two months and one week
I
harbor Of Vera Cruz, MAMMALIAN was
taken prisoner, tried by court martial and
| shot.
Carlotta's Flight to France.
When the archduke learned that Louis
Napoleon had betrayed him and had de-
termined to Withdraw his army and
/ leave the victims of his ambition to per-
ish, the beautiful Carlotta hurried to
France, accompanied by two aids-de-
camp Of Maximillian She made the jour
ney from the City of Mexico to Vera
| Cruz in disguise In carriage, escorted
by a group Of ex-Confederate veterans
who had Joined Maximillian after the col
| lapse Of the Confederacy. She caught
steamer for Havana and was detained
| there for several weeks In a most dis
| tressing situation without friends, with
out funds and the object of suspicion and
\ contempt on the part of the Spanish au-
| thOrities, who were afraid to compromise
| themselves with France by treating a re-
| pudiated empress with ordinary courtesy.
Just how it happened / do not remem-
Der, but i'll some way Carlotta, in her
desperation, appealed to an American
sugar planter of great wealth who was
living in Havana, and he supplied the
| funds she needed. Having no other Sc
| curity. she sent her maid to the Ameri
| cans wife with package containing a
| W
scarf eight feet long and eighteen inches
| wide; several founces which she had fire.
/ quently worn in Vienna and in Mexico
and several other pieces of the most eX-
| quisite brussels point. In autograph
| note she begged the wife of her generous
| friend to accept the contents of the pack
age as remembrance of her gratitude.
and. although the latter was reluctant
understanding with Carlotta that they
| should be returned whenever the empress
was able to cancel the debt
From Court to Court.
| She appealed from court to court in
Europe, as you will remember, when Ma
poleon III refused to rescue her husband.
| She made a pilgrimage to Rome, and
| begged the intereession of the pope. She
addressed a letter to every sovereign of
| Europe, appealing for aid and protection.
But none of them would interfere: al
| though the Emperor Of Austria endeavoT-
ed to do something, The excitement, the
| anxiety, the humiliation and the violent
emotion she suffered shook her reason,
| and upon her return one day from a pain
full interview with Napoleon III at St.
Cloud her mind gave way. She was re-
| moved to the Cateau Niramir and
| placed under the charge of physicians.
Later she was taken to the Chateau de
Bouchout, near the village of Meysse,
| Belgium, where she remained until her
4
death a few years ago
She had lucid moments from time to
time, and used to converse in a perfectly
| intelligent manner with her sister -in-law,
| the Queen of Belgium, from whom she
| always manifested a sincere affection.
She was a. brilliant performer upon the
piano. and it is said that her improvisa-
| tons were remarkable, although 1t was
! impossible to preserve them. She retained
| her passion for dress until the last, and
| was regularly furnished with beautiful
| costumes by court miiiner. 1t is said
that she never wore a pair of gloves
twice.
The people of Belgium took a great in
terest In her misfortunes during the thirty
years that she was confined TO the Cha
i teau de BOuchOut. and the peasants be-
Iieved that her insanity was due to a
drink made from plant in Mexico which
| had been administered to her secretly by
| conspirators. tea. brewed from the
! leaves of the plant, they had heard, grad
| ualiy destroyed the ason beyond cure
| The iaces were never returned. and are
now still in the. family of the American
| lady to whom they were given.
pEpOR TEN EAunp DIV