The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-09-21
7. P. O'Connor Gives Vivid Pen
Picture of Burial Scene of the
French Emperor.
Was a Great, Romantic, Daring and
Successful Adventurer Who
Proved his Prowess.
Nations of Europe Covered Before
him and Watched his Move
ments with Fear.

l have always, as my readers, per.
haps to their cost know, writes T. p.
O'Connor in the Chicago Tribune.
been an ardent student Of the whole
Napoleon legend, and recollecting that
Louis Napoleon. the brother OF the
great emperor, and the husband Of
Hortense, the daughter Of Josephine,
had been at ono epoch OF their exist.
ence, king and queen Of HollapA,
determined to get some details from
the representative OF Holland of the
inner lives Of these two very striking
representatives Of the Napoleon fam
ily. had All unexpected nn6' immedi-
ate reward.
Did you ever sec Louis Napoleon7"
| asked Count dc Bylandt, meaning,
of course, the Louis Napoleon of our
times, who was emperor of the
French.
YES" said the ambassador. once
and then in his coffin.'
II was IL blow right between the
eyes for by a curious coincidence l
saw Louis Napoleon but once and
then it was in his coffin. Never can
/ forget that strange day when
started from Charing Cross station,
amid a crowd 80 vast as to compel
one to fight ones way through it to
the railway carriages. when London
poured forth In multitudes to go down
to Camden House, Chislehurst. and
have Il glimpse OF Louis Napoleon as
he lay in state in his coffin. l did
not know any of the people who were
in the train; l was young and OBJ
scure and shy, and had made few
ncquaintances, and l was going there
not even as Il representative OF any
newspaper but as my lonely and un-
employed self. just to get in touch
with one of the great dramas of my
time.
| 1t is difficult to get this generation
! to realize what part Louis Napoleon
played in the imagination of all the
| world in the sixties and early seven
ties. Tho extraordinary vicissitudes
of his careed winding up after years
of poverty, scorn. failure, even disre-
putc in the imperial crown Of France.
were sufficient to make him out as
one of the instances of the everlast-
| ing melodrama Of real life. He WAS
what you like, an adventurer, high
l hy,t Io
the great hero Of great romance:
the crown may have come to the head
of a Dick Turpin. but Dick Turpin is
always the darling of mankind, and
so We looked upon Napoleon.
But YOU have to add 10 all this,
that for nearly twenty years. he occu-
pied a position, In some respects, all
most as commanding as that Of his
mighty uncle. He was the foremost
figure in Europe. On his slightest
word seemed to depend the gigantic
issues of peace or war, whether the
map of Europe should be cut up into
this new shape or that, whether the
| year should end In tranquility or in
world shaking convulsion. Silent.
enigmatic, with the face of Sphinx,
he haunted and obsessed the imagina-
tion of all Europe. Sometimes he
seemed to be the friend and some-
times the enemy Of every country in
Europe.
Predestined for tho Throne.
Italy looked to him for her liberia
tion: Prussia, there was no Germany
in these days, wondered whether he
: would crush her while she was still
, weak, or allow her to grow strong;
. Austria trembled before him; Russia
was subdued by him, and even we
n ourselves were now and then in PAN
: les that swelled our military and OUT
n naval estimates, and of these panics
t martello towers on various coasts
n English and Irish, are the still sur.
r viving monuments. And then on Tor
Y of all this, add that Paris was made
e by Louis Napoleon the most beauti.
9 full and also the most fascinating cap.
+ ital in Europe; that the Emperor'l
= court with the matchless beauty o.
o Eugenie, seemed one everlasting vor:
tex of opulent and dazzling entertain