The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-02-29
THE WIDOW OF MAxOMllQAN
HAS AN EvENTEWL CAREER

One of the most pathetic stories ever
written in the pages Of history is about
to be ended by the death of Carlotta
sister of one king, wife of the brother
OF an emperor who was himself for a
brief time an emperor.
Empress Charlotte. or Carlotta, the
1~2-Ncar-old widow of Emperor Maxi
MILAN of Mexico, brother of Emper-
or Franz Joseph of Austria, who was
captured and shot by the Mexican re-
publicans forty-four years ago, is rap.
idly declining in health.
Empress Carlotta. as she is still call.
ed, is one of the pathetic figures Of
history. Bereft Of her reason during
the terrible ent that deprived her
of husband and crown, a kindly fate
has blotted out almost half a century
that has followed and to this day she
is ignorant OF the tragic ending Of her
husband.
Mexico's empress lives a solitary
life In imperial style and with a small
our surrounding her. in the seclud-
ed castle OF Bouchout. between Brus-
sells and Antwerp. She is attended
with imperial honors and regardless
OF the fact that she is immensely
wealthy. is cared for at the expense
OF the royal house of Belgium because
she Is a sister of the late King Leo
pold. 1t is said that at times she still
lives in the past. imagines thai she is
still in the imperial court of Mexico
and speaks of Emperor Maximillian as
If he We're alive, but little of her ex-
act mental condition and definite facts
of her secluded life in recent years is
known, however.
With a keen foreboding of what was
to come, Empress Charlotte hastily left
Mexico in 1851 to plead with Ma
poleon III, emperor Of France, not to
a nQndAn hnr hycho~S NNL>~. - H-s
lured to Mexico by the offer of an em-
pire IN the new world. Until recently
very little was definitely known of the
incidents OF that trip.
When Napoleon intimated that he
was about to withdraw the French
troops from Mexico and leave Maxi
MILAN to his fate. Empress Charlotte
&c decided .as Nimmediately TO- leave for Paris
PRESTON" wrote NJ. do Labortie. a
member of her household a few years
ago, that her departure was the be-
ginning OF the n and that she would
never return to Mexico"
To escape Marshal Bazaine. the
same Bazatne who four years later
basely surrendered Metz to the Ger
mans. it was necessary to arrange a
pose vas to dcnounce Baxaine to his
master, which the marshal guessed,
an ostensible visit to Yucatan was
planned for the empress.
Charlotte left the city of Mexico
with an imposing suite and while the
populace was erecting triumphal
arches in her honor she sailed from
Vera Cruz with only two servants.
When Bazaine learned he had been
fooled by a woman he was furious and
sent a warship after the fleeing en-
press but her ship had a start of
eight hours and was not ovcrtaken.
Almost a nervous wreck from fear
and worry about her household, but
buoyed up by hope. the young em.
pres. then only 81 years old, had a bit.
ter foretaste Of what she was to ex.
perience when, upon arriving at Brest.
she found that the French govern.
ment. officially advised of her coming.
Jailed to send anyone to meet her. AZ
Paris there was no one at the station
to greet her: Her hopes blast
ed. She had to 90 to q hotel in q cab
and tainted from grief. Arriving at
the hotel, she sent her maids away.
She spent the entire night weeping.
The second day Napoleon III tnvit.
ed her TO luncheon at st. Cloud. She
declined. U announced her visit for
that day. Arriving at st. Cloud the
empress was in a pitiable mental and
state. Nine. del Barrio, who
was In an adjoining room. tells Of the
meeting. Napoleon and Empress En-.
genie met Charlotte with smiles. An