The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-03-05
Late Napoleon Louis Macdonald,
Scion of Historic House,
in Potter's Field.
BY La MAIsQUISE DE FONTENOY.
A FULL- duke of nncient

BY LA MAIsQUISE DE FONTENOY.
a FuLL-FLEDGED duke of ancient
~ lineage in the potter's field
not in this country, where quite
number OF great mobiles after being
ruined in the Old World, seek refuge
and oblIvion-but in his native land of
France.
The duke In question is the lato
Napoleon Louis Macdonald. third Duke
of Tarente. and scion of the historic
Scotch house of Macdonald. of which
Lord Macdonald of the Isles is the
chief. He died last year, alone, aban
doned, and In such extreme poverty
tina. the best which could be done for
him was paupeTs funeral and
cemetery of Bagnolet, where he was
inferred, not in separate grave, but
in the "fosse comune." that Is to say,
the long trench In which paupers are
buried, In collins made OF rough, un-
planed pine boards without shroud,
and without any form of religious
rite.
These facts have just been brought
10 light by the search made by Mrs.
Arthur Hamilton Coates, on her re-
cent arrival from India, to ascertain
what had become of her brothers. re-
mains. She was the Com tesse Mari
anne Macdonald de Tarente, married in
1880 an Enslishman. Arthur Hamil
ton Coates, and makes her home at
Lahore. In British India. She had
completely lost sight of her only
brother. had, In fact, become more or
less estranged from him. On her re-
turn recently from India she learned
OF his death, and being unable to get
any information about him from the
former friends OF her family, appealed
to the French authorities, who, after
considerable amount OF research In
formed her that he had been buried as
pauper, and that having been laid
in the "fosse comune." which literally
means the common trench or ditch. 1t
was hopeless to mako any attempt to
recover the body. from the many hun
dreds that are inferred In that partic
ular portion of the cemetery pcll- nell
each year
The late duke was the grandson and
heir to the honors and estates of that
first duke who, as Marshal Macdonald.
played go great role In the Napo-
leonic wars at the beginning OF the
nineteenth century. Descended from a
branch OF the Nacdonalds OF the Isles
which had espoused tire cause OF James
H.. after the latter's retirement to
France. his father having been a very
near relative OF the celebrated Flora
Macdonald. he captured Rome for the
French in 1893, and took part in most
OF the Napoleonic victories, being
created Marshal of France and Duke
OF Tarente by the Emperor, on the
battlefield OF Wagram, whore his d.
vision broke the Austrian centre and
won The victory. He was Napoleons
ambassador in turn to Copenhagen and
to Russia, remained faithful to the
Emperor after all the other marshals
had deserted him, and once having
given his adherence to tho Bourbon
regime at the personal command OF
Napoleon, remained thereafter true to
them.
He was one of the very few distin-
guished generals OF the Napoleonic era
who could boast OF blue blood in his
veins. and who was q man of the most
perfect breeding and unblemished
honor. He died as grand chancellor
of the Legion of Honor, at his Cha
teau of Courcelles-le-R oi, being sue
ceeded by his son, tho second duke.
who was sponsored on the occasion of
his christening by Charles ", and by
the Duchess Of Angouleme. that is TO
say, by the daughter of Louis XVI.
and of Queen Marie Antoinette, and
who had been imprisoned with them In
the Temple.
Like most of tho personascs OF the
court OF the Third Napoleon, he lived
far beyond his means, although these
were very large, and nc had big es-
tates: so that when he died in 1880 he
left his son, the late duke. rather bad
ly off. In fact, the late Duke de Tar
ente was heavily In debt at the time
when he contracted, in 1899, carriage
with the elderly and very wealthy
widow of NJ. Camescasse, who was for
SC many years project of police In
Paris. She was a woman of over nifty,
of extremely plebeian origin, the only
child and solo heiress of old Dele
goroue, the founder of the General
Omnibus Company in Paris. and also
OF the Petites Voitures, or leading
cab company OF the French capital.
He: two daughters Of her first marri-
age served as bridesmaids on the oc-
casJon OF her marriage to the duke.
Unfortunately for the latter. she
was a woman OF very thrifty DISPOSE
tion and exceedingly close listed. She
foresaw the slumps In the value of her
shares. For the extension OF the tram
way system. the underground railroads,
and above all, the gonoral adoption OF
the telephone, had the effect Of reduo-
Ing the value OF her stock in the Cen
eral Omnibus Company and in the Pc
tiles yoitures concern by some 60 per
cont.
tNe;nr IA, 4ha infrodurtinne ~ 81. 49,