The Oskaloosa herald., 1914-02-05
END NEAR |:
Some Features n Life of Former
French Empress.
How the Daughter of spanish
orandes Captured the Heart and
Throne Of Napoleon ill.-At.
tempted suicide Once.

London.-Empress Eugenie lies II
IA marlborough. Press reports sa.
she is dying. The woman. once th'
leader of the gayest court in all Eu
rope and the most beautiful woman o
her day. is now plunged in the mos
profound melancholy. She has re
tired completely from society and re
fuses to permit any one to talk Il
her about the time when, as empress
of the French. she shone with rega
splendor. And the end is drawing
near for one OF the most tragic fg
ures In France. Hers is only thu
shadow OF name.
"The tragedy Of my life" she says
to friends, lis almost ended. Ny Wis
itors come to witness the last act"
Eugene was not born to the purple
Her mother was the daughter of an
Irish adventurer: her father was the
count of Montijo. srandee OF Spain
The mother was light, frivolous
woman, but Eugene and her sister
Francesca grew up to be adorable lit
tie girls. Their father having died
after inheriting the title OF his broth.
er, they were sent to a convent In
Paris and came back to Madrid, where
their mother was living as maid OF
honor TO Queen Isabella. Suitors
hooked around them. The countess
encouraged the attention OF the dash
ing young duke OF Alba and bade him
chose between the sisters. The duke
chose Francesca. ~.
When the young girl. beaming with
joy. FASTENED TO tell the news to her
younger sister. she found Eugene ly.
ing In bed. At first she believed Der
sister asleep, but on approaching
closely she saw that Eugenie's' eyes
were staring wide. her cheeks wsfs
wet with Precipitation, her features
contorted by commissions. Eugenie
had heard the dukes proposal to
francesca and had taken poison IN
her sorrow Slowly she regained her
health. but the. incident changed her
character. The convent bred girl be-
came determined to dazzle the world.
SIZE rode through the streets Of Mad.
rid on an unsaddIsd horse She. led
the applause at bun fights, nirted with
torsadors, and embroiasred caps for
them in geld; % - -. J.
She received attentions from none
except serene highnessss and dukes.
The queen. angry at being outshenes
dismissed mother and daughter from
court. Eugene tossed her beautiful
head and vowed that II she ever came
back to Madrid It should be a. 4
queen There was at this time In
France an interesting young man who
had Just been elected president, Of
the second republic of France. And
he was destined to fulfiil the young
girls ambition to be queen. -.
shortly after he met. the charming
madcap girl. the prince-presideut,
Louis Napoleon, had brought about
the famous coup d'etAt by which he
caused himself TO be reelected for a
term of ten years. and In 1852 to be
proclaimed emperor with the title Of
Napoleon III. He was fascinated by
the young girls beauty and her happy
90 lucky sort of existence appealed to
one who had SO long led an adventur.
gus hand to mouth life. So he at once
made love to her in an easy going
way. She and her mother were IN.
sited 10 the Elysee ..:., ="
But Napoleon had no notion OF mar.
fying this fascinating Spanish girl.
He realized that the best way to
strengthen his throne was by an al
lance with some woman of royal
blood. He begged Prince Hohenlohe
for the hand Of Prince Adelaide OF
Prussia. He appealed to the dowager
duchess OF Baden to help him find a
princess for his wife. Queen Victoria
and Prince Albert were sounded on
the subject. Had any woman OF royal
rank been willing to share his throne
II is certain that he would have mar.
ried her at once. But none desired to
marry this paryenu among royalty: he
did not really belong. r H.
All the while he was growing more
and more in love with Mdlle. de Mon
tito. passing hours in her company
and leading her mother 10 believe that
her daughter might soon become an
empress. His other matrimonial
schemes came to nothing. He felt
that he had been snubbed and more or
less humiliated. yet even then he said
nothing about marriage TO the lovely
Eugene. II is said that he offered
her left handed alliance. She was
not to be acknowledged as his wife,
but she was to be .nAgnifeently pro.
sided for and was to share his heart
II not his throne But Eugene indig.
nzntly refused this offer. She turned
and left him and for while declined
10 receive him. because he had insult
"a her.
This was the sort OF treatment 10
make Napoleon yield. He brooded
over her beauty and his love for her
became almost frantic. He asked Eu.
genie TO his residence at Compeigne
and In the romantic woods OF the
rhautsau offered her his throne. They
we're married with great pomp In the