The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-07-12

REr1AlNS or KIT
~ URING n s%ojourn on the French
West India island of Marti-
nique, where Theodore de
BODY was engaged in making
an archaeological reconnaissance in
the interest of the Museum of the
American Indian (IIeye foundation) of
New York city, he was enabled, thanks
to the kindness of Mr.. Simon Hayot,
n resident of this island, to visit the
birthplace of Josephine Tascher de la
Paserie, who subsequently became the
wife of Napoleon Bonaparte and en-
press of France.
The great events in the life of the
unfortunate empress are too well
known to students and historians to
need recital in this short paper, says
Mr.. De BODY in the French edition of
the Bulletin Of the Pan-Amerlcan
Union. The writer thinks 1t may be
Of interest TO ~Americanists, however,
to have some record of Josephine's
birthplace. Due to the various politi-
cal changes that took place in France
after the fall Of the first empire and
to the republican form of government
which was subsequently adopted, no
efforts were made to preserve the
buildings in which Josephine spent her
childhood. At the time of writing n
movement has been started by the gov
ernor of Martinique, NJ. Camille Guy,
IN historian of note, to preserve what
ruins still remain of La Pagerie and TO
erect within the walls of what once
was the plantation residence n fitting
monument to the empress.
Famed for Its Hospitality.
The property of La Pagerie, ances-
trail home of Josephine Tascher, sec
ond daughter of Messire ]. G. Tascher
de Ia Pagerie, lies some two miles west
of the small village of Trois Islets, on
the southwest coast of the island of
Martinique. No record can be found
as to how long this La Pagerie prop
erty had been in possession of the
Tascher family. That it was famed for
hospitality, eve in the days when ere
ole hospitality in the West Indies was
at its zenith. is u cherished tradition
among the inhabitants of Martinique.
Sugarcane was extensively cultivated
mt La Pagerie, and there can be no
doubt that. with IA large number of
slaves, and with the high price that
sugar commanded in those days, Mon
sieur Tascher was n well-to-do planter.
There still remains on the plantation
the ruin of the old sugar house, where
the cane was ground by the windmill
process and the juice boiled in the open
copper kettles.
Local traditions have 1t that Jo-
sephine was born in the old sugar
house, instead of in the plantation res
idence. 1t seems that the island of
Martinique was visited by ont of the
typical, all-destructive hurricanes
which are such a common occurrence
In this region; the family, anxious for
It's safety, took refuge in the more SUB
stantially constructed factory, and 1t
was here that Madame Tascher's sec
ond child was born on the oath of June,
1868.
WV hfhSf W SS's
But little remains of the Tascher res
idence. Successive hurricanes sue
ceeded but too well in effacing the hand
work of man, and one can now find
hut the low, th~ree-foot-high walls of
the residence proper. These walls are
so overgrown with tropical vegetation
that 1t is well-nigh impossible to pho
tograph them. 1t is the plan of the
commission headed by Monsieur Guy,
the governor of the island, to remove
this vegetation and the debris inside
the walls, and TO erect therein the mon
unent to Josephine.
Strange to say, the best-prcserved
ruins on the La Pagerie estate consist
of the kitchen walls. What higher trib'
ute can the writer pay to the delights
of the far-famed Martinique cuisine
than to say that he considers IL a fit
ting tribute to the hospitality of Jo'
sephine's parents that OF all the plan.
tation buildings, this should be the one
TO he the best preserved? One Cur
even see the old fireplace, where the
Tascher cook prepared her delicious
creole connections.
Local tradition has 1t that II was
young Josephine's custom TO daily be
take herself, accompanied by n faithful
old negro ''mammy" to a certain poo
on the property to indulge In a bath il
the refreshing waters of n limpid rivu
let. This NANNY" named Euphemia
was M old family slave, and was gen
orally credited rs being a prophecies.
Of no mean order. 1t seems to hav,
been her custom td allow herself to e