Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-05-06
EX-EMPRESS EUGENE
IS BLAMED FOR WAR
Biographer Uncovers Some In
teresting Chapters in Life OF
Beautiful AndaIusian.

Eugenie De Montijo last Empress OF the
French died on July II. 1920. in her ninety,
nfth year For half century she had
lived Ia approximate exile on British shores
mourning the loss of her husband, Ma
noson III and hsr sTo son s,o the soryns rrnSo wt i'm
Enslish troops In the Zuiuland.
rhcre was too much tragedy To her lite
whole truth about her ASSOCIATION with the
Sccond Empire IL would have been un-
plst persecution.
the affairs OF Eugenie Memoirs and
ancCdotcs. long held in waiting, were re-
leased for publication; hut they approached
the little old lady was still too fresh a
nctnorN Legend and romance continued
a. serve picturing the forlorn widow in her
i,nhappfsvss and forgetting the empress who
brought her country So near to ruin
Eventually the true story OF the En-
press Eugenic had 60 come. and 10 seems
entirely appropriate that IL should come
trum a trcnchman the Count dc SoiSsonS.
hr count calls his book just that. The
Irur story of thr Empress Eugcnie tiohn
rhcrr - NO hazy mist of sentiment be
tore the count : eyes as hc gazes back at the
SECOND Empire nor are his findings over
.hadowed hy any tragic spectacle of the
impress Ia her dotsgc. He plungeS into
~ facts ~ the case With an enthusiasm
tHat cannot br mistaken or overlooked
lt I,nIoys his task. fransly and in the open
tliuriailN tugrnic dr Mpntiin was the
tiattahtrr uf the Count dc MOntijo. a
~, n,lr,. of spain aud Maria -Manuela kirk
~ t,b uf tloschutu Her birth Is given
- May l~ir. ia Granada. tho capital Of
NtH-lu~ia
~, - statistics have often been a,Ics-
ttanrI ENeu The count dc Soissons in
nid~' of rrciting IN" true story. pauses
apologize fnf hcing unahl" t. add any
tl1r hut more mystery 20 the cause. He
Its~ a fcpori of an old law suit which
.u- tn show that the Count dc Nontijo
.iI,d thrr,. wears before the birth of Eugonie
,H.f hs cannot trace her parents definitely
u. i,aNr- thc matter fnr future spccula
lgrrl, vas brought M as the daughter
,t hr Countess dc Nuntiio and IL was tho
countess Who cuginpcred the meet
that hruught about the union with
eafeilcon ~
'.lrentr -ecm~ - have had precocious
aH,i % ~pa'n ~ th' court of Queen
ma count ,it ~uisSnns speaks of her
niue oolurttish. ccrcutric. vain and
l,-- IT. writes further
Do was oftcn ~ " sven Ealloping
t.E.furt th, strpct~ of Madrid smoking n
~ ttn.tts ~ even cigar Dressed in fancy
costumes ~ her uWn invention She was con
afanfN az Theatres and hIllhghts hirting
,ifh Tho tarcadors whom she would pre-
s.n' Wtth rvd caps emhruidered with gold.
ih ~hN ard retiring girl changed into
naWttehinE beauty and Madrid most
'uEthlr ~nitors faVcd about her.
When -h, vas sfili Young her mother
.fiud hc' 30 a. the uay life Of the various
waf.tua rosurt- uu the continent They
'sul much time in Paris and oCca sionaiy
..suri England
y, 81. l~au'. her relentless coquctry
lRcnn ruatod more admirers whenever
sI., appeared and several Erands seiRneurs
aserd fer bst hand hut she kept her heart
and srusce under control and having an
.,t4lttt1a that ei,e would Hpd some ,,n,, stilI
''sfter she preferred 10 wait
tertatnls 81" provokei most ~ the
tndCr which surrounded her name hut
herr Is nothing 80 show that hcr conduct
0a- anything more than cNtrayaRant and
oprudent
l,ut- Napoleon was proclaimed Presi-
utuf ~ the French republic on December
% t~t~ -Four wears later he elected
president for another ten wears and on
p,,stmler = ~ the same wear became em-
Ieftf after S 600 OOn FreuChmen recorded
heu wish for the restoration of the
Se,ursiy established a. emperor Ma
rolpOn hcgau his serious urtship Of
Fugcnie With Fugenc his guest at Com
piegnc hc laid violent siege to her heart
apparently the affair ocCasioued much
stt among tho emperor friends and sup
fetrterS. ard there is considerable evidence
They vCre anxious for him to strengthen
his throne rs an alliance With princess OF
royal hlood
on lanuars 12 1S63 Napoleon announced
his approachtns marriage before the Council
nf state the senate and the legislative
vas marryiug for love that he was placing
indepcndcnrc tho dictates ~ the heart and
2 as welfare ~ family above dyuastlc preiu-
Ie's> and ambitious aspirations
Ntf Count dc SpisSonS points out that
y NsIlolcon up until immediately before his
na riasc With Eugcnie vas still trying for
e princess of royal blood and that his PRO
i,asal vas not prompted solely by love
Isuf q great deal hy piquc he imperial
marriage wa~ celebrated On January Al.
~.'i. With civil ceremony the night be
The hioera pho, represents Napolons court
a. a btdiCruu~ spectacle - directed hy the
nsa empress Us KEYNOTE was Vulgarity, nc
Saw nrnplcd hN q group 81 merry ynakcrs
j hat had ~ thought Of dignity or correct
moss The aristocratC elements Of France
.HmH A. nHraaH ~ HE 4
~huaned hs cmprr~s lie accounts for her
lax 10 success hR emphasizinE her de
".t'c cducauon and especially tho no
ilsdic life which she had led before her
f1c Count 4 . soissons writes
Thp empress ~ tho French was very
.tautlfuI hai Notwithstanding the de-
lmators pamphlets published in Germany
1rrt ts not shadow of truth IN the aliega-
-He was coqucttish. especially with her OLD
nds. making one day promises which
-. withdrew the next but that was all
However charitable Count de scissors
.pat sp IN his analysis of Eugenie's private
morals BE- hlames her directly for the events
uch destroyed the empire and nearly
ontinual s-rncs with the empress her
tier approaches her hts Of anger lasting /
{. scfai DAYS rancors which persisted for /
al mon ns. hlunted Napoleon strength 1
E character Eugenie influence became 4
more and more nrepOnderant Napoleon 4
thlc and SICK va 60 hc a plaything in her /
faitid of S.rncs and preferred TO give in
I Nf empress Wa initiated into all state
,faIt- an PROJECTS were submitted to her
,4q nct political Influence became very
..,a she was said To play toward the
upett very much the same role that
,im, On Bar! had played toward Louis
t' a.. the empress who led France 10
.t.t. NaNimlhan in the venture that he
t8t the Mexican tragedy IL was again
%, rmprese who estranged Austria from
au-, and eventually she led France into
Ht ranco- Prussian War
afIut DC scissors quotes General DIN
t4rrail ON the subject
am Obliged 90 recognize that the |
,mprcss vas IL not the only author at least !
he principal author of the war Of 1870 /
hc urged the war and her influence was 1
pusiderablc Her influence over the en- |
,cror vas practically unlimited
NapoieOn E physical condition unified him |
nf srtivc service IN the field Urged on |
IS Eugene he tOOk command Of the army |
nd his wife vas given the regency A few |
ecke later on the afternoon OF Septennbar |
thc fatcful telegram was delivered at the
aileries
The army is defeated am a pris-
uer Napoleon =
after her fight 20 England where she
rtflcd At Chislchurst she became a shreyd |
'usIuess woman and accumulated con- !
idtfahlr property She did many thing |
hlcu dad not please the Count de Scissors |
livery time she had chance :" he writes