Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-01-16

~ wv OiN -'tP'iNN
party 1t would be bad policy to try
| TO make a big deal with hungry men:
| almost as foolish as to ask tavors OF
be fatal
Finally. however. ali Was in readl-
ness. and the banker. the real estate
/ operator. the Frcnchmnn and ,h,
They passed brandon. Wcstovcr ana
! shirley. Wcyanoke. Upper Brandon
and Upper shirley and with the
Sighting OF each plantation the en-
We're delighted. too, with the clear
! and bracing weather. which does not
often bless their native lands in
! winter, while their admiration for
the architecture was unstintch. al
though both were nccust oincd 10 the
chatoauN and haronia halls of ;hc
/ old World
on returning from the trip the
| visitors disappeared as quietly ana
unpstcnta,iously as they had come,
and for many moon Mr. Davis
! Rugged his secret tightly to his
/ heart. But only a few persons lind
! II easy to keep secrets, particularly
! when they are OF nature known
! TO interest thousands OF people.
ana Mr.. Davis, excellent citizen AMI
1 successful business man that he was,
! 1t is said, proved Ia bc no more than
! human. lie took few OF his lear
! 'SN S1i uHlS inlp ulS commences, swear
ing each over 10 that same degree
1 of secrecy 10 which he himself was
bound and. as is always the way
with such things. the bubble burst.
Bnom i'm Real Estate.
| Win what result? The price Of
those historic homes on the James
/ River rose several hundred per cent.
There was boom In real estate In
mat section OF Virginia. The state
was perfectly am!ably disposed to-
ward Napoleon and Eugcnic. but il
| they wanted To settle here. they
| would have TO pay for the privilege.
| For. according to all fairy tale lore.
am Emperor surely must have money.
! and Az the Empress EEgcnie left an
estate OF approximately $Go00.o00. it
| is 10 he supposed that the imperial
| couple lived up TO the highest Ideals
/ of Grimm and Andersen.
! About six months later the same
visitors returned. and although il is
not stated where they had been.
meantime. ii is TO be- supposed that
| they had looked over other estates
| maps in New England or along the
| banks OF the Hudson. and possibly
even going to South Carolina or the
| sunny shores OF Florida. There Is n
/ chance. too. that they returned to
! England to confer with tho Imperial
refugees at Chislchurst.
! Now that Mr.. Goddn knew the true
purpose OF their sojourn and the
names OF the potential purchasers. II
may he imagined that he put his
| best foot foremost" 20 MAKE a good
impression on his clients. 1t Was
| simmer then: the summer Of lsI,
ana the season of fried chicken.
rnlm-icaf fans and ether cooling ac-
ccsSorics. including mint iilcps a.,
| only VirGinians could mako th"n
| tWil the art ever he forgottenO The
! Journey was pleasant. notwithstand
! ing certain amount Of dust; the
company seemed delighted as ever.
ana The deal appeared almost TO he
! consGminatcd. Then the visitors dis
appeared - quietly as lAforc.--
never to he heard from again.
MANY months later II was learned
| that tho priC"3 asked for the rianta-
lions We're regarded as somewhat eN
! brilliant even for those history-lilled
/ treasure houses. but II was not long
before il became known that the
| Seeing that the former nonarch's
I DAYS were numbered IL was deemed
| !radv.sahlc even further 20 contem-
/ plat" 50 drastic move. ana suhsr-
| qucUt events proved The decision to
! he eniir.ly juatiiahle. He died at
/ chislelurst ia Kent. in 1878. six
| years bcfur" his son ana only child,
( the young Prince imperial. met so
tragic az end q, the hands Of saw
| ayes in Xululand.
Because The secret leaked out tho
I plans Of Napoleon for the purchase
pf a virginia home sent up the price
/ agents to change their minds, for IT
g iuiimatcd that this would have oc-
CURED oven If their imperial masters
/ nculih rad not failed. does not mean
tina, the Emperor was thus prevented
from r!a ling his august foot on tn.
sol! %! virginia. as this he had al.
ready done. IT is a matter Of record
/ HAT he came TO Norfolk In 1896 then
Is Young man OF TWENTY-FIVE and
nnarlv a score OF years before his
marriage 10 tho beautiful Eugene de
NOutiio Of Spain.
IN commenting on that incident Of
bis career Agnes carey. IN her re-
cen;ly published ana altoGethcr de-
ligbtul book Empress Eugene in
Exile" says: lie had hastily gath
cred few faithful friends about him
had attempted the coup d'etat oi
Str"HsburE, which failed so signal!
This was on October 30 is2G
Louis NAPOLEON was condemned by
'ac French government 10 exile and
ban hcd 10 The United states. After
Homs delay nc was taken 10 Loricnt
ana there embarked on the frigat'
q 1876 After n long .our via Rio
| dc Jaueir0 by order Of the govern
/ meat u" was put ashore AZ Norfolk
Iad was there set at liberty Marcel
20. 1881 after which he made his way
W TO New FORK. where nc lived some
Never In n,chmond.
NIpolcUn III never crime TO Rich
, lhl. 70 sell IN" agents 90 The tln
. peror and his @onsor, a James rive
, .s;ip there would have been q semi
Imperial court close 10 our 'ocrs 'r
:lhacqu"nt events proScd .hrt ~
i, Hmpl's" N exile held 10 much n
: / cart % daily life IN the rai"rc Z,
- Tuilcri"s. Had these ,hirRs ma
. ! f"ridlizHd IL is probable that tn
Prince Imperial would no, have gon
10 Africa to become {, target OF
, savage enemy. and h6t'might be hv