The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1921-06-16
NAPOLEON TO JOSEPHINE.

From the first Josephine was a
heart-breaker> In girlhood she had
one or two love affairs In Martinique.
Tnen. while still in her teens, she
married Viscomte Beauharnais. The
union was not happy. Her husband
was beheaded during the French
Revolution and she only escaped
through winning the heart of the ALI
powerful Barras.
Josephine was 80 years of age when
she met the young Corsican officer.
Napoleon Bonaparte. She was the
foremost love Of his life. He adored
her from the moment they met. She
cared little for him. for there was
little about him to attract women.
But Barras told her the young Corsi-
can had every prospect Of a great
career. 90 with Barras as go between
the marriage was arranged. Bona
parte at the time was compelled to
be away from Josephine frequently
and for long periods. but no lovesick
swain ever wrote more fervent love
notes than the man who all but con-
Quered the world.
Undoubtedly to the woman he
married and later divorced for ambi-
tons sake he gave all the passion of
mis- life. Three months before their
marriage Napoleon wrote to jose
phine as follows:
II awakened this morning filled
with thoughts Of you. Sweet and in
comparable Josephine. what a strange
spell have you cast over my heart?
When ou are annoyed, or see you
sad and anxious, my heart is bruised
with SORROW. and there Is no rest for
lnVQr hrrf &c 60
when giving way to the deep feeling
which masters me, l place on your
lips, on your heart, a flame which
burns me? You leave at noon; shall
see you in three hours. Till then,
moi dolce amor, thousand kisses,
but don't give me any, for they in
flame my blood.
This was to Josephine, the be-
trothed. Five days after their mar
riage. when Napeoleon was compelled
to leave her because of wars de-
mands, he wrote her from ChanceauX,
March IA. 1896:
Each instant separates me fur
ther from you. adorable one. and
at each instant feel that have less
power to bear being separated from
you You are the perpetual object
of my thoughts. "*** Write to me,
my tender love. and receive the
thousand one kisses from the truest
and tenderst of friends"
Napoleon was ever jealous OF Jo-
phine and her letters to him were
never full of the fire that his disposi-
tion demanded He became fire.
auentiy piqued and this is shown
early In their marriage, as early as
one month following, when he wrote
her: '"The fear of not being beloved
by Josephine, the Idea of seeing her
inconstant, of her being-but L am
making suffering for myself. There
is so much that is real; must one
manufacture more? You cannot have
inspired a boundless love in me with
out sharing it. and with your soul,
your mind, and your intelligence.
you could not give in return for utter
devotion, a death blow"
When Napoleon was absent in
Egypt campaigning he heard that
Josephine captured the heart Of Mr..
Charles. a military dandy. In jealous
fury he rushed back to Paris, swear
ing he would divorce her. Josephine
wept and declared her innonce and
she was forgiven. But never again
did Napoleon love Josephine as be-
fore.
In spite of her silly. insincere mind
Josephine loved Napoleon. and when
she died on May "a. 1914, her very
last thoughts were for the ambitious
man who had broken her heart. He
had divorced her, seeking to strength
en- his position by more advan-
tageous marrIage-with Marie Louise
OF Austria. But he gave her an al
lwance of 100000 a year and let
press, but oddly enough Napoleon
Bonaparte's star began to set from
the moment he divorced Josephine.