Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1891-12-05 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

THE EMPRESS EUGENIE AND THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR.  While the heated dicusssion is still going on in France as to whether or no the Franco-Prussian war was the work of the Empress Eugenie, the following anecdote, the absolute authenticity of which the Evening News and Post guarantees, may not be without interest. Anyone who knew Paris in those days, just after the insult offered by M. Benedetti to the King of Prussia at Ems, in the summer of 1869, cannot fail to recall how conflicting were the rumours in the French capital as to whether there would be war or not. Nobody knew what the Emperor was going to do, because his Imperial Majesty did not know himself! Under these circumstances, being for very obvious reasons most desirous to know what to expect, Baron Alphonse de Rothschild derided to go straight to headquarters and ask the Emperor very plainly himself whether it was to be peace or war. l'he Court at that time was at St. Cloud, and the Baron repaired thither, and was of course immediately received by the Caesar, whose very early habits (a cup of tea and Cabinet Council at 7 a.m.) were the cause of great anguish to many of his advisers. Baron Alphonse lost no time, but went at once to the point, and the Emperor, after having reflected for a moment over what the great financier had said to him, replied, with equal frankness, "Mon cher Baron, lam glad you have come to me so frankly, and I can easily understand what you say about. the present uncertainty being most harmful to the most important financial interests, and I am glad to be able to relieve your anxiety and put a stop to this suspension. Let me assure you there will not be war: you have my word for it—there will not be war. Don't mind what false rumours may reach your ears," and then for a third time his Majesty, repeated, `•11 n'y aura pas la gaerre." Greatly delighted, of course, the Baron took his departure, but in the corridor leading to the Emperor's room whom should he meet but the Empress, going to see her husband. The Baron of course was forced to stop and exchange a few words with Her Majesty, and then passed on, the Empress proceeding on her way to the room in which Baron Alphonse had just left Napoleon 111. so pacifically decided. It is a long drive from the Palace of St. Cloud to the Rue Lafitte, and it is possible, indeed, that the Baron may have broken his journey by stopping at his magnificent palace in the Rue St. Florentin to relieve the anxiety of his friends; but, be this as it may, the fact remains that hardly had the Baron reached the famous banking house next door to the residence of the mad Princess de la Moskowa when an estafette galloped up, the horse covered with foam, having come at racing speed from the Palace of St. Cloud with a private message from the Emperor to M. de Rothschild. This message briefly stated that there would he war! A few hours later war was declared! This the writer of the above had direct from Lord Lyons, who bad it direct from Baron Alphonse. Whether the vi :; of the Empress to her hubsand was the cause of his sudden change of mind her Majesty herself alone can tell.  The P. and 0. Company's steamer Valetta, with *General" Booth on board, left Albany (Western Australia) on Sunday for Colombo.  "Billy" Baker,a professional pugilist, was fatally shot at Buffalo, N.Y., on Sunday morning. He was escorting to her home an actress, Miss Laura Forrest, when a gang of roughs surrounded them. In protecting his companion, Baker was shot. His assailant was arrested. A daring burglary was committed on Saturday evening at Rownhams House, near Romsey. Hampshire, the residence of Mrs Keates. It appears that the robbers entered the house while the family were at dinner, by forcing the bedroom window, and succeeded in taking a large quantity of jewellery and silver plate. The burglars made good their escape.  Further particulars Of the collision on the Like Shore Railway, near Toledo, Ohio, on Saturday last, shew that the disaster was a most serious one. Five of the 17 persons who were injured have succumbed, the number of dead being thus increased to seven, while several others are in a critical condition. Nearly all the injured are terribly burned or scalded.  A movement is on foot to establish, at Horsham, a memorial to the poet Shelley, in connection with the celebration of the centenary of his birth. The poet was born at Field Place, near Horsham, and at present there is nothing in the town to indicate this tact. The local governing body have expressed their intention of supporting the Shelley Society in carrying out the proposal for a statue. An extraordinary attempt at suicide has been made by a tailor of Vienna, a man 70 years of age, who, in an evident fit of madness, drove five 3m. nails into his skull,with a heavy hammer. Strangely enough, the man did not die but, bandaging his head with a cloth, he walked t.;) the hospital, where he is at present. The doctors in attendance. extracted the nails, and have some hoe of saving the man's life.