ROMANTIC STORIES OF FAMOUS FA' I LES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVI, Issue 14498, 9 October 1907, Page 10

ROMANTIC STORIES OF FAMOUS FA' I LES.

(“ Tit-bite.”) The recent death of Count Nigra, the ' brilliant Italian diplomat, recalls ono of the most romantic and thrilling stories in the history of Royal nciasitudes, an episode in which .ho late Ambassador took a conspicuous part. , The story opens with the closing scenes- of the disastrous Franco-German war. Tho fate of Franco had been staked on the issue of tho battle of Sedan; her army had been overwhelmed and crushed, 14,000 of her bravest eons being left dead or dying on the fatal field. Napoleon,- “ unable to meet, death at the head of his army,’ had surrendered his sword to the Prussian King, and his son, , tho boy Prince Imperial, disguised in tho cap and blouse of a peasant, had been smuggled across tho frontier and was on his way to an asv'lum in England. In distant Paris tho Empress Eu- ■ genie, ignorant of the fate that had ' befallen her beloved husband and boy, was waiting in terrible anxiety to learn the issue of this crucial fight, on which all her hopes and ihose of Franco hung. Pacing restlessly up and down her boudoir in the Tuiieries Palace, her mind must have flown back to that very dii- - forent day, seventeen years earlier, . .when her ambition was crowned, and she, the granddaughter of William Kirkpatrick, plain Scotsman and Malaga merchant, was led to the altar by the newly-elected Emperor of the French. AN EVIL OMEN . On that glorious day all Paris was in a fever of delight, , cannons boomed, bells clashed and bands blared; tho streets were arcades of roses and fluttering flags, \ {tad through avenues of ecstatically - cheering thousands, she, with tho Emperor by her side, had driven in state to the cathedral. Then, as their Majesties’ coach passed under a triumphal arch in front of the Elyseo, a crash was heard, and tho gorgeous procession came to a halt, for tho Imperial crown which surmounted tho coach had fallen to the' ground and lay between tho > horses’ feet. “An evil omen,” many an onlooker whimpered ; but in the hour of her splendid triumph Eugenie, tho bride of an Emperor, smiled at such lilly fancies. But now—now that the stately fabric of her happiness was tottering, was it possible that that almcfitforgotten omen was about to be realised, and the cup of her glory, only half drained, was to be dashed from hei* ■; lips ? FATAL NEWS. It was while tortured with such, thoughts and premonitions as .these that a Court official rushed unceremoniously into her Majesty’s presence and r banded her a telegram. With blanched, face and beating heart she tore open the envelope, read the message, and with a cry of anguish fell back half swooning into a chair. The worst had happened—Franco lay crushed under the Conqueror’s heel; her husband was a prisoner; her son a fugitive; and “ Ichabod ” was written in flaming letters across all that she had held dear. -- - That fallen crown was, indeed, no idle portent ; her own crown and that of her Imperial husband now lay for ever in the dust. Blit it was a bravo heart that beat in the Empress’s breast. , Her advisers counselled abdication and flight. She proudly protested that she would do neither; she would rule and fight to' " „ the last gasp for her husband, her boy, " and France But hark! what is that sound which ' penetrates tho silence of the palace? It is tho confused, angry - murmur of a crowd outside the palace ... walls, through which she can hear faint, ' ■ fierce shouts of “ Down with the Em- • press I. Down with the Spaniard!” Year's earlhir the same voices had hailed }ysr as Empress-bride with shouts of welcome and of joy; now they clamour-, «?d for her fall ' They blamed her—her, the once idolized Queen —for all tho tragedy that had overwhelmed tho ua- , tion, and in the 1 fury of their humilia- . tion were ready to take her life. IN GRAVE DANGER. In vain her-kinsmen and. trusted offi- . . cers implored her to fly and hot only, save her life, but save the country fnyjh a terrible revolution which v;ouid drench France in .blood. Sh" -'would not abdicate unless the Council c f the Vltemmcy compelled her , sh'.' declared, \ith proud, resolute mieu-v\ or jid she abate her determination a , v hen a member - Corps Legiblatlf rushed into the conferencsv'with news that the mob had'raided the Chamber, dragged the President from his chair, and dispersed its members. “A republic has i . been-.declared,, and it now only remained to provide for her Majesty’s safety.” Outside the palace, the angry shouts of the mob now came clearly to her ears. “Down with l the Empress! To the guillotine! Long live the ropub--1 lie!” were thh hoarse cries she heard. And through the windows she could see the swaying thousands of gaunt, fierce men sweltering in the sun—“ men in- ■ toxicated, vociferous, savage, and wo- - ■ men: with streaming hair and uplifted arms waving blood-red flags, drawing closer and closer to the rails of tho palace, towards which they turned wild .t r.and hungry eyes.” FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS. And still, though face to face with a . terrible death, she did not blanch, nor " did her pulse beat faster. “I know ; how to die if need bo,” she calmly said to those around her, in 'answer to their ~ - appeals to save herself at the eleventh . hour. , “But is it your Majesty’s wish to cause a general massacre of your attendants?” M. Pietri, the Prefect of Police, asked as a last desperate re- - source. That, and only that, shook her ; resolution. She was willing to die; but - what right had she to bring destruction on tho few who loved her and ~v-oro loyal to her in her misfortune she could not do that. ,Sn?io'-svaß irresist- ' - able; she must,^ <iny cost to herself, - save those she owed this sac- • rifice. ‘>i’hen,” she said, after a long “ I will go; but all of you can hear witness that I have done my duty to tho last.” ... ! Calmly, and with infinite tenderness and sadness, she said good-bye to her -- household, begging thorn to see to their ", own .safety. As she was bidding farewell to her. weeping friends, a still fiercer howl burst from the ravenous ' crowds outside. An urchin had climbed the rails and had fixed a red flag on • >■ one of the gate pillars. This was the | signal for the bursting of the reservoir j of humanity; and the tide of the blood- I J' thirsty mob surged over the palace garh ■ dens. There was not a moment to spare. Already the leaders were swarming into the palace corridors, and the Empress, roused at last by an instinct of selfpreservatiou, hurriedly threw on a plain straw bonnet and a waterproof ••'- cloak and. taking tho proffered arm of •"'■'Prince Metternich and followed by tho ' Chevalier Nigra and a few of her ladies, - made her way through a gallery leading to the Louvre. Even as she walked —she would not -.. ,hurry oven then—along tho corridor, ■ the crashing of glass, tho smashing open of door®, and the nearing cries of “Down with the Empress!” told her that death was already at her heels. ; Could sho still escape? For herself she cared little; but the lives of those who were with her, loyal to the last—they must he eaved. - A BRAVE HEART When the door leading to the Louvre was reached it was found to be locked I This, then, was the end of all. “ Leave me! Leave me!” the Empress cried to I her followers! “Save yourselves; it is now too late to save me.” - Already there was the sound of feet at the far end of the corridor; in u few moments all would be over. But at this crucial nio- ' ment, as Fate would have it, a servant Imrried up with a key. tho door was , -flung open and. quickly locked after

them, and through the Apollo Gallery the fugitive* reached a door opening on to the Place Saint Germain I’Auxcrrois. A glance showed the Empress that the "square was densely packed with wildly excited people. To enter it seemed certain death ; but with every nerve strained and expecting the worst the small band plunged into the seething sea of humanity. “ You are holding my arm; do you feel it tremble?” the Empress whispered to Nigra, who was acting as her escort, while Prince Mettoruich forced hie way through the crowd in search of his carriage. “ No, madame, not at all,” was the answer. Scarcely had the words left his lips when a gamin, who recognised Eugenio, called out, “Here is the Empress!” Quick as lightning Nigra gave, the urchin a violent blow on the oar. "You rascal!” ho shouted, r ‘ how dare you cry ‘ Long live tho Prussians?’ I will give you a lesson ” ; and he administered such a violent shaking to the lad that all his protestations were inaudible. OUTWITTED THE MOB. Meanwhile the Empress and a companion, quitting Nigra, made their way slowly and unrecognised through the crowd,' until, emerging at last on the opposite side of the eqna.ro, they jumped into a oah which was fortunately at hand, and were driven rapidly away to M. Besson’s house in the Boulevard Haussmann. M. Besson was not at home, nor was the Marquis de Pionnes, to whose residence they proceeded next. To drive farther was impossible, for tho Empress had left her purse behind, and Mdme Le Breton, her companion, had only three francs in her pocket; so, dismissing tho oah. they decided to seek a refuge on foot. With the now distant cries of the mch still in their cars, the two ladies made their wav 'towards tho house ol Dr Evans, a fashionable dentist who was known to them and who lived neai As they hurried in tho direction or ’.he Avenue du Bois de Boulogne, thev heard tho tramp of a mighty throng and tho confused sound of thousands of voices coming near. ” Diving into the friendly shelter of a porch they shrank into its shadow, just as *te frantic rabble turned round a corner and swept past them waving red flags, singing ‘The Marseillaise,’ and cry mu

I ‘ Long Live the Republic When the sounds had died away in tho distance and the street was once more quiet, they continued their journey to r ne house of Dr Ewans, who, to their great relief, was at home. A few words explained tho pathetic plight of the Empress, and tho dentist sit once placed himself entirely at her service. For that night she must remain his guest, and the next morning he vyould do !rs best to smuggle her out. ot Paris and conduct her to Deauville, where lub wife was spending a holiday. ON THE ROAD. At dawn the following day Dr Evans, with his charges, entered a closed carriage, and the perilous journey was begun. Once past tho jcalously-guard-o 1 city gate the worst danger would .e over; but how to escape tho keen scrutiny of tho guard was a grave problem At the gate a- halt was called, and even the Empress, for once, felt her heart beating wildly. With remarkaolo coob ess and resource Dr Evans put his head out of tho window and explained to tho custodians that ho was taking an insane patient to the asylum at Neuiily. and begged that she might not bo excited by examination or delay. The request was granted, and as the carriage swept out of Paris on its way to freedom, Eugenie, unabjo longer to control her feelings, burst into a paroxysm of weeping. IHE LOYAL DENTIST. At every wayside inn on the long journey the same story was repeated by the brave and loyal dentist. _ His patient must be shielded from inspection and intrusion, or ho could not answer for the consequences; and thus, after twenty-four hours of ceaseless travelling, Deauville was at last reached, and with it the sea, which was to be the avenue to liberty. Among tho vessels at Deauville there chanced to be the yacht of Sir John Burgoyne, to whom both the Empress and Dr Evans were known. When lhe situation was explained to him ho gladly offered to place his vessel at the service of her Majesty, and at tho stroke of midnight the two ladies w-wo successfully smuggled aboard and entrusted to the sympathetic care of Lady Burgoyne, who administered the com-

fori, and refreshment they so badly needed after their long journey and the terrible experiences through which they had come. TO SAFETY, But even now danger was not past. Tho tide was unfavourable, and a start could not ho made until morning, before which time, their enemies might discover their hiding-place, while to add to their anxieties, a tempest was raging, and the sea, outside tho harbour, was running terribly high, to that none but a dauntless and skilful mariner dare brave, it. But Sir John Burgoyno had pledged himself to save tho Empress, and ho was not the man to turn craven, whatever perils the venture involved. So, as soon as ihe tide served, the little craft left the harbour and steamed into the teeth of the hurricane. Many a time during that terrible voyage even Sir John’s stout hea'-t quailed as one big sea after another threatened to swamp his yacht; cut courage and calmness triumphed over the fierce elements, and after eighteen, hours of a gallant fight against the forces of Nature tho vessel came to a safe anchorage in Ryd© Harbour. Here the Empress and her companion, with expressions of undying gratitude, took leave of their protectors, and not many hours later Eugenie had reached Hastings and was clasping in her arms the beloved son who, after almost equally perilous adventures, had been brought in safety to his mother’s arms.