II
“In the crowd there was a man
armed with a pistol . . . but either
his courage failed him. or he had
remorse, or he had not the time—
the projected crime did not happen.”
By Milton Bronner
LONDON.
GHOSTS of a century ago—ghosts
of people whose names were
once on everybody's lips—
seemed to flit through the clois
ter-like. quiet rooms of Sotheby and
Company in Bond street. London, on
Dec 4 and 7.
For on those days the world-famou?
auctioneers ol rare treasures were dis
posing of one of the greatest collections
of letters by Napoleon Bonaparte, his
brothers, his generals, and his wite. the
Empress Marie Louise, that has ever
been offered to collectors. All throw a
striking light on the Corsican’s life and
times
From the American standpoint, per
haps the most interesting letters are
those of Joseph Bonaparte, eldest
brother of the great Napoleon Joseph
went to America after the disaster of
Waterloo, and loved it
Joseph Bonaparte was made King
of Naples and Sicily by Napoleon in
1806 and remained such until 1808,
when he was made King of Spain.
After the crash of the Bonaparte for
tunes. Joseph went to the United States,
became a land-owner, and lived for
many years variously in Philadelphia.
New York and Bordentown. N J
In the letters sold by Sotheby's, there
is one remarkable missive to his
brother, Lucien, dated Philadelphia
Oct. 31, 1826 Among other things, he
says:
“The country where 1 am (the United
States) is the most beautiful in the
world, and if my wife were here, as
well as the persons that I love, one
would have to be a fool to think of
quitting it.”
Nine years later he writes to his
uncle. Cardinal Feschi:
“There are portions of this country
which have made immense progress
since my absence New York above all
It has today 300.000 inhabitants The
city lots that Mr Astor. today the rich
est private citizen of the New World
gave me 20 years ago in payment for
francs, are today worth 20 millions.”
In 1796. after his brilliant campaign
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Empress Marie Louise, left, and the great Napoleon, painted in all their
splendor by the French artist Le Fevre.
in Italy, Napoleon’s star began to rise
and nothing could stop him. In 1798
he undertook his famous expedition to
Egypt.
Sotheby’s had some 50 Napoleon let
ters from this period.
In these letters Napoleon is seen as
the commander ruthlessly maintaining
discipline, but at the same time think
ing of the spirits of his men by seeing
that they have drums and trumpets on
their marches, and a theater while in
barracks
IN 1814 he was exiled to Elba Letters
* from this period find the great man
solemnly adjudicating squabbles be
tween workmen and soldiers Then
comes his escape from Elba, the upris
ing of his old soldiers, who flock to his
standard, and the famous 100 days cul
minating in defeat at Waterloo
In this connection there is a most in
teresting letter written by M Le Fol,
aide-de-camp to his uncle. General Le
Fol. The young man reported to Na
poleon at Avallon in March. 1815. short
ly after his escape He writes:
“Napoleon was stretched out on a
sofa. A table covered with papers was
before him and touched his bed upon
which I supported myself, being so
harassed with fatigue After hav
ing given him a report of my confiden
tial mission and received his thanks for
my zeal, he asked me many questions,
among others what was my opinion ol
the effect his return to France would
produce upon the army
“The next day he was getting ready
to depart. The crowd calling him he
went to the window and saluted the
people. On this occasion an inci
dent happened which was told me by a
notable citizen of Avallon and which
has remained unknown to the world
“The emperor, in presenting himsell
at the window to satisfy public curios
ity, came near being assassinated In
the crowd there was a man armed with
a pistol that he was to fire at Napoleon
but either his courage failed him. or he
had remorse, or had not the time —the
projected crime did not happen.”
Among the most valuable letters sold
by Sotheby’s were some written by
Empress Marie Louise, second wife of
Napoleon. There are 205 missives, be
ginning when she was a little Austrian
archduchess of 8. through her young
womanhood, when she had been taught
to hate Napoleon, during her married
life with him. her refusal to share nis
exile at St. Helena, the period when
she was mistress, and afterwards wife,
of Count de Neippurg. and the la*
Most interesting are the letters writ
ten by Marie Louise, daughter of the
Austrian emperor and second wife
of Napoleon. They reveal a change
from hatred to love of the man.
notes written in 1846, the year before
her death.
WE see Marie Louise writing a letter,
rejoicing in the birth of a little sis
ter. We see her following with anxiety
Napoleon’s triumphs of 1809 In July
she writes:
“1 hope that your prophecy will be
realized and that the House ot Austria
will be raised from the decadence in
which it has fallen at this moment
I have many times believed we are ap
proaching the Last Judgment and that
this one (Napoleon) who. at this mo
ment is oppressing us. is the anti-
Christ "
Evidently news nad come to her that
Napoleon was divorcing Josephine and
this time was going to look for a royal
bride
Writing on Jan. 6. 1810. the fright
ened girl said:
“I thank you very much for your
wishes for me on the New Year The
new year has commenced by an act in
deed memorable in nistory— that ol the
separation ol Napoleon from his wile.
How 1 pity the unhappy one upon
whom his second choice will fall! Her
beautiful days will then surely be
ended Say a Pater Noster entreating
that it will not be me ”
At the end ol that very month, the
Austrian emperor told her she was to
Ire Napoleon's wife With tears and
sobs she begged him to change his
mind But her father said the supreme
interests ol the monarchy were in
volved and she had to obey
Later there are letters where, she
says, she loves or pretends to love ner
husband, the mighty Napoleon In
1812. while her husband is engaged in
his disastrous Russian campaign, she
writes as wife and mother
“1 have received with much pleasure
the news you give me of my son How
happy 1 am when I receive a letter in
which you tell me he is well and that
he is intelligent and lovable! It is the
only means ol distracting me from all
the cruel worries 1 eperience at thi*
moment, because ol the absence of the
emperor You know it will be a grief
whiHl will I net tin*'! ”