Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 September 1894 — HAD A TRAGIC ENDING [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HAD A TRAGIC ENDING

ATTEMPT OF NAPOLEON TO ERECT AN EMPIRE. The United States and Mexico's Indian President Baffled His Scheme —Execution of Maximilian and Gens. Miramon and Mejia—Carlotta Now a Maniac. End of an Empire. Strange are the ways of fate. We reach for the rose and grasp a thorn;

we exchange unwittingly the substance for the shadow. Had Maximilian, Archduke of Austria, never relinquished his rights to the Hapsburg thron e—never crossed the seas to his new empire of »Mexico— he would

have escaped the tragic end that befell him on the plains of Queretaro, would stand to-day next in succession to the proud Austrian Empire, and his wife, the beautiful hut unfortunate Carlotta. would not now he spending her days hopelessly Insane in the royal castle of Bouchnout, near Brussels. Brightly shone that day In 1864 when Maximilian and Carlotta, after paying farewell visits to the French, Belgian and English courts and after receiving the Papel benediction, left their beautiful palace of Miramar on the blue Adriatic and sailed for the

ancient empire of the Montezumas. Three years later Mexico had flung them from lier—the one demented, the other dead—one to spend her days endle-sly raving over past splendors, the ashes of the other to be borne to the imperial vault of Vienna, there to mingle with the remains of a long line of ancestors. Founding an Em;>iro in Mexico. It was the project of the third Napoleon of France to found an empire in Mexico that would be feudatory to France and the occasion came when Juarez, the President of Mexico, and a full-blooded Indian, repudiated the debt which that country owed to France, England and Spain. The representatives of these three countries drew up an agreement by which naval and military forces were to be sent to Mexico to seize the ports of entry on the Gulf coast and apply the revenue to the payment of the foreign debts of Mexico. No territory was to be seized nor was Mexico to be disturbed in her form of government. In 1801 the allied forces arrived in* Vera Cruz and the following year a convention was held between the representatives of the invading European powers and Mexico. Then the designs of France were laid bare, and England and Spain promptly withdrew from the enterprise. War then raged between the French forces and those of Juarez and the latter was forced to retire to the northern provinces. Napoleon 111. had well selected his time. The United States was then in the throes of a mighty rebellion, unable to extend any aid except moral to Mexico, and that moral aid had at the time little influence. Availing himself of his opportunity, Napoleon offered the throne of Mexico to Maximilian, grand-duke of Austria and brother of the present reigning sovereign of Austria-Hungary. The latter asked that the people of Mexico express themselves on the subject, and through the efficacy of French bayonets a false vote was secured and Maximilian accepted. April 10, 1864, he was crowned at his

palace of Miramar, and, after paying farewell visits to several European courts, and receiving the blessing of the pope, he and his wife, Carlotta, set sail for Mexico May 20. “Like two children delighted with a new toy,” writes John Heard Jr., in current Scribner’s, “Maximilian and Carlotta laid down the rules of etiquette for their household; created new orders; invented designs for decorations and medals; chose the uniforms for the imperial bodyguard, and seriously pondered all the trivial imitation laces and bow-knots of a Louis XIV. court across the water.” Radiy Fitted to Kale. Maximilian was illy equipped as a ruler. “A dreamer, -a poet, his mind filled with the traditions of the most

form-ridden court in Europe, accustomed to deal only with thoroughly precedented and documented diffiMaximilian was perhaps the worst practical ruler that could hare been selected

tor Mexico. He was,oot only unable

to see things clearly himself, tut equally incapable of surroundinghimself with clear-sighted advisers. The country needed a hard, shrewd, practical soldier-ruler; a mao of simple tastes and close economy. Maximilian was a traditional prince; notwitstaading the emptiness of his coffers, he surrounded himselr with chamberlains, marshals of the court, equerries, etc., and with such titles and the corresponding emoluments he quenched the men whose lights and work he most needed.” Meantime while Maximilian, supported by French bayonets, was curiously looking over his new domain, “President Juarez in the mountain wilderness of Chihuahua, surrounded by a small band of penniless followers, listened with Indian stoicism to the echo of the noise in the capital. His coffers were empty, his cabinet had vanished, his army was melting away, and the civilized world scoffed at his presumption. His only companion was Lerdo de Tejada, his faithful secretary of state, and strong in the knowledge of their right, these two silent watchers waited with dogged patience for the dawn of their day, the day of independence, the day that was to break upon the land three years later.” Amerlcun Interference. With the endiug of the civil war in the United States a new complexion was given to affairs in Mexico. The United States Government had persistently refused to recognize Maximilian and had intimated time and again to Napoleon that it would be desirable to name a time for the withdrawal of the French troops. While we were engaged in War among ourselves Napoleon paid little attention to our representations, but when the civil war ended and when besides our State Department insinuated the probability of an armed interference Napoleon was all attention, and from the autumn of 1866 to February, 1867, the Fron'h troops evacuated Mexico.

While the French and American Governments were engaged in a diplomatic war over the withdrawal of the French troops Carlotta offered to go to Europe and plead the cause of Maximilian before Napoleon and the Pope. But her efforts were unavailing. Napoleon turned a deaf ear to her entreaty that the French troops he suffered to remain until Maximilian was firmly established, and her reception at the Vatican was hardly less cordial. During the Papal interview her reason suddenly left her, and she has since been an imbecile in the royal palace- of Bouchnout, Belgium, over which kingdom her brother, Leopold 11., reigns. Death of Maximilian. The withdrawal of the French troops inspired the followers of J aurej

with renewed hope, and they speedily regained possession of all Mexico with the exception of a few cities. Maximilian headed an army and threw himself into Queretaro, which was soon besieged by the Jaurists. The place surrendered to Gen. Escobedo, and Maximilian and his generals, Miramon, Mejia and Mendez, were taken prisoners. Mendez was promptly shot, and a military trial was given the others. They were found guilty and sentenced to death. June 19, 1867, on the Cerro de las Campas—Hill of the Hells—the three prisoners were placed side by side in front of a tiring squad of Indian soldiers. Maximilian was assigned to the center, between Mejia and Miramon, but he declined the po§t of honor and stood at the extreme left of the group. A single volley burst over the plain, the three men fell in death and with them fell the empire which Napoleon attempted to erect in Mexico. Six months later the Novara, the same vessel that brought Maximilian and Carlotta to Mexico, bore away his remains to the imperial vault iq Vienna.

EMPEROR MAXIMILIAN

EXECUTION OF MAXIMILIAN AND GENS. MIRAMAR AND MEJIA.

THE PALACE OF MIRAMAR.

HILL OF THE BELLS. [Present appearance of the spot where Maximilian perished.]

PRESIDENT JUAREZ.