MARSHAL BAZAINE'S TROUBLES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1837, 5 January 1889, Page 3

MARSHAL BAZAINE'S TROUBLES.

The widow of the late ex-Marshal Bazaine, who died recently in exile at Madrid, was the second wife of the disgraced French general. His first wife, who was one of the most fascinating of the bevy of beautiful women who constituted the entourage of the Empress Eugenie, died under terribly tragical circumstances in 1864. Her husband was in Mexico at the time. Mme. la Mareehale, who was considerably younger than her soldier husband, was as frail as she was fair. Her escapades brought her into contact with men of the type of the notorious Pranzim, and one morning in the summer of 1864 her dead body was discovered in a house of questionable repute in one of the suburbs of Paris. The aspect of the room left no doubt as to the orgies which had preceded the crime. Every effort was made by the Government to keep the matter from becoming public, but to no effect, for the news soon leaked out. Bazaine was passionately attached to his lovely wife, and had blind confidence in her virtue. Napoleon dispatched one of n's favorite aides-de-camp to Mexico, entrusting him with the task of communicating Mme. Bazaine’s death to her husband. At the same time he adopted the extraordinary measure of laying an embargo on all ships about to sail for Mexican ports, and prevented the despatch of any of the ordinary letter or newspaper mail by the steamer which bore his messenger to Bazaine. Unfortunately the vessel was greatly delayed by had weather. In the interim Bazaine happened to '.ight on a Paris paper which found its way into Mexico via the United States, and the first thing which met his eyes was the heading of a paragraph entitled “Assassinat de la Mareehale Bazaine.” No detail was spared in the account g’ven of her murder and of all the attendant circumstances. Bazaine never uttered a word, but jecame terribly pale, and withdrew to his tent, taking the newspaper with 'aim. For the space of three days he remained invisible to all, refusing either to eat or drink. Then Jhe issued forth agaiu among his troops, and went about his business as if nothing had happened, never by one single word or act referring to his murdered wife. It was aa is she had never existed.