File:Diaz, master of Mexico (1911) (14597164689).jpg

Identifier: diazmasterofmexi00cree (find matches)
Title: Diaz, master of Mexico
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: Creelman, James, 1859-1915
Subjects: Díaz, Porfirio, 1830-1915
Publisher: New York, London, D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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t would be anunanswerable excuse for Napoleons retreat. Slowly the ghastly truth began to dawn on the mindof Maximilian, and the laughter died down in his gaycourt. He had quarreled with the Pope, and the Churchhad forsaken his cause; he had tried in vain to negotiatewith President Juarez; he had many times sued for thesword of Diaz and had received only insults and threatsin reply; he had turned to the United States for recog-nition, only to be coldly ignored. Now, with a bank-rupt treasury, and even his imperial brother in Austriahelpless to assist him. Napoleon was about to abandonhim to the care of a motley, unpaid Mexican traitor sol-diery, assisted by a few French volunteers and a handfulof Austrian and Belgian troops. Early in July, 1866, the Emperor of Mexico sud-denly awoke to the extreme peril of his position and wasabout to sign a renunciation of his crown. Just thenthe beautiful young Empress Carlota made an appeal tohim which shook his resolution. She was only twenty- 244
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NAPOLEON DESERTS MAXIMILIAN six years old, but had already begun to dabble in affairsof state. Carlota persuaded Maximilian to permit herto go at once to Paris and attempt to persuade Napoleonto keep the contract he had made when her husband ac-cepted the Mexican crown. She insisted that when Napo-leon was confronted with his solemn obligations, he wouldnot take the French army out of Mexico. She would alsogo to the Pope and plead with him for a restoration ofthe Churchs powerful support. The daughter of theBelgian king had a masterful character, in spite of heryouth, and Maximilian, almost crazed by disappointmentsand disasters, surrendered himself to her characteristicwomans plan of an appeal to the personal feelings ofNapoleon and of Pius IX in a matter involving the for-tunes of three nations. With this extraordinary scheme in her young mind,Carlota sailed from Vera Cruz on July 13, 1866, accom-panied only by Madame Del Barrio, one of her ladiesin waiting. It is said that when she

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