Celebrated Claimants from Perkin Warbeck to Arthur OrtonAnonymous
History
Celebrated Claimants from Perkin Warbeck to Arthur Orton
Anonymous
Impostors and imposture -- Biography
After recounting further and equally remarkable adventures, Nauendorff
declared that he was conveyed out of France, and was placed under the
care of a German lady, with whom he remained until he was about twelve
years of age. He could not recollect either the name or place of
residence of this lady, and only remembered that she was kind to him,
and that he used to call her "_bonne maman!_" From her custody he was
transferred to that of two gentlemen, who carried him across the sea;
but whether they took him to Italy or America he could not tell. One
of these gentlemen taught him watchmaking, a craft which he afterwards
used to very good purpose. He had a distinct recollection of an
attempt which was made to poison him, but the draught was taken by
somebody else, who died in consequence. In 1804, while in the
neighbourhood of the French frontier, near Strasburg, he was arrested,
and was cast into prison, where he remained under the strictest
guard and in the greatest misery till the spring of 1809, when he
was liberated by a friend named Montmorin, through the aid of
the Empress Josephine. Montmorin and himself then set out for
Frankfort-on-the-Maine, and during the journey the former "sewed some
papers in the collar of his greatcoat, which would form undeniable
proofs of his identity to all the sovereigns of Europe." In 1809,
according to his own showing, he was at Stralsund fighting under Major
de Schill of the Brunswick dragoons, and, when that redoubtable
officer was killed, received a blow on the head which fractured his
skull and rendered him unconscious for a long time. In 1810 he was in
Italy, where he was recognised by several old officers of Louis XVI.,
who received him with every mark of loyal respect. Napoleon, he
asserted, was aware of his existence, and threatened him with death if
he disturbed the public peace; and when, on the downfall of the
usurper, he wrote to the European powers urging his claims, his
application was coldly passed over in silence, and Louis XVIII. was
raised to the throne in his stead.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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