Celebrated Claimants from Perkin Warbeck to Arthur OrtonAnonymous
History
Celebrated Claimants from Perkin Warbeck to Arthur Orton
Anonymous
Impostors and imposture -- Biography
By the exertions of one of the few friends who remained to him
Nauendorff was appointed foreman in a watchmaking factory at Crossen,
and thither he removed, carrying with him his wife and the half-dozen
children who had blessed his union. But the distance was long, the
roads were bad, and the man was poor. When Nauendorff reached Crossen
on foot with his weary and half-famished band he found that the post
which he had come to obtain had been given to another, and abandoned
himself to despair. Then the plebeian energy of the corporal's
daughter rose superior to the weakness of her royal husband. She
obtained a temporary shelter, procured needlework, and, by her unaided
efforts, managed to keep the wolf from the door. After a little delay
work was obtained for Nauendorff also; and as his spirits revived his
hopes and pretensions revived also. Little by little he told his story
to his fellow-workmen, who paid no heed to it at first, but nicknamed
him in derision "the French prince." But the tale was improving as it
got older, and by-and-by he could number among his followers the
syndic of the town, one of the preachers, a magistrate, and a teacher
of languages. The syndic, in particular, was an enthusiastic partizan,
and himself addressed a letter to the Duchess of Angouleme and to the
principal courts of Europe. He also took a journey to Berlin to claim
from the authorities the seal which Nauendorff said had been taken from
him by the Brandenburg police--the same seal which Louis XVI., as he
was passing to execution, had handed to Clery with his dying
injunction to deliver it to his son. The government very sharply
ordered their subordinate back to his post, telling him that they knew
nothing of Nauendorff, but that they were well aware that Clery had
handed the jewel which he mentioned to Louis XVIII., who had rewarded
him with the riband of St. Louis. The syndic left Berlin in haste, and
arrived at home full of chagrin. He concealed himself from public
view, and shortly afterwards sickened and died. Nauendorff declared he
had been poisoned.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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