Richard Webster - The Perfume Of Empress Eugenie

THE PERFUME OF EMPRESS EUGENIE EFFECT The magician tells the story of Prince Louis Napoleon and how his mother found his grave in South Africa by following the scent of violets. A spectator plays the part of Empress Eugenie and locates the body by psychically picking up the scent of violets.

REQUIRED Six lace handkerchiefs. One antique-looking visiting card. One side depicts a pleasant scene. On the other side there is a message: “For my darling mother, Eugenie. You are always in my thoughts. Your loving son, Louis.”

ROUTINE “In 1879 Prince Louis Napoleon was killed in battle in British Africa. This marked the final end to this once distinguished family. Napoleon, his great-uncle, had once ruled most of Europe. His father, Napoleon III, had tried desperately to follow in his uncle’s footsteps, but unfortunately lacked his uncle’s flair and brilliance. Consequently, he lost the throne and he and his family were forced to live in exile in Britain. “The family’s hope now rested on young Prince Louis. Many French royalists regarded him as being Napoleon IV. Unfortunately, not much was known about him, so Prince Louis set about gaining a higher profile for himself. Something he needed, he thought, was a reputation for bravery in battle. The French loved soldiers, and Louis felt that a reputation for bravery would stop the French newspapers from calling him ‘Napoleon III 1/2. “His chance came in 1879. The British were fighting the Zulus in Africa and Louis was able to get permission to fight with them. Naturally, as a prince, he had to stay well out of the way of danger. He was there simply to observe. Louis had other ideas, though, and once in South Africa he was able to join the forward patrols. One day in June he was with a small patrol when they paused to rest. They failed to post a lookout and made an easy target for the Zulus. The British soldiers managed to get away, but Prince Louis was left behind. He tried to mount his terrified horse but the strap broke on the saddle and he fell under the horse. When he got to his feet again, he knew he was a dead man. His revolver contained just a few cartridges, and he was on his own facing seven fierce Zulus. They killed him with seventeen stab wounds. “Just like Elvis in recent times, all sorts of wild rumors abounded. Some said he was still alive. Others said he was the victim of a plot to end the Napoleonic dynasty. “Naturally, Louis’ death was devastating to the family. Princess Eugenie went out to Africa a year later to try and recover the body. She offered a rich reward to anyone who could take her to her son’s grave. Naturally, a succession of cranks came forward, hoping to receive the reward. One such person took her for a week-long trek into the bush, and ended up getting hopelessly lost. “Finally, a giant Zulu arrived at her hotel and said that he had been involved in the attack. He was certain he could take her to the site. It took three days. When they arrived at the scene of his death,

the party were disappointed to find the entire area covered in dense undergrowth. It seemed impossible to find an unmarked grave here in the wilderness. “Only Princess Eugenie remained positive. ‘My son lies somewhere in this direction,’ she said, as she moved off into the bush. Puzzled, the rest of the party followed her. After a while she paused and asked the others if they could smell an unusual scent. They could detect only the usual smells of the bush. The princess insisted that she could smell the odor of violets, her son’s favorite perfume. Apparently, the princess used to wear it and Prince Louis had been familiar with it since he was a very small boy. "Her companions began to think that Princess Eugenie had cracked under the strain. However, they followed her for another two hours as she followed the scent that only she could detect. Finally, she stopped in a place that was completely indistinguishable from the rest of the bush they had been struggling through. The princess pointed at a patch of scrub. ‘Under there,’ she announced, ‘we shall find the body of my son.’ “The men started digging and after a while uncovered a body. It was officially identified as being the body of Prince Louis. It marked a sad, and rather bizarre, end to the Napoleonic dynasty. (The performer opens a small box. Inside are six, old, ladies’ handkerchiefs. The performer treats them with obvious gentleness as he places them on the table.) “I was given these handkerchiefs years ago by a Frenchman who claimed to be distantly related to Princess Eugenie. These handkerchiefs all belonged to the princess and had been kept in the family. They had actually been given to her by Prince Louis, and she kept them always. One of them had been with her when she found the body of her son. For some strange reason, that handkerchief still gives off a psychic scent - the scent of violets. The Frenchman gave them to me as he knew I was interested in the psychic world, and, more importantly, I could actually smell the violets emanating from the handkerchief Eugenie had been carrying. “I've had these for years and occasionally I've shown them to people who I regard as being more psychically aware than most. That's why I brought them out tonight, as I feel that you - (Performer dramatically points a finger at one of the audience, preferably a lady) - like me, would be able to smell the psychic scent of violets. “Now it is a psychic scent, so there's no need to pick the handkerchiefs up. Just let your hands do the work. Are you right handed, or left?” “Right.” “Excellent, Allow your right hand to move over all the handkerchiefs. When you feel the time is right, allow it to settle gently on one of the handkerchiefs. Very good. Now, do exactly the same with your left, intuitive, hand. Good. “You're doing exactly the same moves that I did all those years ago. You have selected two of the handkerchiefs. I’ll move the other ones out of the way. Now, raise one of your hands. I’ll move that one out of the way as well. “Your hand remains on just one of the six handkerchiefs. I’ll unfold the other five. Look at the beautiful designs on these handkerchiefs. “Now would you raise your hand and gently unfold the handkerchief that you psychically selected. Look - there is a card inside. Would you read out the message on it?”

“For my darling mother, Eugenie. You are always in my thoughts. Your loving son, Louis.” (The performer takes the volunteer’s hand and either kisses it, or holds it up high.) “I knew as soon as we met that you had a special psychic gift. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.”

METHOD This is just another presentation of equivoque. If the volunteer places her hands on two handkerchiefs that do not contain the visiting card, they are removed, and the exercise is done again. If it needs to be done again, it should be done in a slightly different way the second time. I spread the three remaining handkerchiefs further and ask her to pick one up. If this contains the visiting card it becomes the handkerchief she freely selected. If it does not, I ask her to hand it to me. Then I ask her to hand me one more. I take this in my other hand. Naturally, if the correct handkerchief is still on the table it becomes the selected one. If I am now holding the selected handkerchief, I ask her to pick one up. This either becomes the selected one, or is discarded, depending on which one she takes. No matter what your volunteer does, she will end up with the correct handkerchief.

NOTES Take time selecting the right props for the effect. The story is enchanting, and it's enhanced considerably when the props look as if they may have belonged to the princess. I bought a set of six embroidered silk handkerchiefs which I found on sale. It almost broke my heart to age them, but they now look old and fragile. I aged them by soaking them in tea for several hours. I then allowed them to dry in the sun, and then washed them in a washing machine. While still wet I rubbed mud on them. By doing this process several times I ended up with handkerchiefs that arguably look one hundred years old. The visiting card was bought at a card store. The store I went to had a large range of Victorian designs and I bought several of these, just in case I damaged some while aging them. I aged these with Minwax Royal Oak stain (thank you, Brother Shadow!). I had a friend write the message in “spidery writing” with a fountain pen. Incidentally, this story can be found in many psychic books, including The Reader’s Digest Book of Strange Stories, Amazing Facts. Sad to say, it is only a story. Louis did die with seventeen stab wounds, but his body was recovered and returned to England for burial. Queen Victoria and the then Prince of Wales attended. Prince Louis was laid to rest in a private memorial chapel in Kent, next to his father. Princess Eugenie did visit South Africa the following year, and this might have caused the start of this fascinating legend. She needed no psychic scent to lead her to the site where he died. It was marked by a stone cross that Queen Victoria had had erected.