The Sun.
London, England, 1844-06-10 00:00:00

S v.

.•••"`
• "

THE LATE MLLE. LENOII
• THE FORTUNE-TELLER.

The trial of two actions, brought againsiiiiissiA-d
tutor of the late Mlle. Lenormand, which has Just
taken place, has disclosed some curious particulars of
the life of this celebrated fortune-teller. The ch.. -
cumstances, as elicited by the pleadings, were these: _ .•S.-- • -
In the year 11. of the Republic (1793-94), three
persons met together in an humble lodging-house in
Paris. They were a Mme. Fontaine Gilbert, a teller
of fortunes by the cards ; a baker's man, mina
Flammermont ; and Mlle. Lenormand, then a mantua-
maker, aged 22. They soon formed an association for
turning public credulity to their own profit. ~Mme.
Gilbert dealt the cards, Mlle. Lenormand became also
a sybil, predicting future events, and pretending to
read profoundly in the book of fate; while Elam-
mermont distributed the bills, inviting clients A.
singular accident was the first cause of that friends
ship between Mlle. Lenormand and Flammermont,
which lasted without interruption for fifty years. A.
member of the Convention came to consult the sybils
on the fate that awaited him. Mlle. Lenormand pre-
dicted that before the lapse of three months he would
lose his head on the scaffold. Great as the chances
were at that time of the realisation of such a pro-
phecy, the fatal period elapsed, and the Conventionalist
still had his head on his shoulders. His gratitude for
its preservation was overcome by his vengeance for
the ninety days of apprehension he had under-
gone. Ile made an appeal to justice, and on the 18th
Floreal, An. 11. (7th of May, 1794), Mademoi-
selle Lenormand and her two associates, after being
a long time kept in prison waiting their
trial, were fined jointly and severally ten livres, en-
joined not to commit the like offence again, and all
their cards, books, and circular bills were ordered to
be burnt. This judgment reduced Mlle. Lenormand
and Flammermont to a state of destitution, and their
mutual distress consolidated their friendship, which
the advocate strenuously impressed upon the jury
was proved to have remained purely platonic to the
last, although at one time marriage was contem-
plated between them, but never took place, and al-
though fur the five years subsequent to 1794- Mlle.
Lenormand owed her subsistence entirely to
the support of the baker's man. In 1799 she went
to lodge in the Rue Tournon, in the house
then No. 1,153, and now No. 9. The stormy days
of the revolution having passed away, she resumed
her prophetic tripod, and from that time must
have made it profitable. In 1814 Flammermont suc-
ceeded to the property of his father, and, having
converted it into money, advanced 6,000 f. to his
friend, to enable her to complete the purchase of a
country residence, which she had contracted for, at
Migneaux, in the Seine-et-Oise, and which debt
formed the subject of the present suit. For this she
gave him only an informal acknowledgment. Her fi-
nancial management was a mystery to all who knew
her; for, notwithstanding she must have been in the
almost daily receipt of considerable fees, being con-
sulted not only by the Empress Josephine, but also by
many of the imperial aristocracy, she was always in
want of money ; insomuch, that articles of her furniture
were repeatedly pawned at the Mont de Piete, and after
her death duplicates to the amount of 6,000 f. were
found among her papers. In 1819 the loan by Flam-
mermont remained still undiminished; and as the me-
morandum given to him for it had become invalid
from lapse of time, he gave it to Mlle. Lenormand to
be renewed, which she promised to do, or to repay •
him the money. This, however, she procrastinated
for several years ; and at last, on being urged, re-
turned him the same paper, but with various notes
written by her upon it, some indicating that it was
cancelled by payment of the full amount, and others,
imposing upon her representatives, after her death,
the obligation of paying to. Flammermont an annuity
of 1,600 francs, independent of what she might leave
him by her will. With this he was not content,
and on his being again urgent, she, on the Ist
of April, 1842, signed an instrument, by which
she acknowledged herself indebted to him 6,000
francs ; but instead of delivering it to him,
deposited it in a casket, and locked it up. Here it
was found after her decease. Two days previous to
her death in June, 1843, she made a will, bequeathing
to Flammermont a life annuity of 700 f. The suit
of Flammermont against the executor of Mlle. Le-
normand was for the payment of the 6,0001., and also
to establish his right to the annuity. This last was
not disputed ; but it was maintained that the 6,000 f.
was only a free gift, or donatio causa mortis, and re-
scinded by the subsequent bequest of the annuity. It
was further urged, on the part of the representa-
tive of Mlle. Lenormand, that, in 1820, when
pressed by Flammermont, she was fully able
to repay him her debt, as at that time
she returned into France from Belgium, where
she had long been confined for having meddled in
politics ; fir fortune then smiled once more upon her,
as, the Bourbons haying been restored, she was in
favour, from her known attachment to Louis XVI.,
and her having exposed her own life by getting into
the prison of his Queen, Marie Antoinette, and en-
deavouring to effect her escape, in consequence of
which devoted conduct the families of the courtiers
of the day flocked to her to have their fortunes told,
and paid her liberally. The other suit was founded
by a M. Tribouil, who claimed a large arrear of salary
for having having acted for many years as the secre-
tary of the deceased. But as it was proved that
Mlle. Lenormand, from an early intimacy with his
mother and grandmother; had taken him from his
childhpod, maintained and educated him, and obtained
his admission as a physician, and as he could not
show any engagement on her part to allow him any
specific remuneration for his services, the Court dis-
missed his claim, with costs. M. Flammermont's case
is decided in his favour, ordering the executor to pay
him the 6,000 francs, with interest from the death.of
Mlle. Lenormand; and also the annuity, together
with his costs of suit.

EMULATION AMONGST SONG BIRDS.--A gentleman.
of my acquaintance had an American mocking-bird- int
such health and vigour that it was either constantly
singing or imitating the various sounds it heard. In or»
der to try the powers of this bird its owner purchased is
fine skylark. When placed in the same room with the
mocking-bird, the song of the former was heard to echo,
through the house as if it were chanting "on fluttering
wing," its well known welcome to the rising sun.
The mocking-bird was silent for some time, but at last
burst forth in the strains of the " aerial songster," but
louder and clearer, as if mounting and stretching its
wings towards heaven. The lark was silent from that
moment, nor was a joyous note ever heard from it
afterwards. To test the mockingbird's powers
still further, an unusually large price was given.
for a blackbird, celebrated for its vocal powers.
It was placed in the same room with the
mocking. bird; early in the second morning its song was
resumed, and its charming notes were warbled forth
with all the sweetness and modulations which may be
heard in its native "thorny brakes." The mocking-.
bird listened, and was silent for some time, then all at
once the blackbird notes were heard to issue forth, but
sweeter and louder than those of the woodland songster.
The poor blackbird heard them, felt that it was con-
quered, remained silent, drooped, pined, and died. From
the above facts, emulation would seem to be one of the
exciting causes of the song of birds.—Jesse's Scenes and
Toles of Gountry Life.
MESMERISING A PIG.—We have lately heard of
some sheep having been stolen, and of whielisiftraces
have been cut off by their removal in carts.- Farmers
must certainly not encourage mesmerism, or they may
have it " unseen, unheard," intrude where little welcome,
and convince them that the piggery no more than .the
fold will be secure from depredation. The noisy
propensities of the grunting tribe have hitherto acted
as a barrier to their abduction without their owners'
invader last Saturday- night tried the effects of mesmerie
knowledge ; but to obviate this difficulty, some daring
influence upon a fine hog of nine or ten aeore, belonging
to Mr. Bushell, of the Gate public-house on the Dover. .
asses
road, about a mile from this city. Taking a liking to
Pilwhith, ,no
Toby's " fair proportions," be was anxious to secure 31
removal without order, possibly to locate him in another
dpoauribst,h ; a
sa and
first afterex excited
sundry
piggymy,ss ter ious
wonderment, the grunter
laid his full length along in not quite a " perfect state or
coma;" for, on the mesmeriser attempting to raise him,
clairvoyance was very evident. Pigs generally run the
way not required, and do that which is not
desired. The pig, in this instance, did so, andt
displayed his perverse inclination, and :made a -
terrible squeaking, which drew "mine host"
from his drowsy arm chair, just in time to
see some one leap from the sty and decamp. Mr.
Bushell tried to demagnetise his favourite bog ;,,,but his
unskilfulness did not succeed •, and as piggy had no
notion of tune, he did not like his organs to be played
upon, and, with the ferocity of a wild boar, attacked hie
owner till other means were devised for quieting the
unruly beast. The pig was killed—Canterbury Joairaei.
WESTPIIALIA.—We read in a letter from Made•
bad', in Westphalia, May 25 :—This town, which bad =
s
recovered from the misery caused by the scarcity of 1
has just been half destroyed by fire. In two hours' all this
public buildings, the church, the town-hall, and the publics
schools, have disappeared. The number of houses burnt to
the ground is estimated at 200. The inhabitants were tia.
able to save any portion of their property:"
PEAL OF BELLS FOR YORK MINSTER.—Th the
course of a few days a very fine and powerful peal of bells wia
be erected in one of the towers of York Minster, and far
rna
neyl oodt3i; ,
er r cnhtnhe se s land They are .the gift a the
late
i
and power, they will far surpass
late Dr. Beckworth, the eminent physician of ork, who,'
amongst his many charitable
bequests, directed 2,000/. to be
noortfhtoonfe' Eng •
named in his will for the purpose of furnishing the great nor•
thern cathedral with a suitable peal of bells. They hay.
been cast at the foundry of Messrs. Mears, in Whitechapa„
and are 12 in number, the largest weighing 53 cwt , and
being in note C; the smallest 8 cwt., and the whole being u
wards of 10 tons in weight. In addition to the above it
p-
complete " monster" clock bell is about being cast for the
Minster at the same foundry, which it is stated will be the
largest in the world. It will be of the enormous weight of
10 tons, and in key F ; that of the great bell at Oxford being
7 tons ; Great Tom of Lincoln, 5i tons ; and the great boa'
at St. Paul's, 5 tons. It will be paid for by public subserip:
tion, 1,700/. being already collected.
ENORMOUS SALMON.—One of thelargest salmon per.
haps ever caught in this neighbourhood was netted kelk:
Thursday, at one of Mr. Hector's &hinge at St. Cyr*
it weighed 44 lbs.:—Montrose Standard.