Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1858-01-23
rs 1T A MYSTERY ?
FROM GRAHAM's MAGAZINE.

Though in accordance with editorial
custom we generally refuse all anonymous
articles, We have been induced to relax in
f'vor # the extra rdinary document bear
ing the alb we title, aud which if it have
no other merit, can at least claim a high
rank as the very ne plus ultra of audacity.
We give it presuming that our readers
may be as much interested in such sin.
puar story as we we're, end trust that such
Of the p,rties named in it as have bona
file existence, will pardon the mention
made of them in the text.
In the year 1861, ! became acquainted,
in the city of New York, with woman
named Louise MERCER, and whom thought
to be native Of Belgium, though she WAS
generally known as French Louise. she
was about forty years Of age, possibly more
and person of Intelligence and great vi
vacty Of manners. In the spring of 1858,
l again met her in New Orleans. Here
she was take, sick, and at the request Of
a friend visited her several times. She
was very fond of recalling her adventures
in New York Ill of which as told by her
struck me as being generally founded on
facts, but also as greatly exaggerated, she
being given to represent h. RS If as h ro-
inc and the subject of strange adventures
The following was her most rem ,rkable
narrative. At The time I did not believe
word of it, but having subsequently,
amused myself by ina gining its possibility
| was AMAZED on investigating the matter
to find the degree to which it was confirm
ed by facts. And it is indeed the strong
est point in the story that Louise Mercier
who VS. ignorant, could not have beer
acquainted with any of these facts. IIel
story and my own observations on It are
as follows -
; 'She stated t hat twenty years ago, sh,
kept saloon in Grand street, well known
to the frequenters of such places of resort
1t was the nightly rendezvous Of the prof
!igate of both sexes !; in addition to tn,
, public bar room where refreshments wer,
sold, were apartments above, where private
/ parties could be served with supper, tha
amongst the frequenters and patrons of he
:. saloon, one of the most constant was tn
French Prince, Louis Napoleon, the son o
Louis Bonaparte, and nephew of the grea
, Napoleon. She said that he was in tn
5 habit of enering into conversation wit
d all the girls who used the saloon and @
. treating them to supper and other refresh
q men S; that latterly, that is about tn
middle of the summer 1887, he seemed t
have become very intimate with two girl
n in particular, both we'll known to the tow
, and the police. Que Of whom was Bay
:: e ounaise "r Spanish Jewcss, from Bayount
I, known by the name of Josefna Ballabt
but whose real name she believed to
- Julia ", and the other was a French Ga
q madam, who was fami iarly known by tb
d soubriquet of Pc ite or Little, and of who's
ID real name she was ignorant He was gen
'' orally c"mpanied by ayOung man, wit
whom he had made acquaintance at th
saloon, and who was also an asso late {
these two girls. This young man strong
,. ly resembled the prince in person and maj
IN ners, was about the same age, and spol
, French perfectly. Mrs. Mercier, in ia,
ne for long time believed him to be Frencl
IS man, until he "n one oec .sion told her
was Yankee, native of Bostou, 10 Ma
Of sachuset,s, but that he h d been taken
&C. France when very young, and educate
there-aud had beeu SO long 10 th,t cOul
sI presume these two nave been the names acc
ding 10 her French pronuaeIa1op, shIugh ih-y
probably misspssd.