Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-06-08

priest, (there being no inn, and frankly asked
permission TO stay until morning, as darkness
/ had overtaken him on ,hia- Journey and he
\ Wns half dead with fatigue and hunger. The
good-netursd priest was delighted % be able
70 show hospitality 70 Monsieur the intsaddnk
| He had everything his house contained In
haste prepared for the supper, and he had
besides the honor Of supping with his guest,
while Ilreteuips servants were taken cate OF
in the kitchen by the priests housekeeper,
thus leaving the host and the guest tete-a-
ate. rs rn altF 1aimaV1.1 gt'H t9n.
Breteuil loved glass of good wine, and
was celebrated in his province for drinking
his companions under the table while he kept
sober himself He pretended to find the
supper excellent and the wine beyond all
praise. Tho priest charmed with his guest
thought only of craanailg him, as they soy in
the province--the capacious jug Of wine was
on the table, and they helped each other
alternately, with n joyous familiarity which
delighted the good priest. Breteuil, who
had formed his plan, succeeded In drinking
his host dead dfonkl-he could neither sit in
his chair, nor see, nor speak a word, When
he had thus succeeded in rendering the priest
entirely helpless, he availed himself ofthe in
formation he had drawn from him during the
first quarter Of an hour Of the supper. He
had asked him whether his parish register
was in good order, how long it had been pro-
perly kept, and pretending tofear burglary he
would know where he kept the register, and
whether the keys were always q secure place,
80 that when he saw the priest could do moth
ing to prevent his action, he got the keys of
the desk, opened il, took out the register, and
turning TO the year of the marriage, took out
carefully the leaf he wanted, (not Of course
troubling himself about the loss Of the other
marriages on the same leaf) put the precious
leaf in his pocket, replaced the register,
locked the DESK and put the keys back to
their place. lie waited for the day TO dawn,
when he called his servants, gave the house
keeper handful of silver and drove away,
leaving the good priest to leisurely sleep off
the fumes of his delicious wine. .
Breteuil then went to Breves TO see the no
tary (having previously made inquiries res
pecting him, who succeeded the notary who
had drawn the marriage contract. He was
closeted with him, and by intimidation
obliged him 10 give up the copy Of the con-
tract in his possession. He then sent for Ma
dame Dubois, from whom her husband had
managed to get her copy of Che marriage con-
tract, threatened her with the deepest dun
geon and bread and water for life If she dared
ever to speak of the marriage to any living
being, and on the contrary promised her
| everything she could wish II she held her
tongue. He assured her, besides, that all she
might say would be useless, as they had taken
care TO prevent the possibility OF her proving
any thing, and that should she talk, he was
prepared to arraign her as perjured i'm
posture, and to condemn her with a shaved
head to rot in q convent prison. '1'a r
Breteul hastened to Paris with the import
ant documents, and handed them to Dubois,
who bestowed upon him, some little time
after, the secretaryship as before mentioned
Madame Dubois dared not open her lips
during the lifetime of her husband. After his
death she came to Paris to live, and out of the
immense riches left by the Cardinal she was
well paid for keeping the secret. She con-
tinued to live in Paris very obscurely, but
with an ample income, and died in that city
more than twenty years after the Cardinal.
There were no children. Dubois appointed
his brother Secretary to the Kings Cabinet,
| and Inspector of Roads and Bridges, &c. He
was an excellent man and lived on good
terms with the Cardinals widow. When
sent for by the Cardinal he was a half-staryed
physician, living in the native village of the
family. ID,
1t was not until many years after the death
of the Cardinal that the above story became
known, and it has never been disayowed or
contradicted. B.