Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1861-04-03
Curious French story


A week or ten DAYS ago. says a Paris letter
writer,a young man, originally from the country,
became engaged to marry lady equal to him in
age and fortune. She was Partisan. He occu
pies lucrative place in one of the railway com
panies' offices here His father lives on the old
family estate, which is situated in one of the
mountain gorges near the Franco Spanish from
tier, and separated almost completely from the
world. He had past for widower above twenty
years. The young man paid a visit to the old
family seat, where, indeed, he accustomed to
spend his summer vacations, to collect the innu
merabe documents the French law requires the
officer who performs marriages to have in his
hands before he stamps the civil contract made
before him with its Medan and Persian charac-
ter. He asked his father for his mothers burial
certificate. The father was extremely embarrassed
by this appeal, but as no bans could be published
until the burial certificate had been lodged at the
Mayors Office, where the marriage was to be con-
tracted, the father at last broke silence saying:
"My dear boy, have for a great many years
concealed a secret from you, because its posses
sion would prove painful burden to you ,and be
cause the honor of our house is interested in its
maintenance, and your tender years have hith-
erto rendered you incapable of preserving it.
Your mother lives. She is. "a lunatic. Come
with me, and I'll let you see her."
He carried his son, who was trembling with
emotion, into an old tower which formed part of
the architecture Of the chateau, and they went to
the top of it. The chamber on the last floor was
the lunatic's cell. He opened the door, the son
entered it, and kneelin at the poor woman's feet,
sobbed, "Mother mother" in a most heart rend-
ing manner. These touching appeals, which
would have moved stone idols almost, made no
impression on the poor lunatic. Her stare con-
tnued as vacant ~and her lips speechless as
ever. The son, his soul sick at the sad specta-
Gle, then gently upbraided his father for denying
him the melancholy solace of sharing the atten-
tons he, the father, had bestowed upon his wife's
wreck for so many years. The father repeated
the excuses he had first given of his sons youth
and the Importance of the secret to the family's
happiness. Ii became necessary to avow this
misfortune to the brides family; and they natur
ally desired to see for themselves, the story
that the wife was dead and the story that she was
crazy seemed something awkward, which needed
explanation. Several members of the family
went down to the distant chateau, and the poor
lunatic was introduced.
AS soon as she saw herself surrounded by wit
nesses, she said in a calm tone: 81 am not mad.
My husband becoming the prey of most un
reasoning jealousy, and being alone in this Sc
cluded mansion, to escape his continual scenes of
violence, and to avoid the fear was continually
under of being assassinated by him, (he threat
ened more than once to kill me,) / say feigned
madness in the hope of enjoying something like
quiet. preierreu lanSulsnlng iii prison all Hy
life to being hourly harrassed by these dreadful
scenes ofjealousy."
You may imagn the effect this declaration
made. The persons assembled thought at first
this accusation was but an additional evidence of
the distracted state of her mnd for madness often
borrows reasons mask, and wears it so well as to
sdeceive the most practiced physicians of the
mind. The faculty was appealed to. Before it
could decide, her husband, who had been in a
state of great agitation since his wife charged
him with her sequestration, became raving mad.
His papers were inspected, and it appeared that
he had for years been craZy-a monomanac-hs
frenzy arising from jealousy. His was carried to
a mad house, and his wife signed the marriage
contract of her SOM Isn't that Venitian enough
for you? To think it occurred in France, in this
year of grace?