The Shasta courier., 1862-11-15

the baroness, forthwith began to comprehend
the new duties I; and the magisterial inquiries
concerning the princes death were almost
unanimously replied to in the sense that be
must have died by his own hand. The evi-
dence to the contrary purport was neyerthe.
less strong Ramanzo, the prince footman,
who had taken down the corpse, deposed that
he had the greatest difficulty in untying the
knot from the window clasp, SO skillfully had
il been fastened, and so strongly drawn
through the bolt. Now, it was notorious to
every one of the princes servants that his
highness' awkwardness in tying strings was
so great that he was unable even to faeten his
own shoe-laces, and that the bow of his cravai
had to be brought round to him at the two
ends by his valet to adjust it in front. This
was owing to & physical defect impossible 70
overcome, the prince having received in one
of his campaigns q sword cat over the right
hand, besides having his left collar bone bro
ken. The body had been found in state Of
very incomplete suspension, and it seemed all
but impossible that an old man, who was
scarcely able to walk, should have had the
courage and energy to throw himself on his
knees to effect his death. His bed, too, was
found moved from the bottom of the alcovc,
where it had always stood and his slippers
were carried to part of the room where they
had never been. Two candles were found
extinguished, but not burned out, on the
chimney piece. Was it the prince uko had
extinguished them, before commencing his
complicated and difficult preparation for self
destruction?
Public opinion would soon bave left occu-
pying. itself with the Prince de Condos death,
had not its memory been revived before the
courts of justice by NJ. Louis de Rohan, the
princes next of kin. This nobleman went so
far as to accuse Madame de Feucheres of
fraud, and boldly demanded the nullity of the
testament. He caused preliminary inves-
tigation to be made before the court Of Pom.
toise, and then removed the case to the supe-
rior court at Paris, where, after endless de.
lays and postponements, it came.on finally in
the spring of 1882, at the end of eighteen
months. In spite of the long time which had
elapsed since tne death of the prince, the trial
caused the most intense interest. The advo-
cate of the Rohan family, NJ. Hennequin, in
a brilliant speech, unfolded the last years Of
the life of the Prince de Conde, and from \
contrast between the well known legitimist
sentiments of the deceased, and the tenor of
the will, he deduced the proof Of the disposi
tion Of the property having been obtained by
fraudulent means; in the impossibility of su.
icide, he saw the proof of assassination Louis
Philippe and the members of the royal fam
lily were more than alluded to in the speech !;
and the words murder and conspiracy were
all but openly pronounced. However, NJ.
Hennequin's eloquent Grafton was replied
to by a still more forcible speaker, Mr.. Du-
pin. He represented the suit of the Rohans
as mere plot got up by the reactionary le.
gitimist party against the liberal Orleans
family and their friends as an effort Of
vengeance which all the partisans of the rev.
olution onght to view with Indignation and
contempt. The decision of the Judges was
finally against the plaintiff.
This trial completed the triumph of Mad.
anne de Feucheres. Petted by the court, the
possessor of numerous chateaux and spen-
did domains, the bestower of patronage,
the successful speculator at the Exchange,
she soon became the idol of society that
seemed to have completely forgotten the
grave accusations hcaped upon her short
time previous. Nevertheless, the baroness
did not seem ntIcTee, and gradually retired
from the brilliant throng around her in the
company of grave looking priests. Then
the news came that she had became Ro-
man Catholic had been baptized at Notre
Dame de Lorrette, and had received, after
full confession, forgiveness of her sins from
the reverend Pere Briant The next which
was heard of her was. that she was grau,.-
ally selling off her splendid domains The
Palace Bourbon was bought by the g,vcrn-
ment, to be used for the enlargement of the
House of Deputies St. Leu was purchased
by n minister of the crown; the chateau
and park of Morfontaine fell into the hands
of stockbroker, and Montmorency became
the property Of Hebrew poet. Numerous
chapels and converts, all more or less richly
endowed by the pious baroness, sprang up
in the neighborhood of Paris; and the be-
lief gained ground that she intended giving
the whole of her immense fortune to the ho-
ly Church of Rome. The priests in her inn
mediate neighborhood shared in this belief,
and her confessor especially was earn
estly and daily exorting her to make her
will to this effect this, however, she seemed
unwilling to do; and being more and more
pressed on the subject, she suddenly, in the
summer of 1910, took her secret departure
from Paris. Having travelled through part
of England, and paid visit to the peaceful
home Of her youth, the Isle of Wight, the
baroness at last settled down in London
Here she was suddenly taken ill, and linger-
ing only few days, died towards the end of
January, 1871. Her remains were inferred
without pomp in the cemetry on the Harrow
Road, where the curious visitor may yet in
spect the grave By last will and tesla
ment, made previously to her departure from
France, the baroness left nearly the whole of
her remaining property, not given to the
church, and which amounted still to above
fsOO, 900 sterling, to child of ten years old,
the daughter of one of her sisters, who had
married French gentlemen. Though she
died fervent Catholic, she left some land
ed property, which she had purchased in
England, to protestant clergyman whom
she had known in early life. To her hus-
band, Baron de Feucheres who had not held
any communication with her since the death
of the Prince de Conde, she bequeathed leg
acy of 10000, which he, however declined
to accept. ~he same refusal took place On
the part Of NJ. Odillon Barrot, the eminent
orator and politician, whom the baroness
msde one of the executors of her will. with
gift of $4,000. He accepted the duty, but
declined the legacy, making it over to an in
stitution for the education Of orphans at Pa
ris. After an interval of more than ten
years, Frenchmcn felt still haunted by the
shade of the last of the Condos.
Of all the immense property left by the
testament Of the Prince de Conds to Madame
de Feucheres and the son of Louis Philippe.
not o fragment belongs at the present time
to them or their heirs. The baroness soil
avarv rart of bar che - boc,-.