Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-10-16
A Melancholy Romance.

A strange incident took place in New
| Orleans few days since A man fal
advanced in years had been engaged tc
carry box to certain quarter in the
city but, previous TO reaching his 'des'
tination, be fell dead in the street. The
authorities ordered the body to be re-
moved to the hearse depot; the box be
ing, meanwhile, left in an adjoining
house The inmates proceeded to ex.
anime the box, when, to their astonish
ment it was found to contain the skeleton
Of child, and the skull and some other
bones belonging to the body of an adult,
The discovery was communicated to the
proper authorities, and at length the
following particulars trsnspired: Don
Ramon Duran, native of Spain, mar.
ried in Catalonia, many years ago, a
wealthy lady, called Donna Isabel Ro.
nero, for whom he proiessed the most
tender attachment.
The latter dying after the emigration
of the couple to New Orleans, Duran by
some means obtained the skull and some
Of the other bones Of his deceased wife,
which he ever after kept with the great
est care, wrapped up in a piece of black
silk. Some years after the death of his
first wife, Duran married second-a
person much younger than himself By
this wife he had daughter, on whom he
fondly dotted but the latter dying about
1888, when only in her seventh year,
Duran was plunged in the greatest grief,
and, determined not to part with his
daughters body, had it secretly EN-.
balmed, and put into a bcx with the
remains of his former wife; but, in
order not to appear as opposing the laws
and established customs, he went to the
expense of mock interment.
This loss exercised so strong an i'm
preston on his mind that he seemed in :
different to all about him, and his af-
fairs began rapidly to decline. His
keenly sensitive mind was, however,
destined to feel another, and, from the
attendant circumstances, still more pain
full bereavement, in the elopement Of his
wife, which event almost unseated his
Judgment. Ruin made now such rapid
strides in the fortunes of this hapiess
man, that, in the course of a short time,
the once wealthy proprietor was reduced
to the condition of a common beg
gar. But he had still one treasure
left; the humble suppliant wander
ing from door to dosr, dependant
upon public charity for support, had yet
in his possession an ignored and price
less gem, which shared with him his for.
tunes-the box containing the bones of
his wife and child. He thus lived for
series of years, and whenever it became
necessary to shift his place of residence,
the box containing the precious relics
was ever his first care, and for which he
craved q shelter under the title of i'm
portant papers. His last residence was
at the house of widow who had known
him in better times. Here he lived until
sickness overlook him, when the scanty
means of his hospitable landlady not
allowing her to administer to his wants,
he removed to the public hospital, where
he died about q year and a half
since. This lady, who appears in
some degree to have imbibed his pre-
judices, out of respect to his memory,
would not, for long time, allow the
relics so highly priced TO be removed;
but the earnest solicitations of her ac-
quaintances, who were already, as well
as herself, apprised of the contents of
the box, induced her at last to consent
Proper steps having been subsequently
taken to insure their admission to the
public cemetery, an old man was en-
ployed for the purpose of conveying
them to the hearse depot, who, as we
have seen, sunk under his burden to rise
no rnora