The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-05-16
A STORY OF THE FRENCH REVOLT
TTON

A curious story of the French Revolution of
1894 has just been unfolded in a Paris court of
law. On June IL, 1894, Baron de Saint-Ouen
DernemOnt one of the grey mousquetaires of
Louis XV's body guard, and the Baronne de
Saint-Luen Dernemont, his wife, were tried
by the revolutionary tribunal and sent to the
scaflold on the same day. They left five chill
dren, two sons and three daughters. So far
back as July, 1889, Baron Dernemont and his
sons left Versailles to share the voluntary exile
ofthe Count ID Artois. The Baroness Dememont
left in Paris with her three daughters fell into
state ofthe most distressing poverty. lnl794 she
wrote pressing letters to the baron beseeching
him to return. He at length complied with
her request-too soon for himself for he was
arrested almost Immediately, and executed as
above stated; but too late for the welfare OF
his family. Some time in 1871, one of his
daughters, the noble demoiselle Sophie de
Saint-Ouen Dernemont left her mothers
house and became the mistress of a rOturier
named Louis Fontaine, who lived with her for
several months in the Rue de PUniversit6.
Fontaine turned her adrft after the birth of
child and installed her sister, the noble de-
moselle Felicit6 de Saint-Ouen Dernemont,
! in her place.
What became of Mad'lle Sophie for several
years after this desertion, does not appear, but
on January TO-, 1893, she consoled herself by
marrying man named Ignard, who had been
! q
! some money by lucky speculations, and after
wards became one of the richest bankers
under the empire. M. Ignard died without
issue in 1914, leaving his widow very large
fortune, the greater part of which she gave up
! to her husbands relations. Years rolled on,
during which Madame Ignard lived in the
most absolute retirement, obscure and forgot
ten. She persisted in refusing to see any Of
her relations, till they gave up the attempt.
tod Of Gin,
! servant, and the only stranger who ever
crossed her threshold during the latter years
! of her life was a humble government en-
! ploye, to whom she gave one hundred francs
| a month to read the newspapers to her.
1t was only last year, on April %, 1866,
| that the daughter of Louis NV's mousquetaire
Quilted this world, in which she had led such
| a checkered and extraordinary life, at the age
| of ninety-ive years. 1t was then found that
her savings out of the small pttance which
she had reserved to herself in the distribution
of her husbands succession amounted to the
handsome sum of four hundred thousand
francs. Sixteen nephews and nieces came for
ward to claim this inheritance. But title
paramount, of which they were not dreaming,
has been established by the Court which
carries off three fourths of the prize. During
the short period in 1871 that Louis Fontaine
lived with Mad'lle Sophie, a daughter was born
who was 'recognized' in the parish register
of st. Thomas Aquinas as their natural child.
A Monsieur jerome and Madame Berlet have
proved without difficulty that they are the
only children of that natural child, who died
in her mothers lifetime. The French law is
that recognized" natural child takes three.
fourths of the succession as against collate.
! rails, and the court has accordingly decreed
, NJ. Jerome and Madame Berlet entitled tC
I 300, ,000f out of Madame Ignard's property
while the sixteen legitimate nephews anC
nieces will only get l000O0f among them.