Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-08-03
Asarrnxful Story.

A petition for divorce in the chicago
courts the other day has developed the
following curious history, the details of
which we take from the local paper:
In the year 1859 there lived in Swiss
valley an interesting family of wealth and
culture .amed Junod. Monsieur Junod
found his sole happiness in a lovely
daughter named Lucie, who was the most
admired belle of that portion of the can
ton. The father, man of stern, solitary
nature, the descendant of q long line OF
men who had exercised the rights OF lord
ship over all the beautiful vineyards that
bloomed beneath them, though somewhat
fallen from the state of his forefathers,
still nourished feelings Of ancestral pride.
In some of the merry-makings pecu-
liar to the wine-beaiing districts, in
which, by the time hon pred requirements
of tradition, all ranks II meet together in q
common jubilee, Mile iLucie met with a
young man named Gu stave Flotrou, Of
person handsome and attractive, and by
trade q matchmaker. The sbnegation or
everything like social distinction enabled
Flotrou to approach the lady with a
familiarity to which he would otherwise
never have presumed. The lady fell
blindly in love with the humble watch
maker. He. Aattered by the preference,
dazzled by her beauty, and, not improo-
ably, still more strongly attracted by her
fortune, ardently reciprocated.
The first meeting was followed 6y
many others, of course clandestine. Her
fancy, united to the inexperience of girl
hood, gave him every opportunity to press
his suit. and he became her accepted
lover. The father still supposed that his
daughter knew no love but the affection
of daughter to her father. The day OF
awakening came at last, and the daughter
was forbidden, under the severest threats,
again to see the audaeious sspirant The
conflict between love and duty ended as
such warfares commonly result-Cupid
carried the day. The lady was possessed
of a fortune of seventy-6ve thousand dol
lars in her own right, which made her
comparatively independent.
$50 one night she made moonlight
fitting with her swain. To avoid the
unpleasant circumstances OF living IN a
country where all the facts were known,
and where she might any time meet her
offended father, they determined to come
to America. Nine years elapsed, ana
the man for whom she gave up all,
instead of being the devoted, affectionate
husband she expected to find, proved,
according to her allegations, to be brute
and a sot. His lavish expenditure and
reckless pursuit of all kinds of pleasure
gradually dissipated the noble fortune
she had brought him. Valuable silver
plate which she had also possessed was
conveyed by him to the silversmith's,
and converted into funds to pamper his
appetites. The wife's wardrobe and pri-
vate Jewels, even, were appropriated with
brutal disregard of the feelings of her
who sacrificed everything to his plead
iugs. One stroke Of ill-treatment fol.
lowed another in quick succession, until
Mrs. Flotrou, outraged beyond endu-
rance, and fearful of personal violence
to herself and her child, a lovely little
girl of eight years, was forced to have
recourse to the final remedy. And thus,
yesterday morning, only day or two
after the anniversary Of her marriage,
nine years ago, petition for divorce was
fled in this city"