The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-08-24
M Paradors Death-Strange Story.

"
The Paradol mystery, for such it
deserves to.be called, inasmuch as Nc
rational solution of il, has yet been
given, still forms; a subject of much
interest here, more especially as some
people have spread the report that
two other suicides occurred in the
same house on New York ave rue,
where the unfortunate French, Minis
ter put an end TO his existence. A
few years ago q mother and son were
seated in the parIor of the house. The
son was a wild youth, passing through
that trying stage commonly called
sowing wild oats."' The mother was
lecturing him, as a wise mother will, on
the evil of his ways While the SOD
paced up and down the carpeted floor
in great excitement. Suddenly, as the
mother ceased her reproaches, her son
drew forth>a pistol and exclaiming,
"MOther, dear, I'm going to kill my
self" placed the muzz1e at his head
and fired. He fell to the floor and
in a few minutes was no more
The mother, shocked and Mortified,
fell upon the iinanimate form OF her
son, weeping and mourning as though
her heart would break. The life which
her repreaches had sacrificed would
not come back for her sobs and tears,
and in vain she called frantically for
her son to speak but one word, one
little word to her again. It was a
curious act of a rash, wild youth, APP
PdreRtly disproportioned entirely to
the cause. The details of the other
case of suicide 1 have been unable to
gather, but l am told it was a curious
affair. Now give a dog a bad name
and he will be sure to get kicks, The
house, from the two former suicides
and M. ParadoPs singular end, does
not enjoy the most enyiable Of reputa
ton. Marie Walter, the old house
keeper whom Paradol had brought
from France with him, was not . bit
chary about declaring the place to be
haunted She never liked the house, |
she said. Strange noises we're
heBrd by her every night. She be
lieved some uneasy spirits were about
it, and sleep could hardly Keep her
eyes closed for fifteen minutes before!
she would be aroused by some nnearth- !
1y connection. She: told her master
that she die not like the place a bit,
and her master ouieted her fears by
promising not to remain there long.
These were all an:ecedent to the tie
rible tragedy which eliminated on
Wednesday morning last. Then his
letter to De Jardln is siDgu}ar. The
failure of De Jardm 10 open it when
the latter noticed the strange conduct |
of the Minister, and also remarked |
that the Minister should want 10 buy
pistol Is also singular. The arm
to his valet about a possible nc |
happening, and what to do in |
such an emergency, we're Hriously sug
gestive of the necessity Of watching the /
movements of the Minister. In fact,
everything about the matter y UNI
usual. The diseased condition of the
Minister'S mind and his incohrrent
talk and insane acts before the deed,
if correctly. represented, seem pelli
to put men of the most Of
caution upon the qui uivs-tbey |
seem to have pointed clearly to. the
end-that Paradol ~contemplat-
ed selfdestructlon, or that, as the
valet said, somebody else killed him.
The investigation was hurried and I'M
satisfactory but, under the circum-
stances, may he excusable, as the
Coroner, in point of fact, had o legal
to an inquest at all, and it only
occurred through the waiver of di-
plomatic privilege. But n thing
seems to be certain, through all the
doubt and uncertainty enveloping the
case, and that is that if the act was
it was deliberate and premedi-
tated, anC if it was not, then the ques-
tons arise, who took the Minister'S
Who had a motive? What
was that motive p Hash. Cor. ~ Y.
l