The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-08-04
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form the New Orleans Picayune, July 1861
Few of the residents in the lower part of
the city of late years but are familiar with
some of the incidents We are now relating.
They have often seen in the twilight of sum-
mer evenings a singular apparition. Sudden
ly, on the banquette of Music street, has ap
peared an old man, with long gray hair, and
clad in the costume of half century ago. The
garments were faded and worn, but revealed
riehness winch i'll earlier days was more fit
ted for court than an American metropolis.
, He was very tall man, although hunch-
odck, anu out Tor the defor rity would have
been OF gigantic proportions. In the breath
Oh shoulders, the deep powerful chest, and
iong nervous arms, resided marvellous strength
while the iower limbs, fashioned in magnifi-
cent strength and beauty, arrested attention
and commanded admiration wherever he an,
peared. He spoke to no one, looked at no
one, but in silent abstraction pursued his lone
ly walk far into the night. Years went by.
and night after night little children paused In
their play to watch the recedihg figure of the
lonely man.
1t must have been forty years ago that he
first came among us. He looked middle aged
then but as the years flew by the sturdy
frame remained flexible and active, but the
wrinkles
He lived in little brick building that set
PACK from the street. Wild vines crept over
tne crumbling tiles and wreathed fantastic
Shapes on the chimney tops. In the yard
beautiful flowers bloomed all the year round,
anu their rich perfume made the air sensuous
and sweet. AT a window shaded by a treIli,-
work, hid in the bloom OF roses, the old man
sat OF afternoons and watched the suns de-
cline. No one else was ever seen in the
house-no one ever crossed the threshhoid:
and so he lived, smileless, sad old man, in a
lonely house.
But one day, not great while since, the
neighbors saw thai the blinds in the house
were closed. The old man had not appeared
on The streets for weeks, and the grass had be-
gun to grow from the chinks of the marble
slabs at his door, and it began to be whisper
ed about that the old man was dead,
AT last, one day the neighbors went in,
(they were poor people, but kindly and true.)
Sure enough, he was dead. He lay palld and
stark on pallet o. straw. There were a few
scattered chairs around the room and plain
table. Only one object arrested the eve
Near the body was a rich casket, set In moth
er OF pearl and gold. Jewels flashed from the
costly lid, and wreathed in the dust of dia.
mOnds were engraved the "Lilies of Francen
in coronet of gold. They opened the box
and there flashed on their eyes the Bourbon
diadem. 1t was stolen on the night of the
10th of August, 1880, when Charles X abdi.
Gated the throne OF France in favor of the
Duke OF Bordeaux. Underneath it was a
manuscript, written IN French. 1t contained
only these words:
81 am Charette, the Vendeau General
Maria of Savoy was to have been my wife,
She was taken from me and given to the
Connie d'Artos. l could have forgiven this,
but he deserted me when most L needed his
help and assistance. L revenged myself and
procured his overthrow, and am happy since
he died in exile"
This was all. Over his life silence now
draws veil. His wayward passions, his in
ward conflicts, none can estimate. Lonely
and sad he perished in exile; aone could ap-
preciate his injuries; let none judge too harsh
ly of his lite