Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1871-08-12
Death or n Mysterious OLD MAN who
Possessed the Beurbou Dfaueus.

From the New Orleans Picayune.
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 summer
evenings o singular apparition. Sud
denly, on the banquette OF Music
street has appeared an old man, with
long gray hair, aud Glad in the cos
tune Of half century ago. The
garments We're faded and worn, but
revealed q richness which IN earlier
days was more fitted for o court than
an American metropolis. He was a
very tall man, although q hunch back,
and but for the deiormity would have
been 81 gigantic proportions. In the
breadth ofsh0ulders, the deep power
fu! chest, aud long nervous arms re-
sided marvellous strength, while the
lower lin bs, fashioned In magnificent
strength aud beauty, arrested atten
ton and commanded admiration
wherever he appeared. He spoke to
no one, looked at no one, but In silent
abstraction pursued his lonely walk
far into the night. Years went by,
aud night after night little children
paused In their play to watch the
receding 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 re-
manned flexible and active, but the
hair grew gray and his face was seam
ed with wrinkles. W.
He lived in a little brick building
that set back from the street. Wild
vines crept over the crumbling tiles
and wreathed fantastic shapes on the
chimney tops. In the yard beautiful
flowers bloomed all the year round,
and their rich perfume made the air
sensuous and sweet. At window
shaded by trellls work, hid in the
bloom of roses, the old man sat Of
afternoons and watched the suns
decline. No one else was ever seen
In the house--no one ever crossed the
threshold; and SO lie lived, q smile
less, sad old man, In a lonely house.
But one day, not % great while since,
the neighbOrs saw that the blinds in
the house were closed. The old man
had not appeared on the street for
weeks, and the grass had begun to
grow from the chinks of the marble
slabs at his door, and 1t began to be
whispered 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. Helay pallid and stark on
u pallet Of straw. There were few
scattered chairs around the room and
a plain table. One only object ar
rested the eye: Near the body was q
rich casket, set In mother of pearl and
gold. Jewels flashed from the costly
lid, and wreathed In the dust oil
diamonds were engraved the "I,ilies
of France In cor0net OF gold. They
opened the box and there flashed ON
their eyes the Bourbon diadem. I'll
was stolen the night OF tho 10th oil
August, 1880, when Charles the Tenth
abdicated the throne of France In
favor of the Duke Of Bordeaux. I'M
derneath 1t was manuscript, written
In French. 1t contained only these
words:
~ am Charette, the Vendean Cen
eral. Maria Of Savoy was to have
been my wife. She was taken from
me and given to the Comte d'Artois.
could have forgiven this, but he de-
serted me when most | needed his |
help and assistance. ! revenged my
self aud procured his overthrow, aud
nm happy since he died in exile"
This was all. Over his life silence
now draws q veil. His maynard
passions, his inward conflicts, none
can estimate. Lonely and sad he per- |
lshed in exile; none could appreciate
his injuries: let none judge too harsh
Iy Of his life.