Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-09-07
A PARIS SCANDAL.
How M. aud Mime Mason Refu
nfsh Their House.


"a most painful affair" says the cor
respondent Of the London Daily News
which some months ago caused great
excitement in Enghien and Montmor-
ency, but which has not hitherto been
much known in Paris, is now fully re-
ported on the occasion of an appeal
from the Correctional Tribunal of Pom
toise to the Court Of Paris. A family
in easy circumstances, and reported of
the highest respectability has been con-
victed, on the plainest evidence, Of fla
grant disregard of the laws Of meum
and tuum. These persons fattered
themselves that in the confusion caused
by the occupation of an invading enc
my, they might be able to appropriate
their neighbor's goods with impunity.
Among the many pretty villas which
surround the Enghien lake, among the
largest and most substantial is the
Villa Mason. M. Mason is Paris
jeweller, who.has made large fortune,
and who some years ago bought the
country house at Enghien, in which
he lived with his wife, mar
ried daughter, and the husband of
the latter, NJ. Paillaird. The Pail
laird family has villa at Montmor-
ency. Before the investment of Paris
in 1870, NJ and Nine Mason removed
almost all their furniture from the En-
ghien house to place Of safety. But
on their return after peace was signed,
they found the house which they had
left nearly empty better furnished than
it was before. The Prussians, it seems,
when they occupied Enghien, had fixed
upon the Villa Mason as an eligible
place for military club; and in order
to make it comfortable, they had trans
ferred to it variety of furniture from
neighboring houses abandoned by their
owners. A grand piano forte, glass chif-
fonnieres, complete set of drawing
room furniture, brought from the chalet
of Baron Strass, arm-chairs from the
Thermal establishment, and a quantity
of mattresses, were stored away IN Villa
Mason, and left there by the Prussians
when they evacuated. Incredible as it
may appear the Mason family on their
return made compromise with their
conscience by such reasoning as this:
We, like other people, have suffered
greatly by the war; the furniture which
we luckily find in our house, comes from
the fortunes of war. 1t would be very
silly of us to give it up; let us say
nothing about it, Heaven knows where
the owners are, and it is not Likely
they ever will come to trouble us,
For some time they remained in quiet
possession, and they brought them
selves to regard the furniture which the
Prussians had put in their house as their
Iawf,l ,,ronar,y Rnt tba;r case tboucb
tho most ns;dorahla was NOT the onlv
ono Of tLe lind PrnSs;on otI;cars Snr,
;ng tba siege had narfcrmed var;ous
cbessa. oro;se M nanvery with tbe fnrn;-
tnre of The Enab;en villa. Iienten.
"nt fond of nens;c would axchange a
n;ono forta With q Mo;or wbo wantsd q
s;deboard and chairs tables beds and
no,o and nons wore oonstontIy ren1oved
bv E fot;Tna ~ nart;eS oocord;ng ~ tba CON
ven;anes of ,ba ofs;cera onartered in tha
,lone In his ete,a - tb;ngs soma
t;no f,aoo f.ar .ha % naaoa So tho Manos &c En-
h;an ;ssnad a nrocle ,nat;on reon;r;ng a7I |
49, ;nIob;tontS IL nossess;on of fnrn;'
t,ro not heiong;ng tp tben, ~ hr;ng Il 70
y rnbI;o ,,Iaoa tbot = n;abt ba cleimeJ |
= Sn pUJ ,ha r;nht h ownorS Maonwb;Ia tbe
N ssnn fana;Iv 80 whom anni;ost;ons
Ia hoo,, a'.toJI,, ,,oja Co., prooJs NJ
.G .n";uoi,, - :; .L";. tonsa nso,as,oJ ,ho,
.O,1 .born;, ,,,as tha;r o,~n 80
ere' er,n WE W5sn The nrocIamat;on onnearad d
tbsy nnt it'll oId fnrn;tnre Of M valne
5 'nto pS' araanbonsa I for the owners
- ~ oome and Iook at and de.
~ a.. W .Io,o o. nn,b;nn oIso
~