Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-12-20

orieans-soon to be Kine-had the singular in
detested him and ali his family, and entreat him
to leave his wealth to little Aumale. The Prince
OF Condo was thunderstruck when this plot
the Orleans nom the day that Philippe Esslite
had voted for the death of his cousin, Louis
XVI; and now to be importuned to make q scion
OF tins house the heir Of his traditional estate
and fortune was bitter surprise in his lonely
old age. But his "poor Sophie did not per nit
him TO rest until, wearied and broken by her
Persistency, having, 1t is said, "known no rest
since this fatal matter had occupied his
thoughts" declared that ''his blood was on
nre," and been excited into many violent
alterations with Feucheres, he ct last faltered
look for. Once they shall have obtained from
me what they desire, my life may be in jeopardy"
As last resort, he appealed piteousy to the
wrote to him = most touching letter. in which
he declared the whole affair to be ''infinitely
distressing" to him, whereupon the willy Duke
%a of begging
peremptorily refused; nor can 1t be easily
doubted that she thus secretly pleased Louis
One day the old Prince was in the billiard
room Of his Paris hotel. NJ. Surval, who was in
an adjoining room, heard loud talking, and,
going in, found Condo red with rage.
with him, ''in what passion monseigneur puts
him."
ssYes, m adam )" returned Condo, ait is horri-
BILE, atrocious, thus to put knife to my throat
to make me do thing you know 1 so much
abhor." He caught hold of her hand, and
added gloomily, "well, plunge the knife in at
once-at once!"
The next day Condo made will, appointing
the Duke d'Aumale his heir. and bequeathing
Madame de Feucheres a property worth ten
million francs. SO matters stood when the rev.
outiOn of 1880 came, Louis Philippe became
King, and Charles y. an exile.
1t was toward the middle of August, 1880, that
the Prince of Condo, who had now become per-
manently morose and melancholy, and who
never heard the name of Feucheres pronounced
without certain senile terror, secretly told his
confidential valet that he proposed to make
long tour, and to escape from Chantilly without
the knowledge of the household. His strange
actions meanwhile attracted the attention and
reused the curiosity of his attendants. On the
morning of the 1lth his eye found to be
bleeding, and he explained 1t by saying he had
fallen against table, but afterwards said his
temple had struck ag anst the door.
Events at the chateau increased in mystery
until the Goth. On the morning OF that day
Madame de Feucheres repaired early to the
both were heard, angry and threatening. A
sharp quarrel, lasting for some time, ensued,
and Madame de Feucheres came out of the
room flushed with passion. By dinner time,
however, the storm seered to have passed
away. The Prince appeared at table, to which
q few intimate friends had invited him, and
to snS be In good
heartily. The party repaired to the drawing
room, the whist tables were wheeled out, and
Condo took a hand at the same table with Mad
anne de Feucheres, playing with zest till late
in the evening, and talking cheerily through
out. Finally he rose, waved q good night to
each friend with his hand, and, as he went to-
ward the door, turned and gave them a cheer
full parting, "a demdin.,'
was the last time that the last Prince of
Condo was seen OF men.
He was accompanied to his chamber by Bon
ME his doctor, and Lecomte, his valet. 1t is
worth noting that Lecomte, the valet, had been
selected for this service by Feucheres. and was
woman.
asked the Prince:
az what hour will mOnseigneur rise?"
1t was now the night of August %, and on the
3lst Condo proposed secretly to leave the
but his real project in taking this step can never
be known. A longer journey than he had
planned was now in store for him.
Throughout that warm, bright summer night
all was apparently tranquil in and about the
old chateau. The night watch, who patrolled
the terraces outside, from dusk to dawn, heard
no sound issue from the vast mansion; the do
mestics slept undisturbed in the wing devoted
to their lodgings; the guests were equally IN
conscious OF any unusual event.
The Prince of Condos sleeping chamber was
a small but richly decorated apartment in the
second story, with a yet msller dressing roo I'M
leading from 1t. Madame de Feucheres Occu-
pied a suite OF rooms in the story below, with
her niece, Madame de Feasssns. A staircase
above, and also led from the entrance hail of
the chateau. The Princes apartments opened
upon the large central corridor; On the first
On leaving his master, Lecomte, as usual,
carefully locked his dressing room, by which
access was to be had to his chamber from the
corridor, and carried the key away with him.
Promptly at 8 O'Clock on the morning of the
9th the valet appeared at the Princes door
and knocked. according to orders, before I'M
locking 1t. No response was given. Lecomte
thought nothing Of the circumstance, but,
thinking the Prince still asleep, went away, to
return In quarter Of an hour, accompanied
peated; there was still the dead silence. The
two men became alarmed at this, and hurried
around by the larger staircase to the apart
ment of Madame de Feucheres. Madame de
Feucheres heard their intelligence calmly, and
said
al will go up at once. When he hears my
orously at the Princes door. The hollow sound
Of the echoed knock-nothing more.
&. %OPen the door, Monseigneur'" she cried; sit
The noise Of rapplng speedily summoned the
que; and domestics, with terror stricken faces,
the dressing-room door, and proceeded to that of
the chamber, to find 1t securely fastened. A
sharp knocking here only produced the same
result. No slightest sound escaped from within.
de Feucheres, now deadly pale and leaning upon
the Able Briant, her secretary, to fetch heavy
bar. This was used with immediate effect upon
the panels, which, giving way, enabled Lecomte
and the doctor to enter the chamber.
To the group without, their silence, after
entering the mysterious room, was strangely
prOtracted. They found it, in truth, very dark.
The shutters of both the windows, which looked
forth upon one of the noblest domains of France,
had been tightly closed; only the pickering
glimmer Of a nearly exhausted candle, placed
on the hearth, and screened by large fender
placed before 1t relieved in the least degree the
0bscurity of the apartment
1t was by this dim light that the valet and the
physician discerned the Prince OF Condo, who
seemed to be leaning against one of the win
dows with his head bent, as il peering and
listening through the blinds. Lecomte has
tened to throw open the blind of the other WIN
dow, when a CHASTITY spectacle met their eyes.
The early morning rays fell upon the figure Of
the poor old man hanging from the bars which
held the shutters. Around his neck were twisted
two handkerchief, tied together; and these
were fastened to the espdgnolette, or bolt, which
held the bars together.
The horrible pallor of his face told the story
of death. The venerable head was sunk upon
the bre asst; his legs seemed to be drawn up, as
If fixed by final spasm the withered hands
were closed tight, while his toes just touched
the floor. Singularly enough, the handkerchief