Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-04-18
1 PRINCESS, PECCADILLOES.
How She Charged Her Femme de
Chambre with Thefts that She Com
mfGted Herself.


mfGted Herself.
Paris Correspondence Of the Graphic.
Everybody seems to be dying Of late, but
after the amOUruing and crying comes a
breeze Of piquant scandal that was given to
the public In full only yesterday. The
drGHatiS PerSORG of the affair are Nine. Ia
PrincesSe Ratazzi, Of the diplomatic 5eqli-
monde, and Mile. BTun, her femme De
ckGHlbre. To 90 back to the beginning.
IL was in 1872 that the Princess took BrIn
into her employ, the latter being highly
recommended. She was soon taken into
complete confidence by her mistress and in
trusted with the care Of her Jewels.
One day, upon returning from the races,
the Princess missed a pair Of earrings
worth $4,000 francs. The maid declared
that she had given them TO Madame when
she went away, and Madame must have
lost them on the champ dc course. As
vigilant search was made for them and
they were not found, Madame thought so,
too, and, Of course, had the grace to forget
in a very short time so insignificant loss.
Some weeks later Madame left for ViChy.
While there she lost a brooch, and Brun
assured her that she must have dropped it
in Vichy water, and RataZZi was good
enough to be content with such eXplana-
tiOn. The following month n. Thiers was
at Trouyille, and as that city by the sea was
the resort Of the elegant and political monde,
thither Madame turned her vOyaging, ac-
cOmpanied always by her maid. In the same
car compartment was III. de GUnther, an
Austrian diplomat. The latter doubtless
meditated brief stay at the baths, as he
had only a valiSe, a travelling blanket, and
very small bag containing papers, As
Madame the diplomat knew her Austrian
cOHfreFe the two arranged TO stop at the
same hotel, the ROches-NOiTes.
At the station Madame charged he- maid
10 attend to the luggage, which in due
time arrived at the hotel, and the gIrcOH,
suppOsing it all to belong TO the Princess,
carried il up to her apartments. When
NJ. de Gunther reached his room he claim
ed his valIse, blanket and small bag. The
two former were at once brought to him
the latter had disappeared.
Imagine the rage Of the diplomat He
Taved and sWOre, and raised such a UGcdTHe
that the mditTe fhOtel, in hopes Of stop
ping his noise, offered him $50 francs as
indemnity for the lost article. Gunther
took the money, and left the hotel in
wrath.
Now begins the strange and delicate part
Of the story.
Some time after that BruIT, believing her
mistress TO be out, entered her room with
out knocking and discovered Nine. Ia
Princess absorbed in examing the contents
Of cofret Of which she alone had the key.
1t was the bag Of papers belonging to the
Austrian diplomat
As may well be imagined, a lively dis
cussiOn ensued between Madame and her
maid. The latter asks permission Of Mad
anne 10 retire from her service; Madame re-
fuses. The maid then relates the affair to
the landlord, who in turn becomes dissatis-
ned in memory Of his $50 francs, and the
Princess, in order to appeasehim, rel buTses
to him the 15Ofrancs, but insiuuates that
her femme de chdmbrG is alone the guilty
party. At that Bruins sense Of honor is
outraged, and she rulshes forth for a police
man; but nOs being able 20 find one will
ing to mingle In the affair, she resorts to
writing and sends of a letter 10 her
friends, recUunting her trials and asking for
their aid.
Meantime Ratazzi travels back 70 Paris
with her maid, both fiercely angry with each
other. Again Brun wishes to be released
from her engagement, tut Madame refuses,
alleging one excuse and another, but put
ting the girl under Surveillance Of police
agents. These agents furnished Madame
with reports that led her to imagine
that her maid was a thief and
thereupOn had her arrested taken
into court, where she was accused lhaying
stolen pair Of earrings at Paris, brooch
at Vichy, and having attempted at Prou-
villa TO steal the diplomatic bag Of De Gun
theT. Well, at the end Of short exami-
nation the maid is VIGOROUSLY declared in
nocent and acquitted. Then the
maid sues Nine. Ia I'rincessse
for ten hundred thousand francs damages
and her back pay. The tribunal condemns
Madame to pay her 1900 francs damages
and her back pay. If it were not for this
triumphant verdict for Brun, the version
the Princess will probably give Of the affair
at her fine dinners, resplendent in new
earrings and brOaeh, would dOubtiessly
present it in quite another light.