The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-07-18
CAPTURING AN HEIRESS.

which little town he still resides, is the plain
, tiff in an extraordinary cause, the argument
in which are yet unfinished, before the civil
tribunal of the Seine. He demands deere,
declaring null and void ab initio the marriag,
of his only child, Nile Marie Breon, witt
Paul Besson, an advocate of the Court of Cessa
ton, and deputy for the Jura in the Nationa
Assembly The grounds of his demand art
that his daughter married without his con
sent and that the actes respectue,lr (respectfu
summons) by which girls over twenty-ons
may dispense with their parents consent were
irregular.
The case as opened by the counsel for the
plaintiff was that Mile. Breon, reputed one Of
the greatest heiresses in Brittany, the only
survivor of four children, was always in deli.
cate health, and that the family physician
recommended her father to keep her from
marrying as long as possible. She was placed
in the Convent OF Sacred Heart in Paris The
medical man of that establishment ordered
her to pass a season at Salins, in the Jura,
| where there are mineral waters epioying a
certain celebrity. The father at this time
had become blind, and was unable to lcok
| after his daughter SO closely as might have
| been wished. Nevertheless he accom- panied
| her to Salins There she made the acquain-
| lance of III. Vital Besson, a merchant of
| Chalons sur SaOne, who was staying there
| with two daughters. 1t is alleged that M
Vital Besson, knowing the great expectations
of Mile. Ereon, then and there conceived the
idea of making match between her and his
brother, NJ. Paul Besson To this end he en-
couraged a great friendship between her and
his two daughters, which at dull water
ing place seemed the most innocent thing in
the world.
When the season was over, and Mile. Breon
went back to the Sacred Heart, an assiduous
and gushing correspondence was kept up be-
tween the young ladies. Some time before,
the Lady Superior of the convent had asked
NJ. Breon what were his views with regard to
any offer of marriage that might be made to
his daughter. He replied that she was not
old enough to be married, and that he thought
nothing on the subject for the present. But
NJ. Paul Besson, who had been set on the
track of an heiress, called on the father on
the strength of the acquaintanceship of his
brother and nleces at Salins, and when the
latter in the course of conversation groaned
about his bad health, offered himself as his
factor to take care of his property.
The old man was not SO simple as to close
with this overture, which seemed to him
strange and impertinent. He bowed Mr.
Besson out of the room. Shortly atterward
he received the prospectus of a school founded
by several bishops and eminent personages
vi,
Paul Besson. This association with bishops
of The barrister who bad canvassed to take his
aft airs in hand missed the effect intended. 1t
only rendered NJ Breon more suspicious He
wrote to M Vital Besson that he did moi thank
him for Introducing his brother, and desired
to have nothing more to do either with him
or his family. His dislike to the Blossoms was
augmented by subsequently finding out that
the lady superior of the convent had all along
pa'ronized M. Paul Besson, and encouraged
him to be suitor for his daughters hsnd
He wished then to take her away from the
convent, and asked his sister-in- law, Mile.
Marie Lambeuf, if she would take care of
her and prevent any suitors from having ac-
cess to her without his knowledge. Mile
Larnbeuf replied that she could not take upon
herself any such responsibility, and so the |
young lady was left some time longer at the |
convent, the blind father not knowing what |
to do with her. When the next long vacation |
arrived she went to her fathers house. No 6S |
Rue des Ecoles. She had been designedly |
furnished with NJ. Octave Feuillets novel, |
"Le Roman Fun Jeune Homme Pauyre," in |
the hope of its producing the impression on |
her mind that it was fine thing for rich |
girl to marry a man with nothing. M. Paul |
Besson, staid advocate, upward of FORTY
paced day after day for hours opposite Mile. |
Breon's windows, looking up and signing.
The cure of Montbard. backing the lady
abbess of the Sacred Heart, facilitated secret |
between the lovers Ia the coun-
try, while Mile. Breon was staying with her
aunt at St. Sernin, the pertinacious Lothario
found means to take her to d jon, and to get
her there to sign before notary respect
full summons" demanding the fathers consent
to the marriage. But this summons did not
indicate, as the law requires, where the young
cd Snh |
dated from other places, are alleged to be
equally defective. The allegation of the father
is that he was all along purposely kept in the
dark as to the Whereabouts of his daughter,
so that he never had that opportunity of
solemnly demonstrating with and advising her
which the law entities him to have. The mar
rage was celebrated in all haste at Versailles
Jour clerical deputies, NM. Keller, Numa
Baregnon, Paul Cotton and Merveilleux du
Fignaux attending the bridegroom as witness
'es.
M. Paul Besson, marrying thus cladestine- {
y without the fathers consent, did not get {
lalt- penny with his wife. But in France a
ather cannot disinherit child. NJ Breon
vas very old, and whenever he died all his
,ast property must go to his only daughter.
lie, however, instituted the present suit, and,
although the sckly young lady died shortly !
fer the marriage, he goes on with it to pre-
'ent the husband from becoming his heir /
4. Lucien Brun, one of the most prominent
4egitimists and clericals in the Assembly, is
ounsel for his comrade, NJ. Paul Besson, and
will speak for HIM next week. In order to Il
the full bearings of the case, it is !
ssental to explain that, according to French I
manners, actes respectuec are the most dis
espectful things in the world. 1t is only in
cry extreme and exceptional cases that they
re resorted to by anybody pretending to be
A love match under any cir
is in good society considered not
be thing; and that young lady just out of
convent should look down complacently
'om balcony upon an admirer promenad-
az in the street is something more shocking a
4 France than the utmost propriety of May
Iir can conceive.
Piggish Pigmies.
Those pigmies that Col. Long, one Of the
merican officers in the service Of the Khe-
i've Of Egypt, has brought from the heart of
frica to Paris, are representatives of most