The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-07-22
A HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
THE DIAMOND ROBBERY.

| steamer Norwarts, a noblemsn styling
himself Count Steffano Perragi.
He took a suit of rooms at Mesirie's
fashionable hotel in Pera, and by his
lavish style OF living soon became the
centre of attraction. He said that he
was colonel of the Austrian Imperial
! Guards and a member of the Diet. He
had come to Turkey on private govern
ment affairs, and was furnished with
numerous introductions to the different
| foreign ambassadors and merchant
| princes.
A month after his arrival, he headed
subscription list with the sum of
! e5, 200, piasteres, in aid "of Madame
Sophie Cartenagg, the widow of the late
| NJ. CarteDagg, formerly banker of Ber-
| lin, who, by the sudden death of her
husband, found herself in a strange
land, with her three young children,
destitute of support" In some such
manner ran the heading of the subscrip-
tion list.
Count Perragi humanely took upon
himself the task of soliciting the sub
scriptions, and, Incredible as it may
seem, collected the sum of 45, 600 in
about twenty days
One morning Perragi suddenly disap-
peared. Suspicious having arisen, the
police authorities were instructed to
find out Nine Cartenagg. But, alas
for human credulity ! the police swore,
by the beard of MOhammed, that Ma
dame was myth, and the Crescent
City knew her not Done, by Jove
Done to the time of e5, ,0OOi Thus ends
the first act in this strange drama
Now for the second act. Not far from
the Cafe de Paris stands the shop of
MN. Degrant Brothers, diamond brok-
ers 20 his imperial majesty the sultan.
Opposite to this extensive depot of pre-
cious stones stood the pharmacy of Dr.
Jacob Valpass. Five minutes' walk
from these two establishments stands
the Hotel de PEurope.
In the latter place, Nine Estelle
Deorest and her sickIy son, Albert,
had hired magnificent suite of rooms
for the winter. She was a quite
melancholy sort of lady, and about
thirty. All her thoughts seemed cen
tered in her boy. But oh how sur
passiDgly lovely she was They say
that the walters of the Europe made
quite a handsome thing out of her by
allowing sundry "sparks" to peep at
madame through the key-hole, as she
sat in her elegant morning costume at
breakfast. She paid her bills regularly,
So much for madame.
NJ. Degranti junior Cthe ieweler),
was rather fast young fellow, very
rich, and very fond of horses. The
elder brother, at this time, was absent
in Paris.
DIR. Jacob Valpass was a man of
thirty-tw and considered very clever.
His father had left him some consider
able property, but, as he was passion
ately devoted to his profession, he still
continued in practice. We have now
sufficiently described the four principal
actors in the drama,
It was after ten o'clock one night,
and DR.. Valpass sat IN his study. A
person requested to see him. A tall,
deeply veiied lady entered. DR.. Val
pass politely offered her a chair, and
asked her the nature of her business.
With deep sigh, she threw back her
veil, and the doctors weaker human
half surveyed that dazzling beauty in
bewilderment. She told her story in
a quiet, brief manner. She had an only
son on whom she dotted passionately.
He was subject to fits of monOmania.
And, most extraordinary as it might
seem, his desires to lay in the fact that
nothing but diamonds placed about
him would satisfy his cravings. She
had consulted the best medical men in
Europe, and they prescribed change of
scene. She had travelled a great deal,
but without any salutary effect upon
her boy. She had been advised to con-
suit DR.. Valpass, and, as her son had
just recovered from one of those pc
riodical fits, she earnestly requested
him to visit her at the Hotel de PEu-
rope.
DR.. Valpass took charge of this curl
GUS case, and soon became very init
mate with Madame Deorest. To be
brief, poor Valpass fell deeply in love,
and month after their acquaintance he
proposed to her, and was accepted.
Thus stood matters in December, 1851,
and so closes the second act.
The last scene opens on the 4th day of
January, 1852. DIR. Valpass was put
ting on his gloves preparatory to enter
ing his carriage, when he saw his affi
anced bride rushing madly toward him.
He ran out and met her.
"What is the matter. Estele ?"
ooh, he is worse | Oh, come TO him !
come to him : cried the frantic
mother.
Zone moment; step into the carriage;
1 will be with you immediately"
He crossed over to the establishment
of Messrs. DegraRti.
"Let me have that diamond neck
lace, these bracelets, this brooch and
these rings. Quick, Degranti I am
in a hurry. I only want them for an
hour
"But doctor, these are worth mil
lions, and" returned the jeweler,
rather at a loss what to do.
"Give me pen, ink and paper. Here
is my note of hand for the articles.
How much are they worth "
At a rough calculation, five mil
lions of francs"
Every we'll here you are. Now,
quick, the articles.
Ten minutes after the doctor and the
madame reached the hotel, and found
/ Albert in the arms of two domestics.
/ The medical man took charge of the
| yelling boy and dismissed the servants.
He drew forth his treasures and placed
! them about the boy. 1t was wonderful
The boy danced with glee, elapped his
/ hands, and gradually became pacified.
He then slowly left the room with down
/ cast head. The euraptured mother
flung herself into the arms of her savior,
and, with tears in her beautiful eyes,
thanked him from her hsart. Then fol-
lowed one long, delicious kiss, and the
doctor was in the seventh heaven OF
happiness I Madame excused herself
for a moment and left Valpass.
half an hour elapsed; an hour; then
the doctor became fdge'y. he ap-
preached the door; it was locked. For
another hour did the doctor remain
quietly in the room; then suspicion
flashed like lightning across his brain.
He thundered at the door, the servants
camt running up, the door was forced
omen. madame's sleeping room visited
but 10 I the birds had flown
Two years after Valpass received the
following note:
81 thank you for all your kindness
And more so because you were the VIC
tim Kisses are dear, yet the only ont
ever sold brought q fair price. i
took us nearly two years to mature on
plans. How Wen we had calculated OF
J all things is manifest by our ultlmst'