The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-11-16
ROSE MICHEL"

as follows: Louise Michel, the daughter
Of Rose and Pierre Michel, is an appren-
tice in the employ Of Master Bernard, a
wood engrayei, with whom she is living.
Andre Bernard, the son of Bernard, is
her lover. The two young people have
formed most ardent attachment, and
the motherof Louise and Master Bernard
have favored it. The father of Louise is
a miser and brute, and is despised both
by wife and daughter. Early in the play
Bernard signifies to Rose Michel his in
tention of consenting to the union Of the
young people, but couples his consent
with certain conditions which relate TO
the stainless character Of Louise's family.
He emphasizes this point, and declares
that he will never consent to the union
of his son with the member of any fami-
ly which has the slightest stain upon its
honor. Rose Michel assures him of the
spotless character of her husband, and
there appears to be no obstacle in the
way of the lovers. When Rose Michei
returns to her husband to tell him of the
good news which she has learned from
Bernard, she finds to her surprise and
horror that her avaricious husband has
already agreed to sell his child to the
Baron de Bellevue, libertine. A quar-
rel ensues between Pierre and his wife,
during which Pierre, realizing that his
wife's opposition will create insurmount-
able obstacles to the consummation of
his schemes, suddenly conceives the idea
of numbering the Baron in order to Sc
cure the large sum of money which he
knows he will have upon his person. He
promises his wife to break his promise
to the Baron, and succeeds, as he suppo-
ses, in getting her off to bed. Immedi-
ately thereafter the Baron arrives with |
| 100000 livres upon his person, which |
have been paid him by the Count de
Vernay upon condition thathe will leave |
France forever, and never again seek to |
see his wife, who is now living under the |
protection Of the Count,
This libertine, De Bellevue, having
seen Lorise, and fallen passiouately in |
love with her, has already offered the
father an enormous sum of money to be
permitted to carry Louise with him to |
foreign land, there to make her in name
his wife, but in fact his mistress. He is
now present to pay Pierre his money and
take possession of Louise. Pierre prom
ises that Louise shall be ready to 60 with |
him in the morning.
The Baron, being wet and fatigued,
calls for glass of punch, which Pierre
drugs and offers him. Under its effects
the Baron is put asleep, and Pierre pro-
ceeds coolly to make preparations for his
murder. While he is committing the
act he is discovered by his wife Rose,
and horror-struck, she falls senseess to
the ground. Startled by her cries, Pierre
rushes into the room, discovers her pres.
ence and is about to drag her to her
chamber, when she revives and accuses
him with terrible fierceness of the muir
der. ....
Pierre, seeing that she is determined
to denounce him, is about to kill her also
when they are both startled by knocks
at the door, and the voice of Louise out
side calling Mother, mother" Bernard |
having heard that Pierre proposed to sell
Louise into degration, comes with his son
Andre and the Baron de Marsan, Prefect
of the Seine, to demand an explanation.
Before admitting them, Pierre makes his
wife realize that to denounce him would
be to destroy the future of her own
daughter, and perhaps to kill her. He
then leaves her to open the outer gate,
saying. "Denounce me if you dare."-
While he is gone Rose resolves to betray
her husbands guilt, but when her inno-
cent daughter Ell ters, her resolution is
overcome by the strength of her mater
nal love. Pierre assures the Prefect that
he never intended to sell his child but
that he gladly bestows her uponBernaru's
son. after they are gone Pierre throws
the body of Baron de Bellevue into the
river'that flows beneath the window of
his house.
Rose Michel, knowing the guilt of her
husband, forces him to give up to her the
money which he has taken from the Ba-
ron's body, and with it she goes to the
house of the Count de Vernay, where
she secretly places it in the Counts sec
retary, feeling that as the money came
from him it should return to him. The
body of the Baron de Bellevue is discov-
cred, and the Count de Vernay accused
of his murder. The circumstantial evi.
dence against him is rendered overwhel'
ming by the discovery in the secretary of
the wallet of the Baron containing the
money which he had previously paid
MIN. Rose Michel, Mortified at finding
an innocent man accused, behaves sO
strangely as to excite the suspicious Of
the Count de Marsan, who becomes con-
vinced that she knows more than she is
willing to tell of the murder. This indu
ces him to 60 with the Counts mother to
the inn of Pierre Michel where he ex-
amines Pierre. his servant Moulinet and
Rose herself. Her suspicious are con
firmed, and, after endeavoTiDg by all fair
means to induce Rose to tell the truth,
he at last resorts to the EXTREMIST meas.
ure and condemns her to the rack. In
the last act we learn that torture has
been Intellectual, Roses love for her child
enabling her to conceal the truth. The
Count de Vernay is condemned to die,
and is to be executed at dawn, but he
has one last interview with Rose, who
has partially recovered from the effects
of the torture. Finding all appeals fruit
less, and believing De Vernay innocent,
De Marsan determines at the last mo-
ment that the Count must escape.
Rose pledges her life to the effort, and
secures the services of her husband, sup
posing, as she does, that he will only be
too glad to save his second victim.
But Pierre, fearing thatifth Count es-
capes he will leave nothing undone to
discover the real culprit and thus clear
his own name, betrays the plot to the
guard; and just as the Count is about to
leave the prison he is arrested, and Rose
discovering her husbands treachery, de-
nounces him in moment OF supreme
agony, thus saving the life Of the Count
They are about to arrest Pierre, when he |