New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-08-06
The Princess Isabeau.
The London Daiiv Ne,cs of Julv !

The London Daily Ne,os of July - says:
The Princess de Beauveau- Craon has
| just failed in q fresh attempt to obtain
| legal permission to shut up her daughter
Isabeau. This lady. descendant of
Richard CG1r de Lien, is one of those
characters 60 annoying to their respectable
| families, who persisteDtly decline to live
| like other people. When such social ire
| concilables happen to be the owners Of
| very large fortunes, it is observed that
their kinsfOlk are always particularly
anxious to prove that their behavior is in
consistent with sanity. Now, the wealth
of the Princess Isabeau amounts to fabu-
lous number of millions of francs and even
her advocates can not say that she is con-
tent to exist in that sphere Of society
where Providence has placed Fer. She
might be one of the most brilliant and
cOurted Of women, for she has great talent,
as we'll as great wealth, and che does, in
point of fact, live in a rather poor way at
COurbevoie, where she is much in the
company of certain nj. Stube. Stube
is working wheelwright by trade, and
in his idle hours and spare moments
what is called Spiritualist. /, is iM-
possible to say, without tull evidence, what
are the precise spiritual gifts OF NJ. Stube.
He may have the power Of being elongated
like telescope, a sweet boon greatly priced
by the faithful of his queer creed. or mis-
accomplishment may be limited to floating
in the air or to producing knocks Of various
degrees OF intensity. Whether he possesses
these charms or not is not much to the pur-
pose. He is probably endowed with the
strange and quite real and important force
which enables some personalities to attract
and dominate others. History is full of
instances of this gift, and it would be easy
to name living men who certainly exercise
personal influence which is generally tie
com 2anion Of unusual beliefs and opinions.
1t is probable that Stube is, so far as the
Princess Isabeau is concerned, one Of the
people who are sometimes called magnetic
for want of better name. She finds her
happiness in being near him, and if she
chooses to give up society and luxury to
live with the man of her choice, it does not
follow that she is a l1natio and unfit to
take charge Of her own affairs. This is
the view which the Paris tribunal took
some eight Yeas ago. when the Princess
gained her cause by simply demon
strating her sanity in open court. For
suspected person to prove his or her OWL
soundness of mind is a VIGOROUSLY difficult
thing, but the Princess came we'll out Of
the ordeal. She explained the facts which
had made her life desolate, and caused her
to shun ordinary society and the home Of
her mother. After temperate speech she,
being then woman in the prime of life,
turned to the counsel of the opposite party
and slenced him. Il can understand, sir,''
she said, "that an honorable man, who
knew nothing of myself or of my chsrac-
ter. might adopt the cause of my mother. l
do not understand how, after having seen
me, and heard my defense. you can persist
in demanding verdict against me-" And
in point of fact the advocate did not sue
coed in proving his case In the trial which
has just ended the Princess Isabeau seems
to have been even more eloquent, and not
less successful, than in that which took
place eight years ago. In these eight years
she has apparently added an interes. in
what is called Spiritualism, and an exces-
sive fondness for domestic animals, to her
previous dislike of society. She attends
the ministrstions of NJ. Stube, aHd she
keeps email menagerie. 1t was not very
difficult for her advocate, NJ. Gatineau. to
prove that neither the study of the less un-
derstood mental and moral conditions of
men. nor that of domestic natural history,
is inconsistent with q sound mind.