Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-01-03
SIySfer;Ou5 STRANGER.

strange character 10 social circles Oh ""
Years day, apd still the WONDER grows as the
questions Whence he came? hat ne meant,
or whittier he has gone ? sill, fl back and forth
a1noug the belle. and beauX unanswered save
by thousand speculationS, every one 0! which
when followed UP SO far have proved u be
false. Not sluce lha Count OF Monte Christie
day has such strange :pIendur dazz ed aud co:'-
founded.
About clock, iu the midst Of the sDow
storm, handsome c,0>e carriage With !lVerl, u
driver aud tootman ADD drawn by aElStociatlc
BAYS Was seen to halt on Frankhn street, 10 :hc
nelphborhood OF the club. The initial Or the
panelllng oil the door was supple "A. oro"
being upon the ground and failing. Ihe tool
uap, with great obelsaOce aud alacrity, rolled
from the carriage TO The house door haDdSom"
Turkish carpet, aud, with the aid Of the coach
map, Immediately spread Costly protection OF
| striped slIkeD stutl, uud' which the occupant u
the carriage proceeded to the door IT the house
and entered. Whereupon, III an nstant the par
apheruaia was returned to It's place, and the
carriage presented 90 extraordinary appear
auce. Que or two observers, struck by this
| extraordinary CEREMONY, approached the ser
wants with questions, but their surly mGnucE
was such that little was elected. The stranger
| remained bur few minutes, Wien, % bis re-
| appearance the same ceremony Ct csrpetlng
| aud cauUpyiug was guUe through with and the
conveyance drove Uh. Ills appearance &C.
scrlucd at this time by QUO wno saw ham pass
iug out was that Of tall We'll formed man Of
thirty five, erect with Grecian features dark,
bright, clear, soft hazel eyes; falr premature
~ gray; mrustache, olive complexloa, and cle-
gautIy dressed. The extraordinary ceremony
Attending his advcu; aud departure exciting
the curiosity Of ucg!Dur VINO observed il, he
sent a messenger 10 the house visited to asc:r-
tain the nalDc Of the distinguished visitor, uu'
the servant oply returned 10 say that It was Il
stranger WHO had mistaken the re-dcoce for
| another to which he had letters Ot iEtsUGuc
| tiOp, and gave his namc a. M1uS. LIE Cbuptc
| d Audrasse. That good manu-rs ana the Tetl-
| cence of the visitor hau prevented lurtner ~
uuiry. The servant, however.trlppng across the
| sidewalk where the carriage had stood picked
up a small gold coin, which is not trcach, anu
seems to b: Cuban or Spanish. Whith-r the
stranger vent from this, the first pU'ot Ia
which We hava traced him, We know cot. 1t
is certsiu he did not 20 to tie place irqurc
for, however, although he Was distinctly told
where and how to fad 1t. Rumor- ti0m al!
portions o. the city as 10 the apparItlon aud
queer conduct Of a stranger satisfy u ;hat
some mposter or practical joker bad merry
New Year 10 our udst. Yet if h. be mer':
impos. er be Is ccrtalO "A Iich one. Tor his
faVors we're distributed u st lavshiy aud :he
tokens be has left are rtalnI! valuable. VIZ
have arranged the numerous Gee luo:: OF HIM
which We have received 10 he order OF tl'':Ir
occurrence. At IL click his Conveyance was
seen opposite NJ broa Park. He entered a
residence there with the same ccremony IS
o,6 r.t pama1. inf rho rY bpu
a lady OF great beauty with all the air OF OLD
acquaintance; expressed great delight at re.
neWiug an old Acquaintance; talked win Sucn
voiubity 10 French and English as utterly 10
coutound her; declared that hS only purpos.
10 stopping here was TO see her, and prescott ed
her with haads3m" b)uqlet aod holder,
which he said be had brought with him from
New York She. vi course, dtcucd ne ylii,
but it was LEI, 10 the hall He thro stated that
b. was stopping at the Exchange Hotel, and
on his way 10 Florida for business and pleasure
The curious part of his visit was thai he de
cliued all refreshments and althy ugh the Sc
uue proves tba, be mus! have ben druok to-
wards evening, no one whose house he Visited
tesies to bis taking liquor or >timuan!s Of
any sort. All his visits werc very brief,
aud paid with such an air Of rush aud furry
that they seem 10 have utterly dumblound
ed those who should be able to dcscr De
them infinitely. TIE servants who received
him seem the best witnesses. Macy OF tile
young ladies have most vivid recollection Of
his sweet SMILE his eyes, aud his lndescrlb.
ably sweet broken accrot. Others have cot.
Between Two aud three O'clock he hid sud
denly placed his carriage upon sleigh rJskes -
now, where, or When is mystery WHICH 10
uuiry at every public stable III mis- town has
| I'D r., I ho 4 h.. " IA.
10 and without the carriage was astonishing,
II aoy one had anticipated such a freak OF
course it would have been easy TO dcIcct the
author, but the very bad weather, the immense
fall OF suoW and the fact that % one uuii 10
wards evening suspected that it was 4 mystery
or extensive hoax, nccessltatcs our taking the
back trail 10 wolk up the affair. h" W as r:tLc:.
ly to the servants Wherever he went, as DOT less
than sixty or seventy Gao attest by I'D aud sill
yer coiu of FraucA. Spain, Eng LAND, Germany
| and America, and IN ole instance or Turkey,
now 10 their possession, the whole aggrcgatlog
nearly $45. All approaches OF his servant VI.
terly failed to elicit aoy hing. At one hause on
Main street he entered, spoke 10 every lady
present land there were 6Ve,) and called them
by nama saying something 10 each which sat
isfed them he kew their aneccdcnts and 50
self possessed was be that when strangers cam
10 be advanced aud received them, asking
lanes and Introducing them. Betore the la
dies could quite recover from their aSL1u!-h.
meut be bowed himself out and vas goue. He
never paid two visits 10 the same neighborho0d
consecutivey, although it is certain that III
many instances he rel urued at later p=rod Of
the day 10 ncigh borh,ods previously visited.
| At one resdcuca he visited French g"ntl"mau,
| there merely announcing nluscii a. c0uItFy-
mau ADD alter making himself very agreeable
be performed upon the plano, the guitar and
violin with WonderfuI skill and displayed rich,
highly cultivated tenor voice. Tie Withdrew,
speaking French, as the gentleman a.sur~s Us,
perfectly, saying be would be Al Ills hotel SIEVE
raj weeks and begging Mons. - to cal upon
hin. As be badc adieu to Mauamc - be
| placed 10 her bands small box Of what he said
were bon bons 10 keep up the French custom OF
New Years tokens. Alter he was gone. upon
opening the box 10 /! it contains lovely GUAM
eled locket, quite costly, with diamond "A"
upon the face Inquiry at his hotel tailed to
elicit any information as to his whereabouts and