Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-08-01
WHOLEN NO. 1872.
A BEAUTIFUL DECEPTION.
A Whole Town Joining Wftha De-
voted Daughter to Humbug an
Insane Man into Sanity.

Preville, the eminent French actor
having lost his fortune and indeed
his livelihood by the Revolution,
which swept away the Commedie-
franchise; having lost his wife 10
whom he was tenderly attached, bro
ken in health and finally blind. went
to end his days at the residence of
his daughter Nine. Guesdon, whose
husband was Receiver-GeHeral 81
Beauvias His mind gave way. The
sights which he had witnessed at
Paris during the reign of terror had
always deeply affected him, and
when his rcason was cIoudcd he in
variably fascied himself In ono of
the prisons of tho republic under a
mysterious charge of TREASON. His
daughter, a woman as clover as de-
voted having exhausted all tho re.
sources of medical science without
effacting cure, hit upon the fortu-
nate idea of entering into the hallu
-cination and so guiding it ~ to di.
rect it to natural and happy ending.
She, therefore, ceased attempting TO
convince him that he was at liberty
and in safety, and confessed that
they had tried 10 argue him ont OF
the idea of his captivity solely from
a loving desire to relieve him OF his
horrors. Deception, fit had been
longer possible, she added, was no
longer necessary, for they had re.
ceived an intimation that the day
for his trial had been SGT and was
drawing near, and he must prepare
to meet his judges with all the re-
sources of his mind. The old man
was delighted that she had at last
abandoned the deception which had
prcvsated her from receiving his
cenfiSence. and poured ont 10 her
his sory, his hopes and fsars. He
was sssn visited By cou1oil, who
bravsly discussed the case, friends
printed and circulated pamphlet
proclaiming bis innocence and from
his window be saw crowds purchas-
ing the pamphlets and earnestly
converting on what had become the
ono Important matter of the hour.
Feeding his hopes TINS ingenisnsly
from day to day, his devoted dsugh-
ter !, d him on I'LL tho cven,ful day
set for the mock trial had arrived.
Pale, agitated and trembling, led by
bis daughter and his grandson, Pre-
vile entered the ball, when the aud
fence broke out with a tempest Of
cheers, and vivas to express its SYM
PATTY with him The presiding
judgs stornly demanded siIoncs,
which was at last secured, and the
trial was begun in due form. Moth !
ing was lacking--indictment, tes,i-
mony, oss-examinations, speeches,
objections, arguments, The prisoner
was GREATNESS with anxiety, and
over his bland old face, all wet with.
tears, coursed alterations of hope
and fear and emotion. The lawyers
made their arguments, the Judges
summed up, and the jurors retired
to consider their verdict. r
The jury comes back there isa
great hustle Of expectation the effi-
GERS OF the court command silence Il
there is o hush; the jurors rise and
return their verdict, mot gniltyli
he is acquitted | Hurrah! breaks
from all parts OF the hall, men and
women Chamber oyer the ksnche.
and struggle to congratulate and ON
brace him, there are chsers, cries of
JOY and happy tears. Preville is
lifted TO q chair and borne home
through the garden, where at every
step he is hailed with ACCLAIM atoms
of delight. All Paris surely must
have turned out, and his bearers
have to implore the citizens to make
way and not crush them TO- death.
There are flowers thrown and cheers
given, and blessings are called out as
if from the windows. SO they bring
the old man home to his family, cur.
ed forever Of the singular hallucina-
ton that had haunted him for two
years and caused him so much mon.
tai Agony Y. Sunday World.