The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-20

| worthless love with q blind infatlatfun,
and she. nothing 10th TO accept his de-
votion as long as his money lasted, fol-
| lowed him..
June, 1877, the pair were at the famous
French Watering place, Biarritz, sguan
dering money like an emperor OF en-
press. There sudden cloud obscured
Behrens' fortune.
It came in the shape Of an announce
ment from his agent, Senior Della Costa,
Of Angostura (who will be rememb ered
by most readers Of the Dispatch as lste
Venezuelan Minister to the United
5tates). informing him that his exoesses
had dissipated his fortune to the last
dollar, and that only the strictest econ
omy could repair the mischief. The
agent advised him TO return home, re-
vive his neglected mines. and 50 re-es-
tablish his wealth.
The wretohsd man. enmeshed by bis
fatal love beyond release. neglected the
warning. Conoealing his position from
the woman, he operated upon the e8-
tensive credit his lavish expenditures
had procured for him until, In November
last. he was arrested In Paris for debt.
BY an arrangement with the creditors,
involving the transfer of his name to
them, he obtained his release and con
and. moth like. fiuttered. with the last
remnant OF his fortune, back into the
devouring flame,
The woman. who meanwhile had been
receiving the attention OF q Spanish
millionaire. received him eoldly, but,
learning that he was not yet quite pen
niless, again
ADMITTED HIM no HER LOVE.
H. L. he n
Of December. Then his acknowledge
ment that he was now utterly beggared
and her remuneration Of him came to-
gether.
The rest of the tragedy is best told in
the language Of the Temps in Its de-
scription Of the affair.
| The unfortunate man. It says. spent
the entire dey in wandering over the
city, drinking heavily. until his reason
utterly gave way. At 10 o'clock In the
evening he returned to the house In
which his mistress had been establish
ed, in regal splendor. at his expense.
The servant who admitted him noted
his disturbed air, andgbeing, like most
people Of her class, pretty well 40.
quainted with the secrets OF her master
and mistress, she easily OWNED Its
cause. This led her TO watch him, and
1t is to her evidence that we owe most
Of our knowledge OF the termination Of
the matter.
Mile. Seidlinger was unwsll and In
bed. Behrens went to her apartment.
The servant, .Durand. was arranging
her mistress dress for the morning.
Behrens ordered her out and closed aud
locked the door after her. She listened
outside.
The witness heard them talking for
some time. They conversed In o high
key, and evidently in bad temper. Then
che heard the following speech uttered
by Behrens In a loud and excited voice +:
"You have had your use of me- he
said, land now desire to be rid Of me-
30 be 1t. But, poor as / am, there is
one thing more that 7 shall give you
"There isP'' said the woman in a
sneering voice. Indeed
"There ts, indeed. You have ruined
me and played upon my mad love, for
your own ends, most skillYully. Now. q
beggar by your acts, a pauper for my
| devotion TO you, you repay my affectio n
by casting me off at the time when,
most OF all, single expression Of CRATE
full emotion would Tighten the night Of
ruin into which have plunged. It is
all such wretehed connections as ours
| DO to your next lover-but go to him
with the stain Of my blood on YOU
| robes. You have taken all / have
Take, too, the life of which Ia Of nc
further use to either yourself or me-
| There was the noise OF brief strug
gle. Then
| A SINGLE PISTOL SHOT
rang, muf1led by the barrier. through
the heavy door. deep groan and g
| wild shrek of terror filled the air with
q blood.ourdling clamor, and the
| listener tainted.
When she revived sufficiently, she
alarmed the house. The cries within
| her mistresses' chamber had subsidized
to low. gibbering sobs. With some
| difficulty the door was forced. and the
servants. headed by q hastily summon
| ed gems 'arme. stumbled into the room
A swinging lamp Of silver, together
with the fainter CLEANS OF a wood
| fire In the hearth, lighted q scene az
| strange as it was horrible.
Stretched on his back on the disorder.
| cd bed was the corpse Of Behrens, d re-
7, volver olutched in one hand, the other
| arm being thrown about the neck OF
his mistress.
The muscles, contracted and hardened
by the rigidity that follows death by
| violence, had 80 stitfened the arm that
| the wretohed woman had not been able
to release herself, and was held against
the cold breast Of the man whom she
had driven to self-murder, and whose
blood. gushing fsom q shattered skull,
streamed over and stained her silken
night.dres and spread a scarlet smear
over the lawn sheets and the lace pill
| lows Of the sumptuous couch OF death.
She was raving mad. The act which
had deprived her wretched dupe OF life
had brought with 1t a measure of horror
which had destroyed her reason.
Behrens was buried at the expense OF
the Venezuelan embassy. Ella Seid-
linger Is In mad-house hoplessly in
sane.
Prussian Matrimonial SquabbIes.
There exists a system In Prussia under
which an effort Is made, through the
intarvnntiop ar tha 1oaal clarpymaO tn