Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1879-04-03

n FRENCH CHARLEY koSS CASE.-
On The Boulevard Malesherbes youn 2
couple, somewhat new TO Paris. had
Just taken thelplace Of concierge and
bdtier respectively. One afternoon as
ihe;. little boy oi four was playing IN
the passage on level with the street,
by which all houses here are entered,
q coupe stopped in front Of the house
and well dressed lady descendde.-
The infa ut was attracted by the noise
and ran out. The women stopped and
,fondled tsnd earned II TO the csrrsge
and drove of. The mother, in The mar
row ground floor allotted TO the con-
cierge, saw nothing OF this. A neigh
bor's servant had seen il, but supposed
IL was all right.
Had this happened in America Il
would have been a Charley Ross affair.
"They manage these things better IN
France" as Lawrence Slern4 was fond
Of saying. The mother missed her in
fant in due time. She went up and
down The street III no great uneasiness,
but finding no sign she grew alarmed.
Her alarra became terror as ths lights
OF the wide street began to burn in the
early winter evening. By chance the
servant who had seen the cab was en-
countered. She told the story. The
police were called IN, and assured the
terrified mother that she should soon
have her infant. One day passed, and
no infant. two days, then two weeks,
and the mother was summoned 10 the
station Of the district. She was shown
into a private room, and there was her
small boy IN the arms of a strange lady.
The mother made for the lad, but the
lady pushed her away.
what said the dismayed mother,
sam not 10 have my childi"
The policeman spoke np: i'Madam
Ia comptesse claims the child as her
own"
at Is false" said the mother; "it is
my own Come to me, Paul. 2 10
The child made On effort, but was re-
strained, and burst into sobs. The po-
liceman inierGered. He saw much
more practical way of deciding the
question Of maternity than Solomon in
all his wisdom. lie commanded the
child to be left free to choose. The
little boy ran with gurgle of delight
TO It's mother. MADAME Ia comptessc
will consider himself under arrest Zen
surrei!ienes) until further orders, aud
will not attempt to leave the coun-
try" laa
How had the infant been found -
First every hack in the district was ex-
amined as to its work on that particular
'aiternoon, and in time this reducedshe
problem 10 which OF dozen or more
ladies had driven with children that
day. Then the problem came down 60
a lady living in modest quarter OF the
city, who had returned home with an
infant, and had Immediately lrft the
place, and had not been seen since
Then The history Of this personage was
looked up. She was the Countess Lo-
menin, an English woman. who had
separated from her husband. Then the
departures from Paris were traced, and
so surely that within three days the
train she had taken was known; in an
other the point she had gotten of-Ca-
.lais, and crossed 10 Dover; then IN Eng
land the work was slow, and promised
TO be hopeless, when. 10. the bird re-
alighted ia the same bush. though not
IN The same cage. She had returned
to Paris and taken quarters elsewhere.
She was visited by the police, and
vowed that the child was her own, and
vows still that is, and the case is to be
tired in she courts. The Developments
meanwhile ahoutthe comptesse illustrate
not only the portentous espionage OF
the police on every man, woman and
child in the capital, but reveal some
extraordinary phases OF Paris lite. The
woman, il seems, has a mania for seiz-
ing children and putting them in asy-
lums for infants, 10 be- reared 10 GER
tain creeds. SO far as shown she rs not
mercenary in her madness, but simply
hent on making monks of such promis-
ing babies as she can seize.-Paris Let
fes. fo Chfe0Po Times.