River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-08-28
Some Odd Yarns.


New York sun
A few years ago. when IN Europe
took dinner with relative of the famous
diplomat and politician, Prince Talley-
rand, who lived stylishly in one of the ar
istocratic quarters of Paris After the re-
past e party began telling yarns highly
Favored with the supernatural. The fol-
lowing are some of the best of them:
My host, who was by the way Mar
quis, told very curious story Of his
kinsman, Prince Talleyrand. The Prince,
in his youth, was enamored of certain
very beautiful Countess, who was behead-
cd during the Reign Of Terror. One day
as the Prince was out driving in the
Bots de Nincennes, many years afterward,
the coachman suddenly stopped, and
| Prince Talleyrand, looking out OF the
indow to see what Nas the matter, saw
two ladies standing by the side OF the
carriage. One Of them, holding up face
bet cen her two hands, presented the
head of the dead Countess at the carriage
window, and then withdrew. The Prince
in the greatest CONSERVATION called out
to the coachman to know the cause of
this stopping, whcreupon the latter, with
ii gesture, pointed to the figures Which
were still visible. T Prince drove has
tily home. and calling his sister apart re-
lated what he had Just seen in the most
terrible agitation. "My grandmother,
who was this sister, told me this herself,
quietly remarked the Marquis, on finish
! ny the narration.
''But have more weird story than
| - ,,,I -. oft
versation that his strange recital gave
rise to had died away, lone IN which
was principal actor myself. 1t hap
pened during the French expedition to
| Mexico, lille the American civil war was
raging. The French army was encamped
before Rueblo. One day the hostler of
| the MARQUIS horses-the Marquis was an
officer of cavalry--came to his tent and
/ informed him that civilian was desire
Gus of beng presented. The Marquis
left the tent and followed the hostler to
one Of the outposts, where was found the
unknown visitor. He was dressed in
black and had white hair He informed
| the Marquis that there WAS TO be II battle
| that afternoon. The Marquis not little
surprised at his strange appearance, and
! the confidence with which be predicted
| a battle invited him INFO tent where the
| f2lloW-ofliccEs of the Marquis regiment
were dining. The Marquis placed him
by his side at the table Pointing to a
certain officer who sat opposite, the strang-
er visitor said that he would be killed IN
the approaching battle, and told three
others they would NC wounded,
designating in each case the particular
spot where the wound would he received.
He also informed the Marquis that he
would be wounded, and was careful to
say Just where While the conversation
y as going on the bugles blew to
horse, the officers hastily mounted
and rushed into the battle which
had already begun. The old
man IN black was not thought of until
! after the fig {, when the Marquis found
that every thing he had predicted had
come true The battle had occurred, he
himself was wounded in the very spot
foretold, and three other officers were also
wounded and III the places designated,
and the officer who was to die was killed
among the first in the onset. But e
most curious feature Of the episode is that
while the hoster remembered the strange
visitor, how he demanded the Marquis,
and no. he himself had brought the Mar
quis to him, and while the sentinels from
the extreme outposts to the heart of the
camp all recall the circumstances Of
civilian dressed in black and with white
haIr having asked for the Marquis of such
regiment and squadron, none of the
wounded officers had any recollection of
the visitor or of the scene IN the tent at
dinner. MY fellow-ofiicers laughed
good deal at my credulity,n SAID the Mar
quis aA he finished. 'but the features of
this apparition are still indelibly fixed in
my mind; they were those OF Prince Tai
leyrand.
1t vas now the turn OF the Marquis
wife, and she gave this odd concatena-
ton of mysteries, all NJ which happened
during single journey from Florida to
Paris.
The MARQUIS and his wife were living
III Florida The Marchoness was to
take the steamer on certain day for
New York An old negress OF super
stitutious nature u,ged her not to go, as
she feared there was danger. Little at
tention, however, was given to the words
of the negress. But on the afternoon of
the day before the Warehouses was to
sail, cat came up to her bedroom, car
rying dead owl, and put it in the mid
die of the bed. A servant threw the owl
out of the window; but in a feS minutes
back came the cat with the same owl and
again placed it in the middle of the bed |
This tune the owl was ordered to be |
thrown at the back of the barn, a long |
way from the house, but in half hour |
the cat again appeared with the dead bird |
and placed it III cold place. In the /
eve ing, while the family were at dinner, |
a crash was heard in the next room, the |
parlor, and on entering It strong, good |
sized table-which the Marchioness stIll |
has, and which she poii ted to IN one
corner of the room while telling the sto-
ry-was found upside down in the mid
die of tae parlor. Who or what had
tipped over the table was the question.
The room was completely shut up at the
time windows and doors closed for the
night. The Marchioness, now somewhat
nervous, declared that ii the mirror.
which covered the inside Of til top of
tie table, was broken, she would not sail.
On opening the cover the mirror was
found to be intact. She therefore, sailed |
and arrived safely OF New York. But
the Atlantic was still to be crossed. For
this purpose she had bought ticket by
the Inman Line, and walking down /.
Broadway the day before the boat
sailed, when, on m citing al
friend, ne suggested that She change her
ticket for one by I, 9 Hamburg Line,
which would land her directly in France,
aud thus save the traversing Of England
liy rail and the crossing Of the Channel;
She consented, the friend made the
change, and she sailed ON Hamburg
boat, the Inman steamer on which she
was to have taken passage leaving at the
same time. The two boats kept in sight
ALI the way down the bay, but parted at
night. When the marchioness landed in
Europe she heard hat the other steamer
was still out, and no tidings have ever
come Of her to this day. II was the City
Of Boston.
During the voyage the man servant 81
HE marchioneas came 10 her one day sIth
j gold nugget. SAYING that passenger in
he second cabin had sent it to her She