Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-09-24
AN IDIOTS FREAK.

AN IDIOTS FREAK.
The "Count" De Rochbrune Brings 9
4 $4,000 Suit for Breach of Promiss--T The
Absurdity of the Affair--His Outrageous
| Annoyance of an Estimable LadyHe Ii
Adjudged q Luuatic and a Guardian Or.
dered.
Every city and every community can boast
of having at least one eccentric character whu
| becomes the butt and laughing stock of fun.
loving people. ST. Paul has such a character
in the person of Philip DeRochebrnue, more
| familiarly known rs "Count DsRochebrune. u
For years past he has been the innocent victim
is an attorney at law, and a man of some prop
rty. So far as the management of his money
fairs is concerned he is as clear headed as the
average, but upon other matters he is, to use a
slang phase, "littls off, The personal ap
pearance of the Count is far from being a
perfect Adonis," yet it is one of his peculiar
ities to think he isa perfect 'lady killer" In
all outward appearances, there is probably NO
man on earth less calculated to attract the fam
cy of woman. He is deformed, obese and
repulsive in aspect and deficient in intellect;
yet he has an idea that every marriageble lady
Is crazy. to secure him as husband. For years
past he mas annoyed different ladies in this
city by his attentions, and long ago he would
have been chastised or roughly dealt with
but for his crippled condition. the knowledge
that he was scarcely coanpos mentis.
For nearly a year past he has been turning
his attention TO, and annoying Mrs Eve
Lamprey the widow of the late Morris Lam
prey. Several times he called at her residence
and with the exception of the first time he
he was denied admission to her presence and
was also forbidden the premises. He then
wrote letter after letter to her. couched in
the most silly and idiotic language, most of
which were burned without reading. The an
noyance became unbearable, and Mrs. Lam
prey's relatives called upon him several times
and warned him to desist, but without avail.
1t was difficult to deal with such character.
His crippled condition and weak intellect was
his protection, or he would long ago have re.
ceived the chastisement which his prosecutions
call for. Mono but the immediate
relatives and friends of Mrs. Ilamprey were
aware of these persistent annoyances, but
there seemed no remedy without an exposure,
from which any sensitive and refined lady
would instinctively shrink. The elimination
OF these outrages was reached on Monday,
when DeRochebrune sfied the following COM
plant with the clerk Of the district court:
The complaint of the above named plaintiff
respectfully shows to this court, that on or
about the 18th day Of November, A. D. 1S79
| at the city of st. Paul, the above named de-
fendent, in consideration that the plaintiff be-
ing then sole and unmarried, at the request of
the defendant, faithfully promised to marry
the defendant, who did undertake and faith
fully promise to marry the plaintiff; that con-
iding in the said promise and undertaking of
the said defendant, the plaintiff has remained
and continued and still is sole and unmarried,
and has always been, and still is, ready and
willing to marry the defendant; that though a
reasonable time has elapsed since said promise
and undertaking for the defendant to marry
the plaintiff, yet although repeatedly request
ed so to do, she has wholly neglected and re-
fused, and still does neglect and refuse, to
marry the plaintiff, to his damage $4,000.
Wherefore, the plaintiff demands judgment
against said defendant for the said sum of
$4,000, besides the costs Of this action.
PHILLIP DERoCHEBRUNE,
st. Paul, MINI. Plaintiff.
No respectable attorney in this city or State
would have been party to such an outrage
upon the feelings of lady, but being an at
torney himself there was no means of prevent
ing him from filing his complsint, which, as
stated alb owe, was filed on the 22d inst. The
matter had to be taken notice of regardless OF
the feelings of the parties. The statutes of the
State gave him the authority to commence his
action, and entitled him to hearing in court.
Ludicrous and absurd, as we'll as amazing as
the whole matter was, it had to be met in some
manner, and the only way to reach it was to
apply to the probate judge for a commission in
lunacy, in order to test the sanity of the plain
tiff. Judge O'Gorman summoned Drs. Hand
and Boardman to act in CONJUNCTION with him.
self as a jury to determine the question of the
mental condition of MI. DeRochebrune and the
hearing was had yesterday afternoon. De.
Rochebrune was brought into court, Messrs.
Geo. L. Otis and E. r. Hollinshead appearing
for Mrs. Lamprey. number of witnesses were
| in attendance to testify to the facts of De-
Rochbrune's persistent annoyances, but Mrs.
Lamprey was the only witness called. She
gave plain, clear and unaffected statement
of the facts. She had never seen Mr De-
Rochbrune at her residence but once in her
life, and then treated him as the harmless
idiot she knew him to be. The letters he had
written her had all been burned except the
three+last, which she submitted to the court
| DeRochebrune then took the stand andgave O
rambling, silly and maniacial account of his
| side of the story, which simply amounted to
| nothing at all beyond his own imaginings that
every manageable lady in St. Paul was anx.
| lous to obtain him as a husband, and that he
had given them all the go by, as he felt il
would be an injustice to go back On Mrs
Lamprey.
At the conclusion of his story the court
room was cleared of all except the jury and De,
Rochebrune, and the result of the examin alton
was4 that DeRochebrune was declared of un.
sound mind, but not sufficiently SO to warrant
his commitment to the asylum for the insane,
but recommended the court to appoint guar.
dian over his real and personal property, on the
proper application being made.
DeRocheburne took the decision
very philosophically, and when a
GLOBE reporter called upon him
last evening he said he was utterly aatounded
at the turn affairs had taken and said that he
should once discontinue further proceedings
in regard to the claim made by him for breach
of romise.
Mls. Lamprey certainly has the sympathy of
the entire community in this attempt of an
idiot to bring her name before the public in
such an unpleasant manner but she can have
the satisfaction of knowing that it is not re.
garded as casting even the breath of odlum
upon her.
THE THIRD DfsTRTOr.
(I.---