Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-01-19

one Of the jewellers, told her of the pur-
chase made by the queen. She cleo
trifed him by asserting positively that
the necklace was not in the queens
possession, and never had been.
! The necklace contained 629 dia-
monds, all Of rare beauty and many
very large. The De la Notes, picking
it to pieces, prepared to sell the stones.
Vilette, the young man who wrote the
letters, was sent with some Of the dia-
monds to sell. While thus engag. ~ he
was arrested en- suspicion of havs az
stolen them, but, as nothing could be
proved against him he was released.
The chief conspirator succeeded in dis
posing of many, and her husband had
similar good luck in England.
And now "the winter Of our discon-
tent" vanquished, and the countess
prepared to live as daughter of the
house OF Valois should. She furnished
her house in regal style. The hangings
to her bed were silver velvet trimmed
with gold lace and fringe, and en-
broidered in gold thread and spapgles,
and her coverlid was worked in pearls.
Her stables were filled with horses; she
had fine carriages; silver bells were at
tached to her horses when she rode
out; she had out riders her Golfers
glittered with rare jewels and her at
tire was worthy Of the queen herself.
She was now living at her old home,
| Bar-Sur--A ube-living there like a
princess where she had once lived as a
beggar child
But the storm was gathering that was
to break upon her, for M,n.. Campan
had informed the queen Of her pur-
chase, made in her name by the Cardi-
nal de Rohan. One day, as arrayed in
his pontficial robes he was about to Gel
citrate church festival in the chapel of
| Versailles, he was summoned to attend
the king in his private cabinet. On
being questioned by the king as to who
gave him the authority to purchase the
necklace for the queen, he replied: "a
lady called the Countess de ia Motto
Valois, who handed me letter from
the queen, and, thought was perform
ing my duty to her majesty when | un-
dertook this negotiation"
How, SIR" said the queen, could
you believe l should select you, to
whom | have not spoken these eight
years, to negotiate anything for me, and
especially through the mediation of
such woman woman, too, whom
/ do not even know"
| The cardinal evidently thought that
the queen was only playing part in
the presence of her husband, and he
fci. some contempt fos her cowardice in
trying to screen herself from blame in
the transaction. However, he soon be-
came convinced that he had been made
a dupe of, and confesslng the same, de-
clared his Willingness to pay for the
necklace This did not save him from
punishment, however, and in spite of
his protests, he was arrested in his
sacred robes and thrown into the Bas
| tile.
When the guilty countess heard the
news of the cardinals arrest she was at
dinner party at Clairvaux, where the
abbot was entertaining some of his
| friends. She almost tainted, as well
she might, and rushed from the table
in evident dismay. She was arrested
the next morning and carried to the
Bastilc. while her husband wisely fed
| to England. The woman, Nine
d'Oliva, who personated the qneen in
| the garden scene, was arrested, as was
also the young man Viiette, who wrote
the letters purporting to come from the
queen.
The audacity of the countess did not
desert her on her trial. She put a: bold
face on the matter and denied every
! thing, trying to make it appear that the
cardinal was the guilty party. She
was ever ready with the most plausi-
bic answers, and even denied the con-
fession of Vilette, saying that he was
as innocent as she was herself. She was
cool and courageous, never at loss
! for an answer, under the severest cross
examination, and bore herself proudly
through the whole trial, as daughter
of the house of Valois should do, of
course. Her assertions of innocence
did not save her, however, and she
was borne to the conciegerie, where a
terrible punishm ent awaited her.
| The cardinal was acquitted, amid
the plaudits Of the people but the
king demanded him to resign the office
of grand almoner and the orders that
| had been conferred upoo him, and to
retire to his abbey among the noun
tains of Auvergne.
Upon the countess deservedly fell the
greatest punishment. She had planned
the whole affair, the others being her
dupes and instruments. When her
sentence was read to her she went into
commissions. She was to be whipped
and branded on both shoulders with
the word 'voleuse'-thief. She was
not the person to submit quietly to an
| infliction like this. She screamed and
struggled violently when the hot iron
was applied to her tender flesh. Never
did the shoulders Of Nalois suffer -
did those of this degenerate "orphan,
descended from Henry II. of Nalois,
King of France" Amid her cries and
imprecations the painful sentence was
executed, and thus branded she was
thrown into coach and driven to the
Salpetriere, a prison for the lowest