Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-09-09
Jean mis,ral,s wonderruI story.

| the fictions of Gaboriau and Paul Feval. 1t
| out-Reades Charles Reade in the Jean Mis-
trail affair. Jean Mistral is a wretched be-
| ing who, under the Ubiquitous French law of
| 1888, was clapped in a madhouse by his
| father. When incarcerated he was in sound
mind. But a consciousness of the grievous
| wrong done him, forced separation from a
| wife whom he was attached, and associa-
| ton with lunatics, have rendered him in
sane. What wonder? He has beeu forty
two years in a madhouse, and is the owner
| of fortune estimated at 60,000,000f Jean
| Mistral is a first cousin of the poet of his
| name, who writes in the Provencal dialect
| The unhappy millionaire is the only son, but
| not the only child, of a manufacturer of ar.
| tifcial thistles or burrs for dressing coarse
cloth. The other child was married to a
| converted jew named Barnard at Tarascon,
| where the paternal factory was situated. A
great part of the 60,O00,0o0f has been pro-
duced by the interest, simple and compound,
which has accrued to the madmans
heritage Ssince he was locked up
| iu 1910. Jean MistraPs story is
| thus given by a first cousin of the name of
| Fournier, who has been for some time exert
| ing himself to get him released from the asy-
lum and kept under surveillance in house
of his own. The French code mercifully
rules that rich lunatics are not to be sent to
| Warehouses but placed under the charge OF
| keepers at home or sent to board in private
| families licensed 10 take them il. The OBJ
| iect of the license Is TO bring such families
within the ken of luuacy commissioners.
Jean MistraPs story is as follows: He was
| an only son and employed by his father as
| a commercial traveller for the factory OF
artificial thistle-hesds. Somewhere in Ger
many he went to a concert, and fell violently
| in love with the daughter of a Polish noble
| 10 an who sang at it. She had been reared in
sfiuence, but her father being exiled and his
estates confiscated, she became singer 10
support him and herself. 1t appears that
she was a woman of rare beauty and sensI-
bility. There was not in 1887 such
a great market for lyric stars as there now is.
Jean Mistral had some difficulty in obtain
ing Introduction 10 her. They entered in
10 matrimonial engagement. The young
Provencal returned to Tarascon TO ask his
father to consent to the union. The manu-
fscturer said that everything would depend
on the fortune of the young lady. "She has |
none 20 signify" replied the son. "Her |
father is nobleman, but in exile; and there |
is no chance of the estates which have been |
esnfscated By the czsr being restored TO |
him." I'm that case" said old Mistral, 'she |
shall never be your wife. Never do you |
hear me Never" The young man did |
not attempt 10 change his fathers determi- |
nation by force OF argument. He wrote TO |
the singer to tell her OF his failure, but i'm |
plored her TO believe in his constancy. At |
months, when Mistral the elder told Jean |
that he had made up a match between him |
and the daughter OF a rich ship-owner at /
Marseilles. She was to be splendidly dow
cred, and was young, accomplished and |
beautiful. In about seven weeks the mar
younger excused himself and could not be /
brought TO pay visit 10 the young LADY
and her parents. His obstin2cy was a cause |
of heart-burning and pickering. The /
father refused 10 hold personal relations
with him, but still employed him as
traveller, in which capacity he again sent
him TO Germany, where the Polish
beautiful than ever, and was becoming pub
lie favorite at Munich. Jean took q bold
resolution. 1t was to marry her and then
bring her back to Tarascon, where her love
illness, he hoped, would gain all his friends to
her side and subjugate his father. The old
man was only exaggerated by the sympathy |
she inspired among his relatives in Provence.
He entirely broke with Jean and turned him
out of his employment. The newly-wedded |
couple were destitute of money. The wife,
who wac brave-hearted, proposed to sing her
way 10 Marseiles. When there she would
probably obtain an engagement which would
enable her thereafter to 60 to Lyons and
Paris. A cousin made them a present of a
jennet and little two-wheeled vehicle in
which they might jaunt from town 10 town.
This they did, and harvested a good lot of
yellow Louis and Nspoleons. But Jeans evil
destiny ruled that his wife's plan should fall
through. At Montpelier he learned
set aside the marriage, and as the case
was to be tried rhere he determined
to go no further, but remain to try and
mollify old Mistral. He failed sgain. A
judgment was pronounced against jean,
whose mother las he supposedly wrote to him
a few days subsequent to its delivery to say
that she was dying and to implore him to
hasten back 10 Tarascon 10 see her. When
he arrived there he was refused admission TO
the house. A violent scene between him and
his father took place. In the course of the
evening, as Jean was going back to Mont
pelier, the inexerable manufacturer seized
the reins and called upon two police agents
dressed in plain clothes TO arrest the lunatic.
This they did In virtue of a warrant OBJ
tanned in the course Of the day. Young
Mistral fought hard to keep his liberty.
GeT1ddrmes were summoned, and he was
taken off manacled to the lunatic asylum OF
st. Remy. When he hsd been locked up
demand was sent TO the director of public
safety for the expulsion OF the unhappy vile.
In the eyes OF the law she had no mstri-
monial status, and was not, therefore.
French woman. 1t was represented that she
was person of bad character and disturbed
the peace of an honorable family. As old
MistraPs petition was countersigned BY an
influential member of the Chamber
of Deputies at a time when min
isterial crisis was approaching, it was
dying. Her letter was dictated by
domestic tyrant who so arranged as to inesr-
cerzte his son in madhouse directly the
marriage ceremony that took place in Ger
many was declared null by the tribunsl Of
Montpelier. Such ia the sad story of Jean
Mistral. When he had been twenty yesrs at
St. Remy an elderly lady, speaking with .
foreign accent and bearing a letter from !
Princess Czartoryski, called at the asylum.
She was In deep mourning. and asked to be
allowed to see Jean Mistral. The object OF .
her visit was to tell him that his wife-her
sister-had died, and that she had left
daughter, who was on her way to Nlce, ,
where abe had been sent 10 fight against rapid
consumption. The alleged mailman spoke
with 30 much feeling about his courtship
and marriage that his sister-in-lav was not
afraid to tell him all th at wa upon her mind.
Her communication unhinged his intellect,
which, it Is admitted, was up 10 that time
sound His father had been dead eight years.
But as the director of the asylum and his
sister and her husband were interested in
keeping him where he was, he was never re-
leased. The Barnard couple have no ehIl-
dren. We're the mad Crosns TO outlive Them
hisi so, 600, OO0f. would be divided be-
tween NJ. Fourier and the poet :
Mistral and his brother, who keeps
book-shop at Avignon. NJ. Fourier de-
mands that the poor madman should be re-
leased from the tHtelage OF tne bArnards,
who acted criminslly in not letting him out
when he was Of sound mind. Should Jean
be IN Iiberatsd 4 and placed under the guardian-
hin 81 s;s consins they would have direct
interest in doing all thai humanity speaking
"a noss;bIs 20 make his old age happy and /