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

her, the controller general added about
$50 to her pension. This, however,
was but drop in the mighty ocean of
her wants. Living far beyond her
means, burdeued with debts, and har-
raised in mind, she even contemplated
suicide, but concluded to remain on
earth awhile longer and battle with
grim poverty.
Then it was, when she WAS having a
hand.to- hand fight with penury, when
every resource was exhausted, and the
wolf could no longer be kept from the
door, that her fertile Imagination con
ceived deed which for cunning and
daring has rarely been surpassed. This
was plan to transfer the diamond
necklace from the hands of the jewel
ers into those Of her OWE. Into this
audacious plot the highest in the land
were to be dragged queen and the
Cardinal de Rohan, high church digni-
tary and grand almoner of France. 1t
was desperate deed, but well planned
and well executed.
She first set the report about that she
was on terms of intimacy with the
queen, and to give an appearance of
reality to her story, she was constantly
seen in the vicinity of the palace, as if
she had been visiting the queen in her
private apartments. She persuaded
Cardinal de Rohan that, through her
intercessions, Marie Antoinette was
ready to receive him again into favor
Owing to his conduct when on a foreign
mission, he was in disrepute at the
court; aud, having spoken disrespect-
fully of the queens mother, Maria
Theresa, her daughter, the queen Of
France, refused to countenance him.
He felt keenly his position, and eagerly
snatched at even the feeble thread this
cunning woman held ont to him.
She now forged letters which she
pretended had been sent to her by the
queen, in which she speaks of her for
giveness of the cardinal, and says that
the explanations of the Countess de la
Motto have placed matters i'll quite a
different light. Delighted at this favor
able turn in his affairs, and filed with
gratitude to the successful mediator
between himself and royalty, he is
ready to lavish money and goodwill
upon her.
She now goes step farther, and the
cardinal receives letters from the
queen herself through the medium of
the countess. Through the same me-
dunn he sends money to her maj esty,
at her own request, which is eagerly
appropriated by the Countess de la
Motto. These letters are written on
the same blue bordered paper on which
Marie Antoinette usually wrote, and
were inscribed by u young man en-
ployed for the purpose.
Under the pretense that the queen
wishes the cardinal to negotiate with
the jewelers. for the necklace, he is in
duced bysone of these blue bordered
notes to meet Marie Antoinette in the
garden of the Tuileries al midnight.
70 have believed it possible that the
queen of France would commit the in
discretion of inviting a man to meet
her in such place at such an hour
proves that the vanity of the cardinal
was so gigantic that it completely swal-
lowed up his common sense. A wo-
man. who is not in the plot, but who is
dupe also, is cheated into meeting
the cardinal. She is not aware that
she is representing the queen, and does
not know that it is the cardinal she is
meeting. She says but few words,
when the countess, who is keeping
watch, hurries her off, fearing that the
deception may be discovered by the
cardinal. The end has been accom-
plished, however; the dupe thinks the
queen has thus honored him, and he
clasps with eager JOY the rose-emblem
Of her favor and forgiveness which she
has placed in his hands. Wonderful
credulityl He is ready now to per-
form any act, however silly, at the bid
ding of the cunning and false daugh-
ter of Nalois, whose exalted descent
did not prevent her being swindler
of the worst kind.
She writes, Us if from the queen, en-
powering the cardinal to purchase the
necklace. She sends one of her trust
ed emissaries to the jewellers to sug-
gest to them, as the Countess de la
Motto is in high favor with the queen,
she would be likely to persuade her
into purchasing the necklace. She was
accordingly visited by one of the Jew
elers, and when the cardinal purchased
the necklace they did not recognize
him so much in the matter as the
queens so-called friend, the all-per-
suasive and all-powerful countess. SO
delighted were the jewelers. to get rid
of the expensive bauble, and so CRATE
full were they to the countess for her
powerful assistance, that they gave a
banquet at which she was the honored
| guest.
When the cardinal was requested, rs
he thought, by the queen to purchase
| the necklace, he was told to hand it to
the person appointed by her friend, the
Countess de la Motto, to receive it.
This person was the accomplice who
wrote the letters purporting to come
from the queen.
Everybody is satisfied. The cardi-
nal that he is able to crafty the queen;
the jewellers that they have got rid of
the necklace, and the countesss that
she has secured that which will place
her far above the pangs, of poverty.
A thief, q forger of the queens name,
| she stands on n volcano which is liable