San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-03-25
THE CHEVALIER D'AUBANT
Above Story of Old Louisiana.

Written for the Light
First among the ladies that graced the
early settlement OfsLOdisiana under the
governorship Of Mr.. de Bienville was an
accomplished and beautiful noble female
of German origin, whose romantic ad-
ventures created at the time great sem
sation in the colony and in Europe. She
was believed to be the Princess Char
lotte of Brunswick Wolfenbuttel.
1t was said at the time that she had
become enamored of a brilliant French
officer whom she had known while he
was sOjourning at her fathers court.
Her pure love was reciprocated, but
misfortune would have 1t that she was
compelled to marry the Prince Alexis
PetrOvich, son of Peter the Great, who
abused and mistreated her so much,
even going so far as to whip the beauti-
full creature, that out of grief at the
cruel and rough treatment she suffered
from this brutal Prince, she took mar
cotic and was believed to be dead, and,
like Juliet. was placed in tomb, from
which, owing to the devotion of one Of
her ladies of honor, she was enabled to
escape alive to France. Reaching France
the Princess sought after the young Of
ficer, her only thought, and learned
that he had been sent to Louis
lana on duty, to which country
he carried with him q sOrrOwful heart
and the painful thought Of his hopeless
love. The Chronicle says that after the
Chevalier d'Aubant for that was his
name, had accompanied Bienville in his
explorations of the banks of the Missis-
sippi River, and while waiting to be
called again in active service, D'Aubant
had retired or a small lot of land that
he was cultivating as philosopher more
than as an Agricultural. Like all ro-
mantic.pe Ople, he was living with his
dreammoTe than with the reality.
One lovely evening while poor d'Au-
hant shut up in his cabin, was following
in the heaven of his Imagination clouds
Of thoughts Of the past, he saw appear
on his door sill a lovely female. beauti-
full as the woman of his dreams and re-
grets was il an halluCinatiOn, an irony
OF his excited brain. an Illusion OF his
eve sight, or the truth?
D'Aubant arose and walked toward
this phantom, and stretching his arms
to seize the flowing folds of its white
gown; the phantom did not vanish a
sweet smile Illuminated her beautiful
face her hands Joined those Of the Che
lier her sweet lips opened and Dronounc-
ed human words that Immediately
changed the adventurer's cabin into a
paradise D'Aubant was facing reality.
Princess Charlotte soon explained to
the poor officer how she came to this far
desert of the New World, and added
that she was his forever. A few days
afterwards the two lovers were united
in the bonds OF matrimOny; the French
chronicler adds that on the bank of
BayO Saint Teap, In Louisiana, there
can be seen to this day two gigantic and
venerable oaks that they planted on the
day Of their fantastic marriage. In
fortunately this was not the end Of the
adventures of this beautiful, accom-
plished, virtuous and unfortunate lady.
Having returned to France after some
years her husband, the chevalier, was
ordered to the land Of Barbery as major
of the troops stationed there, where he
soon died. His widow Princess Char
lotte. returned to Paris with her daugh-
ter. their only child. These two I'M
fortunate ladies led very retired life
and died one shortly after the other in
the greatest distress. l.. G.