Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-02-06
PRADO'S CRIMINAL LIFE.
A CAREER OF lNlQUiTY WHICH WAS
ENDED BY THE KNIFE.

was known in Paris as 1.-THE woman with the
diamonds. The night of Jan. IA, 1856. she
came home from the Eden theatre, where she
had been displaying her brilliants to the
crowd. As she sat i'm her room her throat
Was cut 10y an unknown hand. Her desk
was unlocked '1nd robbed of $4,000 in bonds
and 81 600 in money. Her jewels were car.
ried away. At daybreak the croupier of a
small gambling club entered her room. He
stumbled across an object which proved to be
Maries dead body. The head was almost
severed from it. The servant remembered
that she had seen her mistress in company
with ''an American"
He came once before, said She land tried
to kill madam, but had taken his hat, which
had his name In it, and he evidently post
poned his int ntion"
who was the American"
Hardly hundred yards from Marie Agas
tan lived Eug snie Forester who claimed tc
be married to a Mexican named Prado The
night of Marie's murder be came home pale
agitated, feve-ish. He kept on washing his
hands, He snelt them once or twice with
repugnance. Then he handed Eugenie d
banilnote, VIII ch was cut almost in half. She
noticed a scra tch ON his right hand
"A woman nail did that, " he said coolly.
II cut her throat for her pains"
Then he went quietly to sleep
In tho mo o-ning, when Eugenie left the
house, he set 10 work to burn his clothes and
boots. Eugene, suddenly returning, found
him throwing his shirt into the stove. She
noticed that il was stained with blood He
sent her out to buy all the newspapers None
had a line about the murder
Who was Pradof
There never lived a man who wrapped
himself in So many titles He passed as
Prado, Count de Linska Castillon, Pablo,
Ribo, Crane, Mendoza, and as a dozen
Others. He was born nysterously. He was
educated i'll Mexico His father and mother
perished by a tragic death A yelled lady
watched over his childhood At IA, having
forced open hidden drawer, he learned the
terrible secret of his birth Thenceforward
he declared war on society.
His early years were spent in travel. He
visited India, China, the United States He
was at San Francisco when the last Carlist
war broke out. He went to the BASQUE
provinces to serve under Don Carlos lie
was an officer at the siege of Pampeluna.
Wounded and taken prisoner, he was nursed
by young n IN belonging TO a noble English
family. He carried her away and married
her at Jerusa EN-, whittier she went to abjure
her vows. She died in Italy, by the blue
waters of Sorrento.
NJ. Guillot, the magistr ate, looked into this
romantic history, He was convinced that
part of it was true. Among other things
Prado claimed that at Madrid in 1879 he
married Dolores Garcia of Marcillo, a de-
scendant of The ancient kings of Aragon.
This poor woman was found in garret at
Na1 1-t1 i
daughter of prosperous tradesman She
had dowry Of lS0 900 francs. Prado spent
it in four years. Then he disappeared, leav-
ing his wife penniless He was next found in
the Rue Tait bout, Paris, living ON the earn
ings of Eugenie Forester
The moTnir g after the crime he left France.
After shorJ stay ut Madrid he reappeared
at Bordeaux where Eugenie Forester has
tened to join him lie there made the ac-
quaintance of Nine Couronneau, a widow,
and of her daughter, Mauricette He prom
ised to marry the latter, who quickly yielded
to his destinations He took her, with
Eugenie For estier, to the baths of Royan,
where he robbed III. Forgeril, jeweler, divid-
ing the plunder between Eugcnie and Mauri-
cette. In November 1877, hc returned to
Paris and took rooms in private hotel, with
a compatrioJ, Lorenzo, a diamond broker.
One evening he offered Lorenzo a box at the
Chatelet theater His offer was accepted.
He entered Lorenzo's room and was making
OF with box containing jewels when a man
servant SURPRISED him, He dropped the box
and fled. An agent of police overlook him
ON the banks of the Seine He turned and
tired twice, both bullets taking effect Other
agents captured him Immediately. Then
Eugenie and Mauricette were arrested, and
from their confessions the case against Prado
was prepared.
The accused was brought into court. He
was small nan, of Insignificant appearance,
saliow, emacated, with dropping mustache,
the last man IN the court who would be desg-
mated as lady killer. When he frowned he
looked not unlike q monkey The women
whom he had duped regarded him with
scorn. Eugene Forester, q years old, was
tall, dark, and majestic. Mauricette Couron-
neau, q years old, was small, graceful, and
exceedingly pretty. Prado made a grandilo-
quent speech when she gave her evidence.
The resentment of the lover" said he,
disappears in the affection of the father.
wish MaHricette to return to her child, and
keep it till | f.m free"
''You shall never have it, never" cried
Mauricette, with energy.
"You have nothing to say about it," said
Prado, calmly. You lost all right to the
child when you gave its father to- the guillo-
tine"
Eugenie diiplayed similar hatred
You are aware" said the judge, that you
are swearing away his lifeF'
Il know it she quietly replied
Used you not to love him!"
Yes, he vas the only man ever loved on
earth"
Possibly she loves me STILL" remarked
Prado, with an ironical smile
But there stood in court a woman who
sat among the spectators She was poorly
dressed and 'eeined prematurely aged. She
was Prado's wife, whom he had deserted in
Spain.
He marri ID me-" she said with papers
or forged, showing him to be Lin
ska de Castil on"
'An Amer icanf'
"A Mexican"
Had he not a foreign accents"
"Yes, a certain buzz which Mexicaus
have"
WAS he k nd to your"
"Exceedin ,ly kind | never saw him out
Of temper. I loved him dearly"
do you love him stills"
''As much IS ever"
I'm spite OF his deserving your
II have forgiven him. When | heard he
was in trouble came to him. know not
what he has been to others. He was good to
me-"
And when the death sentence was pro-
and Eugenie Forester exchanged a
ook of triun ph with Mauricette Couronneau,
Frado's wife crossed to the prisoners dock,
5ook the condemned mans hand in hers, and
zissed it.-Clicago Tribune