St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-02
BULLET IN HER HEART,
Tragic End Of Adele Menard,
The Vivacious French
Maiden,
Whose Love Affair Is Thought
to Have Preyed Upon
Her Mind.
ASerious Charge Laid Against
the Small Boy With a
Big Gun.
Ames Continues to Improve
Mayor Baxter's Fare
well Appearance.

North Minneapolis has added one
more to the list of tragedies that have
excited the people during the past
week. 1t was at about o'clock yester-
day afternoon that Mrs. Louis Labree
went TO the wood shed at the rear of
her residence at 1O1 Sixteenth avenue
north to get wood to build fire for sup
the body of Adele Menard, young girl
lying among the dirt and wood
on the floor. Going to her, Mrs. Labree
spoke to her and touched her hand; it
was cold; the girl had been dead for two
hours, and over her heart was bullet
hole in her dress. and by her side lay a
revolver. She had taken her own
lire; that was plain. The old lady
screamed and alarmed the neighbors,
who came rushing in. Soon blue
coated policeman made his appearance,
and Coroner Towers was called. He
made an examination. and after investi
eating the case as much as was possible
at the time, had the remains removed to
the home of Joseph Menard. the girls
nueS north. There seems to have been
NO MOTIVE FOR THE ACT.
so far as the family and friends of the
dead girl know, and yet there is rea-
son that may account for the final act
of short, but somewhat eventful life.
The story of Adele Menard's seventeen
years of existence reads almost like a
romance. Her mother died when she
was but few days old. and her
father, who is wealthy and
rather eccentric old gentleman placed
her in the family of Louis Labree, an
old friend of the Menards, to be brought
up, and she lived with them until she
was something more than three years of
age, then she went back to live with her
old father. She was always rather
wlllful and headstrong as child, but
never did anything really alarming
until the latter part of last June, when,
after quarreling with her father over
her attachment to Jerry Provost, hack
driver, she
SUDDENLY LEFT HOME
and disappeared, after having threat
ened to throw herself in the river. For
days poor old Joseph believed that his
daughter had suicided, and he was al
most craZed with grief. thinking that
he was to blame for having opposed
her in what he considered her unwise
love. On July 3 the body of a woman
hours it was believed that the remains
were those of the little French girl, but
it turned out otherwise, and week
later the girl came home again and told
a somewhat doubtful tale of having
slept in the woods part of the time
and of staying with friends in the city
during the remainder of her absence.
1t seems that after her return her
father repented of having interfered
with her love affairs, and day was
fixed for her marriage to Provost. The
day came. and Adele, arrayed in we'd
ding finery, awaited the coming of the
church, but he failed to appear, and,
after an hour or more of waiting, word
came that he had concluded
NOT TO MARRY
and that she would see him no more.
The girl VINO was scarce more than a
child, seemed broken-hearted at the
time, but a few days later told a friend
that she had ceased to care for him.
and was glad she had learned his true
character and his feeling toward her in
time to save herself from the lifelong
misery of an unhappy marriage.
Soon after being deserted by her
lover. on the very day of her marriage,
she went into the convent On the East
side and was to become a nun, but
three weeks of that peaceful existence
satisfied that headstrong girl that she
had overestimated her desire to lead a
life of seclusion and spend her time in
devotion and works of mercy. She left
the convent and returned to her fathers
home. but the old gentleman was very
angry that his daughter should bring
disgrace upon herself and him by re-
nouneing the holy life after having
once declared for it, and told her that
he would have
NOTHING MORE TO DO WITH HER,
and that she had best go live with her
agreed to this, and seemed SO pleased
about it that her relatives concluded
she was glad of an opportunity to see
and be near her recreant lover, who is
a brother of Adele's sisters husband,
and spent much of his time there.
At any rate. Adele lived there
until one week ago, when, at
the suggestion of Mrs. Labree
who has always taken mOtherly inter-
est in the girl, Adele went back to live
with her. She seemed very much
pleased with the project of returning to
Mrs. Labree, and during the week she
was there had been unusually happy
and light-hearted. to all appearances at
trouble or disappointment.
Yesterday she was about the house
as usual and seemed to be feeling we'll.
Mrs. Labree last saw her at about 3
o'clock when she saw her go up stairs,
and thought she was going to lie down
for a nap, as she sometimes did.
About two hours later the old
lady called to Adele to come and
start the fire for supper, but failed to
get an answer. She then went to the
room, and not finding her there, con-
Guided to start the fire herself, and with
that purpose went to the woodshed for
some kindling, and on opening the door
discovered the girl lying on her back in
the woodhouse with
BLOOD OOZING FROM THE WOUND
over her heart and a revolver belong
ing to Mrs. Labree, and always kept
under her pillow, lying by her side.
She lay in natural position, and there
were no signs of struggle, and death
was evidently instantaneous.
THEORIES ENTERTAINED.
Some of Adele's friends think her I'M
act, but others say this affected her but
little, and think her desperate act
was the result of a disordered
brain, they having considered
her a little wrong in her mind
for year or more. 1t was reported last
night that she attempted to suicide at
about the time she left home last June.
No one seems to ever have learned
ProvoSt'S reasons for leaving as he did,
although he returned short time after
wards and has been in the city ever
since.