The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-08-17
A TALE OF TWO REPUBLICS.
NATIONS AND DIPLOMATS MINED IN
THE RoCHoN FAMILY QUARREL.
1t Led to the Dismissal of Mrs. Cleve-
lands Hair Dresser and Shows "A French
Marquis in an Anomalous Light - A
True Cause Celebre.

A lawsuit which has been pending some time
in the courts at Lyons, and which has already
become cause cel6bre in France, has been
transferred for the time being to the courts in
Washington, and promises before it is over to
create widespread interest in this country. 1t is
characteristic French affair. 1t involves q
wife deserted in Lyons, France, by her husband,
who was well to do in business but who ran off
with his servant girl, young woman of German
origin. who was expelled from France during
the Franco-German war on suspicion of being
German spy. 1t involves charges Of infidelity
on the one side and multiple infidelity, If not
bgamy, on the other. 1t is case in which the
services of two governments have been enlisted.
M. Rouvier, when Minister of Foreign Affairs in
the French government, and Grover Cleveland,
when President of the United States both inter
ested themselves to settle the matter 1t has
caused the wife of President of the United
States-the most popular, the most beautiful,
and possibly the most accomplished, certainly
the youngest woman who ever reigned at the
White House-to be deprived of her hair dresser.
The history of this case might be entitled tale
of two Republics, and no doubt the newspapers
of the country will contain good deal of that
history as soon as the affair comes up in the
courts here, where two cross suits have already
been entered. But the circumstances of par
ticular interest at present is that the officials
of the French Legation in this city, or some of
them, appear to have been acting in a double
capacity in the NATTER that, in fact, at
least one member Of the Legation, while acting
for the French government impartial
agent on the whole case, has been at the same
time acting as counsel and attorney for one side
and receiving fees from one Of the parties, and
that important papers, which were intrusted to
the Legation by one party have been removed
from the archives of the Legation, to the great
inconvenience OF the owner and the advantage
of the other side.
After the ancoGerman war, and up to the
year 1881, Monsieur Johannes Rochon and
Madame Jeanne Rochon lived in Lyons, France
where they kept hair, wig, and perfume es-
tablishment In 1881 M. Rochon left Lyons for
Paris or London or some large field of opera
tions, where he was to make pile of money
and return to Madame Rochon in Lyons.
Whether Johannes left the business in good
shape in the hands of his wife, as he says, or
whether he sold out almost everything and
brought the proceeds with him, as she says, is
question of veracity between the two. But that
he brought Marie Wagner with him there is no
doubt and no denial.
Marie Wagner was a German girl and had
been domestic servant in the Rochon house
hold. Mrs. ROchon soon learned that her hus-
band instead of settling in Paris or London or
Berlin or Vienna, had come to Washington and
until about three years ago that she heard her
husband was passing Marie Wagner as his wife
in Washington. Then the Madame's temper
rose, and She went in search of Monsieur Jo-
,hannes. Madame started her campaign by stat
ing her case to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
in the French government and asking him to
help her, and on the 9th of September, 1887, the
Minister was able to send to Madame response
which included very business-like account of
how Monsieur was situated in Washington, both
financially and socially. The Minister then
stated that NJ. Rochon was living with Marie
Wagner but that he did not appear to have been
married to her Yet, he added, in the record of
the baptism OF Marie Wagner's baby at st. Mat
thew's Church, on November 10, 1856, Marie
Wagner signed herself Mr.. Rochon's legitimate
wife He also reports that while NJ. Rochon lad
purchased considerable property in Washington
the titles were all recorded in the name of Marie
Wagner although the continued use of the name
Marie Wagner does not seem to harmonize with
the position Of VI. Rochon's 'legitimate wife"
The Madame's case was then laid before the
President Of the United States, whether through
the French Foreign Office or directly by the
Madame herself does not appear. But on the
27th of October, 1887, NJ. Jules Boufoe the
Chancellor of the French Legation in Washing
ton, addressed an official note to Madame Ro-
chon in Lyons, in which he acknowledged that
her petition of september 23 addressed to the
President of the United States, had been referred
to the Legation. In that letter NJ. Boufoe en-
phaticaly and Uuequivocally told the Madame
that the Counsel Of the legation the Marquis
de Chambrup, would sue NJ Rochon in court
(traduird en- c0r IT, ROchOn) for the purpose of
compelling him to pay alimony for herself and
two daughters and to that end he requested her
to forward to the Legation as soon as possible
her certificate of marriage,
In compliance with NJ. Boufoe's request
Madame Rochon forwarded to the Legation her
marriage certificate and a number of other inn
portant documents, all of which were appar-
emily referred to the Marquis de Chambrun for
action, for on December 2, 1887, the Marquis
from his law Office at 1924 New York avenue,
in this city, addressed a note to NJ Boufoe, in
which he said, among other things: II have re-
ceiyed a letter and several papers from Madame
Rochon," Then he goes on to say that he has
had an interview with NJ Rochon and that NJ
Rochon has made such representations to him
as convinced him that the Madame had no case,
and he concluded to have nothing to do with
the Madame's petition. NJ Rochon's represen-
tations included these: That when he left France
he left a well-regulated business worth $4,000
francs in the hands Of Madame Rochon; that
finding afterward that she had injured the bust
ness he returned TO France, paid the debts, put
the business on a good footing again, and before
quitting France finally made proper provision for
his wife and for his two children, whom he had
placed in convent to be educated, On the
strength of VI, ROchon's ca pdTte statements the
Marquis summariy dismissed the Madame's pc
tition after the Legation had undertaken to
have the case prosecuted in the courts
Up to this time there was no pretense in all
the correspondence that Marie Wagner was NJ.
Roehon's legitimate wife, or that the Lady of