The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-05-02
COUNTESS y0y KEssl,pR.
why She Sues Paris Papers for Libcl-A
|.. Remarkable Story,

|
0 PAnIs, May 1.-The libel suit Of th,
I Countess Won kcssler against the Pari
:. papers, Md'in, Soliel and Pdrii Na.iona
. promises to be case Of great interest.
Theaccused journals charge the Coun.
. tess with being Prussian spy, and tell
a strange story about her, fragments Of
which have from time 10 time appeared
} in tho cable dispatches. In substance
the whole story Ia rs follows: 610I7
| In April, 1887, when tho Schnuebeles
incident on the frontier was agitatinp
France and Germany, tho Council OF
Ministers asked General Boulanger, then
war Minister, not for the plan Of mo.
oiiization, MS has been stated, but for A
summary OF the concentration papers,
Boulanger promised to produce the dor.
nment, but hesitated somewhat. assnr.
ing his colleagues that everything wns
all right and France ready. At list he
was compelled 10 admit that the docu.
ments were stolen. Previous to this nd.
mission he tried 10 gain time.
Naturally enough there was some un.
easlness In tho War Ministry, and Ron.
LANCER was Id terrible fix, One OF his
stall officers came TO his relief with tho
story OF a plan Of campaign made out bv
Bazaine in Madrid. BoulaDger immed. !
lately sent an officer TO Bazaine 10 pel
tho precious documents. The oilicor
pretended to be a reporter Of an Ameri.
cau paper, spoke broken French TO tho
famous capitulard, buttook good care to
ouer handsomeprlce for the thing, aud
appealed to the patriotism OF the traitor,
The latter simply replied TINT he had no
such plan; TINT, rs he did not belong to
the army, he could no. sec tho use Of
working for nothing, and consequently
never troubled himself with any plan for
the invasion Of Germany or any other
country. ~
me officer returned, reported, and IL
was then only that Boulanger confessed
tnat the papers were taken from him by
some unknown person. Then the un.
easiness in the War Office was changed
mo CONSERVATION. 1t was believed that
Ihe Germans were in full possession OF /
all the secrets OF the War Ministry. A
smart detective was sent out in pursuit
OF tho stolen documents. He was fortu.
nate in following the clew which was
furnished by the habits OF Houlanyer.
and ne traced the papers to the Countess
Won hessler, friend OF the General.
and woman who was in close relation I
with the German Chief OF the Bureau of
Information. -lI
The salon where Nine. Won kessler l
received her high toned colony was {
situated on the Rue Saint Iazarre
There Boulanger WIS in the habit Of | !,
amusing himself at card.playing, etc. =
One evening. while he was engrossed in 9
a game, the Countess slipped ont of The !
house, drove straight to tho Hotel Du i
Louvre, and succeeded in gaining nd. :
mission to the Generals Cabinet dc Tr,.
tail, where she grabbed up ali the papers !
she could lay her hands on, including !
the documents in question, which I
should never haye been allowed outside /.
Of the war Ministry under any pretext =
whatever. =
The most wonderful part OF the story !
is that the detective who followed up the =,
stolen documents managedt to steal them =
back, or get them back, before there was :,
lime to copy them, or before they fell
into the hands OF somebody better able
10 understand them than the fair lady,
who, OF course, was not we'll versed in
military and ministerial technicaIities.
Nevertheless, as a measure OF precau.ion. {
the entire plan was changed. m !
This is the story which the Countess
Won kessler denies, and for which she 9
has started libel suit, the details Of
which will be likely to read like a ro-
IS 80,