New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1892-03-09
. 5. . . =. u
4 FRENCfs ROMANCE
One of the Saddest Divorce Trials
Ever Before Partisan Court,

One of the Saddest Divorce Trials
! Ever Before a Partisan Court
One OF the saddest divorce trials
has just taken place at Paris, between
the woll7Snown member of the Nation
al Legislature Robert Merignon and
his wife. 1t is sad mainly by reason
OF the part which the much-iniured
husband has played throughout the
case, and for once. the fact that
be was betrayed excites no ridicule
among his countrymen, who, as a rule,
are inclined to, ieer at misfortunes OF
this nature.
The proprietor OF the. large estab-
lshme-t devoted to, the production
OF canned goods in the west ofFrance,
M. Merignon, had remained q bache-
Tor until the year 1878, when one day
young girl about l6 years OF age,
with little brother of on her arm,
accosted him in the Champs Elysees
and requested aims. Her sad and
plnched face appealed to the sympa-
thy OF the good-natured manufacture,
er, and, in reply to his inquiries, she
referred him to the Sister OF Charity
at Berey as a guarantee that she was
neither a professional mendicant nor
one OF those unfortunate creatures
who make the Champs Elysees their
happy hunting ground at night
Three years later NJ. Merignom mar
rled in England and brought back
with him to Paris an exquisitely
lovely girl, and NO one, save a few in
innate friends to whom the young
wife had confded the. secret, were
aware that she was no other than
the little girl who had solicited aims
OF NJ. Merignon in the Champs
Elysees. The three years which had
sutficed to bring about this extraor>
binary metamorphosis had been
spent in q tirst-rate school at Brigh-
ton, England, where the girl had been
taught every accomplishment
nj. Nerignon had in his house q
private secretary, q young man by
the name OF Adrian Derval, who
owed him almost as deep a debt of
gratitude as the young wife herself,
for Adrian's parents, who had been
employed in one of Mr. Merignon's
! factories, had died while he was young
and the orphan had been cared for,
brought up and treated almost like a
| son by M. MerignOn,
| For q time all went well; but the
young secretary and the young wife
became by degrees more and more
thrown together, their Joint gratitude
to NJ. Merignon helping to form bond
OF sympathy between them. M.
Merignon, unfortunately, was thirty
five years older than his wife, and
thirty-three years older than his
secretary, and one day the inevitable
came to pass-the young people dis
covered that they were in love with
one another.
About q week later NJ. Merign on
happened TO return unexpectedly from
q voyage, found the door of his wife's
| room locked, and pungent odor of
burning charcoal issuing from the
apartment. Putting his powerful
shoulder to the panel he burst the
doorin, and discovered his wife and
his secretary unconscious, she on a
lounge, he on the floor near by. In a
letter which he found on the table the
young people confessed that they
loved one another, and that they were
so horror-stricken with the idea Of
having betrayed their benefactor that
they had determined to take their
| lives.
With much difficulty they were re-
stored to consciousness and life, and
the issue of the drama has just taken
place in the divorce court.
Instead, however, OF the husband
having appeared in the role OF the
petitioner, it is the wife, while he him
self figures as the respondent. 1t was
he who insisted that it should be so,
in order that no stain might rest up
on the young Woman's fair name
when she becomes, within the next
few weeks, the wife OF theyoung secre-
tary, Adrian Derval
And tits M. Merignon. who has set
tied a large sum upon the couple on
the sole condition that they should
live somewhere in the south of France,
SO that he should not be exposed to
the danger OF repenting what he had
done by the sight OF their presence and
OF their domestic happiness-a happi-
ness which he had sacrificed for their
sake.