The evening world., 1894-01-20
FROM LOUIS XVI. DAYS
Mrs. Plain Seeks the Solution Of
an Interesting Mystery.
ROCKFORD Children Struggled Here
During the Reign Of Terror"
She Married the Descendant of One
and Property Is in Litigation.

Mrs. Rcsalie Plain. OF 800 briggs ave-
nue., Brooklyn. has been trying for gust
a week TO see Supt. Byrn"s 10 ASK him
to assist her in communicating with "a
family of the nobility Of France. possibly
some branch of the descendants OF Louis
XVI. Up to this morning she had not
succeeded. Her story IL strange and in
teresting.
In 1880, just at the beginning of the
Reign of Terror In France. two children.
brother and sister, were brought to this
country. The boy was seven and the
girl was six years of age. With the
children came an old servant OF their
parents, who took the children to Phila-
delphia and gave them in charge to the
Quakers there.
The Information which the servant
gave regarding the children was meagre.
They were children of the Rocheford
family, strict Royalists. Their Parents
had been beheaded for c~lingIng to the
falling fortune Of Louis XVI. The little
ones had only been saved by the efforts
Of relatives, who had smuggled them
aboard a vessel in baskets hat were
covered with willow bouglis.
Fearing that harm might come to the
SniIuISl II was llouBnt ddNlSdDit W
change their name, SO they were given
that of DE Ford.
In 1913 suzanne De Ford. or Roche
ford, the girl, being then In her sixteenth
year. was married to Bartholomew Pain
of this city. Mr.. Plain, at that time, was
the proprietor of the only art store in
the city: 1t was located on a high hin,
where Chatham Square. Is now.
Mr.. Plain was in the habit OF going
through the different cities to receive
commissions for the purchase of i'm
pc pf9r , ! paintings ,r,bs gh,, /, 1t w ms; S %ni,e on w noe
the Quakers, in Philadelphia. a son was
the result OF this marriage.
The year after the marriage n sum OF
from a Baltimore banking house. With
1t came a communication stating that
this was n portion of a trust fund left In
the bank. the interest OF which was to
The Plains wrote asking for more def
mite information, but were told none
could be given under the conditions OF
the trust.
The interest was paid regularly, but
nothing could be learned as to who had
placed the funds with the bank.
In December, 1903, Jerome B~onaparte.
the youngest brother OF Napoleon. came
to baltimore on a French man:of,war.
In that same month he married eliza
Just at this tim the Quakers with
whom Mrs. Plain had been living wrote
to her, saying that B~onaparte had been
making inquiries at the bank, relative to
ored to get from the bank certain pa
pers left there with the trust money,
saying that II these were not delivered
complications. Mrs. Plain was advised
to 20 TO Baltimore.
ea Alte1 par e Of l0p iso.. e Sniy to end i ier0 %%s
in gaining possession Of the papers.
In 1885 Mrs. Plain made another effort
to find out something regarding the year
ly allowance. She went to the Balti-
more clearinghouse ana demanded to
know.
After a lengthy consultation it was
finally decided that she should return
her II the bank could he relieved OF its
secret.
1t was several months before she
ing her TO go to a house in. Newark,
where she would be given information.
To Newark she went. There al the
h house %sa naT Tss s msn met Wa. two Sre sS%en as and
priest. He spoke to Mrs. Plain sternly,
telling her that the allowance would
continue during her life. btu that she
never did. In 1916 the husband died.
During all these years nothing had
later, however, the. first news came OF
him 10 the son Of Mrs. Plain,
In 1856, when John e. Fremont ran
for the Presidency. he published for
campaign purposes an autobiography. In
that he said his father had married
the daughter OF Judge Ford, OF south
Carolina. The Judges name had been
DE Ford, but he had never used the
DE
Continuing, 1t said that Judge Ford
was a French refugee, and told the story OF
how he, with his sister, had been brought
TO America at an early age; that he
had. after many attempts, gained pos,
session of papers, and been recognized
by the Bonapartists as OF noble blood.
The son OF MIR. and Mrs. Plain, who
was born in 1900, aud was, named Iohn
Peter Plain, had meanwhile married.
Ills son was named Francis b. Plain.
Ii is the wife of this latter gentleman
who now tells the story. j.. Il. Pain IL
a retired merchant.
During the past year a gentleman CIV
ing the name of the Count Mont Nor
ence called upon +. b.. Plain. lie said
he was In search Of the heirs OF Suzanne
De Ford. There was property III htlSh-
ton In France. There was a conference,
and the Count WAS to return In "A week
He did not come back.
Mrs. Plains object in desiring to see
Stunt. Byrnes was to see whether he
could not assist her In clearing up what