The sun., 1894-05-13
A FRENCH COUNT IN JAIL.
he Attracts ATTENTION ON Bo1B
SIDES OF THE zTL<NIIc

France waists ths Cos-, ne vIns-suvs fer
Forssty. s-a Hs .. A'so the co-r.spo.s-
eat Il = Montreal Mans ssit asr Divsre.
QUEBEC MAY IA sensational divorce case
| is now before the Senate at Ottawa The petit
TONER ls James St. George Dillon. importer
and msnufsoturers' agent Of Montreal and
| New York. who In 1883 married . wealthy
| French lady. Marie Catherine Charlotte Adrf-
enne Baron. herself connected with some Of
the oldest and m ost reputable French families
OF Montreal, such az the seignior de Beaujeu.
and othera The correspondent is a scion OF
| one OF the most distlnRu Ruished families Of
France. the Count Rene Gsoffroy de Vieneuve.
| who came to Canada two or three years ago In
| financial embarrassment after having separ-
ated from the Countess. and is now an inmate
| OF the Quebec Jail awaiting the issue Of
legal wrangle over . demand By the
French Government for his e1tradItion on
. charge Of forgery. In elegant apartments
at the Hotel Florence. In this city. whence his
meals are regularly sent to the Count In his
prison quarters. is a fashionably attired lady
OF most rrepossesinR appearance, whose name
appears upon the hotel register as the Count
ess de VilleneuvauT This is the respondent In
the divorce case now before the Canadian Sem
ate. The. case is undefendej. Mrs. Dillon.
alias the Countess de Villsneuvs. Offering no
objection to the issue Of the divorce. The
koman Catholic Senators oppose the petition.
however. on the ground that as both parties
are Roman Catholics and their church forbids
divorce. Parliament has no right to Interfere.
The committee to which the matter was re-
ferred has By narrow majority rejected this
plea. holding that the petitioners legal rights
could not be denied him By any existing rule
Of his Church. but q determined 'gnt on this
point will be made when the report OF the
committee comes up In the Senate.
Mrs Dillon separated from her husband =
year or two ago after becoming enamored OF
the Count. with whom she has not only lived for
Dane street. Montreal. but whom % she accom- %
ionsSie st, IswTsnce Watering place. to the
great scandal Of the habltues Of the place
OF dem and for his extradition on the part OF
the Government OF France. The French Con-
sui here made the ssdsyit
from which i would appear that De vileneuye
followed his arrest in Montreal whence h, was
and thrown into isii; Tss Countess DO vi.
leneuve like her probable successor: ts ex.
a reasonable income. but has. impaired 1t ~
extravagsnce. He contends that the Jewish
notes % knew q them hen to to be iorSeries, but thought
them all the better security on that account
and he himself expected TO nave heen ahle TO
meet them at maturity. but was disappointed
partly because most OF the m oney was retained
as com mission by the shylocks who furnished
1t. The prisoner has secured hssur-
ances BY cable from both his own solicitor in
that the amount OF the forged notes has been
paid by his friends. and now pretends that
there Is no rdisUn fPire for his extradition. 1t
remains to be seen, however. how far this
view may prevail with the Government
The Count hns been interviewed in tho
prison, and bitterly complains OF his treatmsnt
there. Most unbecoming and discourteous
he declares. 10 tho treatment accorded him
an ex-officer OF the French army. Knight OF
the Legion OF Honor and an ex-attach9 OF an |
embassy. He Is extrem ely humiliated at being !
compelled to sleep in the common dormitory |
with ordinary prisoners. He also COMPLAINS.
to use his own words. that while the lost yul- |
gar criminals have tho right by the prison |
rules to receive any callers whatever twice a |
week. he himself is deprived by tho authori- |
ties OF the pleasure OF rsceiving one for whom !!
he had the greatest attachment and whom IL |
leneuye as. soon as certain necessary legal |
formalities have been complied with
. As soon a. he gains his iberty the Count |
intends to settle in Russia, where he says he |
has many friends In. nigh position. among |
others the Duke de Montebello. For the pur- |
pose OF Willing away his prison hours tho
Count 10 amusing himself by writing satirical
notes on his prison experiences. and about the |
various officials and others with whom he has |
been brought Into contact. Everything points
to tho probability that the prisoner will shortly |
be sent back und r police escort to France.
whittier Mrs Dillon will accompany him.