The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1894-08-23

beautiful cyes there was duil llstlcss
filter which ut times assumed mani
aral expression. Dropping heavily INTO
uroifered chair, she eSsayed To talk, but
her conversation was rambling and dis
iointed Her mind seemed seriously i'm
pnircd. In few minutes Mrs. StauIton
appeared. and shortly afterward Gre
net Joined Us In his yillainous black
ewes | thought there cleaned trl-
uuphant smile as he doifed his hat and
exclAimed Bon jour, mesdames ct
messicur, hope Eat ne leetle patient
ees ware well dis morning.
Mrs. Stanton took this occasion to
inform me that upon her daughters
complete recovery she would become
Viscountcss Grcnet. Somehow my mind
seemed prepared for the statement, and
| was not III the least surprised. This
singular man had become completely
dominant ever the mind and action OF
the mother, and the daughter had
seemingly lost all will Of her own. In
few days Mrs Stanton left for the
north, her object being 10 purchase Nir-
piuia's trousseau II was well under.
stood that an international marriage
would take place upon her return AS
soon rs she had gone the frenchman,
possibly fearing some Unexpected de-
movement, urged the performance of a
hurried ceremony, to which the poor
girl, in her crfecblcd stateof mind, Of
fcrcd no resistance, and lac spirited her
away
The marriage was performed III Sc
crct, only IA priest and the necessary wit
nesscs being present The couple had
been gone sc hours before they were
missed The vulgar precipitation Of the
ceremony its profound secrecy and the
clandcstine departure very naturally
aroused suspicious Of foul play, and
more speculation was INDUCED in by
the guests If the hotel Inquiry was
made and it was found that Grenet fa
at different times obtained very power
full and mischievous drugs AT "A certain
pharmacy These drugs could not pos
sibly have been used for any good pur-
pose in Virginia Staunton ; case.
THE discovery of the fact that such
medicines WIRE in the Frenchman s pos
session Immediately explained Ia me
the cause of Virgie's alteration of mind.
| had been fool enough to think it due
to the violence Of her fall from the run
ming horse and the fever which was
consequent. The scoundre's scheme
now became quite apparent Finding 1t
impossible to win the girl 10y fair
means, he had rcsorted to foul. Con-
irving to bring about the accident
which stunned her, h. imposed upon
the mother the belief that he WAS "A ma
val surgeon and thus secured the oppor-
tunity of administering his poisons,
The whole thing was now clear to me.
Why had been so confoundedly stupid
not to see it before!
Immediate wires to Mrs. Staunton
il New York city and Philadelphia
brought no response. Valuable time was
being lost, and Vicomtc de Grenet was
meanwhile speeding on with his help
less victim to nobody knew where.
Three days after the comtc's departure
news came that Mrs. Stanton had been
found dead in her berth between Wash
lHBtDIl anu VA ttoth
supposed to be an overdose of morphine.
The body Of the i'll fated woman was
held awaiting directions. The suspicion
of murder was now added to that of
malpractice and abduction, and tho case
was Immediately put into the hands OF
the authorities. Knowing the Stauntons
as we'll as did and being aware that
the only relatives Of the family were
very distant ONES, living somewhere III
the far northwest, felt it my duty To
20 north and superintcnd the funeral
rites of the dead woman. You may we'll
suppose that il was with sad heart ard
many self reproachcs that looked upon
the cold face of my kind and good
friend. felt that by my COMPOUNDED
stupidity and inactivity was i'll ii way
responsible for her death. | resolved
then and there to rescue her innocent
daughter and hound the villain down,
lost what it might
The purpose of that resolve remains
unaccomplished. Years have elapsed
since Vicomte de Grcnet absconded from
Asheville carrying with him an imbe.
Gle girl whose intellect he had willful-
ly destroyed The villain is still at large
and will probably never befound unless
some Nemesis in the shape of retribu
tive justice claims him for her own.
The skillful service of an army of trained
detectives has failed to unearth his
whereabouts, and after the expenditure
of thousands his pursuors are no wiser
than before Having traced him to
Paris, where he carried his stolen bride,
his identity was lost The inquest held
over Mrs Staunton decided that her
death was caused by some powerful
drag placed in her hands by an nm
known person, with mischievous in
tent. That Grenct intended her death
do not believe HeprobabIy calculated
upon the loss of her reason and gradual
decline. He was far too shrewd not to
foresee the dangerous suspicion which
would naturally attach to him.
Investigation proved thSt Nicomte
H. Grenet was formerly waiter upon
a Liverpool liner; that he subsequently
settled in Philadelphia as an aspiring
barber and later came south in the role
of nobleman In st Augustine, Fla,
he was the toast for an entire season as
Baron de Frisse Upon leaving Ashe-
vile Grenet proceeded directly to New
York and there took passage on the
Paris 1t was learned from the officers