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. ttOSdilt dil VI cuS DTlSBS ave-
nue., Brooklyn, has been trying for just
a week to see Supt. B.yrnes to ask him
70 assist her in communicable with a
family of the nobility of France, possibly
some branch of the desc endants of Louis
XVI. Up to this morning she had not
succeeded. Her story is strange and in
teresting.
In 1890, Just at the beginning of the
Reign of Terror in Franc, 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 tine ROCKFORD
amily, strict Royalists. Their parents
ad been beheaded for c~linying to the
filing fortune of Louis XVI. The little
les had only been saved by the efforts
relatives. who had struggled them
,oard a vessel in baskets that were
vered with willow boughs.
Fearing that harm might come to the
ildren 1t was thought advisable to
lange their name, so they were given
at of DE Ford.
in 1893 Suzanne De Ford, or Roche
I'd. the girl, being then in her sixteenth
ar, was married to Bartholomew Plain
this city, Mr.. Plain. at that time, was
lie city. 1t was located on a high hill,
here Chatham Square is now.
Mr.. Plain was in the habit of going
mmissions for the purchase of i'm
rted paintings. 1t was while on noe
these trips that he met suzanne. with
2 Quakers. in Philadelphia. A son was
2 result of this marriage.
Nhe year after, the marriage a sum OF
Iney was received by the young wife
I'M a Baltimore banking house. With
came a communication stating that
= was a portion OF a trust fund left in
bank, the interest of which was to
paid annually.
he Plains wrote asking for more def
1e information, but were told none
ID be given under the conditions of
trust.
fe interest was paid regularly. but
ylhing could be learned as to who had
aced the funds with the bank.
H. December, 1908, Jerome Bonaparte.
ie youngest brother of Napoleon, came
Baltimore on a French man-of-war.
! that same month he married Eliza
Just at this time the Quakers with
ihom Mrs. Plain had been living wrote
o her, saying. that Bonaparte had been
ed to get from the bank certain pa
s ,eTs left fba there II th with we're the i nbt de mpiSeeSdi
ito him 1t would involve international
icomplicatiors: Mrs. Plain was advised
After a long consultation it was
early part of 1904. only to find Jerome
Bonaparte gone. He had not succeeded
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 and demanded to
After a lengthy consultation it was
finally decided that she should return
her y the bank could be relieved of its
It 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 at the
a man. The man was dressed as a
priest. He spoke to Mrs, Plain sternly;
telling her that the alloWance would
would never hear more of it. And she
never did; In lS45 the husband died.
Six years later the wife followed him
been heard of the brother. A few years
later, however, the first news came of
him to ot the son OF Mrs Mrs. Plain Rrsuon. ran
for the Presidency. he published for
that ne SAID MS Iatner ndu mdrTlsn
the daughter of Judge Ford. of South
Carolina. The Judges, name had been
De Ford. but he had never used the
'Dc."
Continuing. it 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.
,esslon Of papers, and been n6n,= recognized S1G6d
The son OF Mr.. n Mrs. Plain, who
was born in 1900, and was named John
Peter Plain, had meanwhile married.
His son was named Francis Il. Plain.
1t is the wife of this latter gentleman
who now tells the story. +. b. Plain Is
a retired merchant.
During the past year n gentleman CIV
Ing the name of the Count Mont Nor.
ence called Upon F. B.. Plain He SAID
he was in search of the heirs of Suzanne
De Ford. There was property IN lltlga-
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 10 see
Supt. Byrnes was to see whether ne
could not assist her in clearing up what
Is still a mystery.