The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-11-17

CourU, WHO tno jury, Mortified ut n SON.
tenco which they had mover expected. took
counsel with tho prisoners advocate i'm
mcd'ntcly signed an appeal for mercy and
returned homo with tho blissful sotisrnc-
ton born of the consciousness that they
had done thor duty.
Tho president of the republic, ON tho
strength OF tho appeal from tho Jury, COM
mutcd the sentence to penal scrvitudc for
life, and Rhodio was conveyed to tho lilo
do Ro pending tho departure of tho first
convict ship for Now Caledonia. At first
he was dazcd, but ho gradually recovered
his senses. Tho verdict he regarded as
monstrous, but littlo by little no became
reconcilcd to tho fait accompli, and If n
sentiment of bitterness remained in his
heart it was against tho concierge, primary
cause of all his misfortune.
If ever ho camo across him, he told him
self rs no clinchcd his fists. what q re-
vcnge no would take! How could man
condemned to penal scrvitude for lifo bopo
ever to DO able to take revenge upon his
enomy? 1t matters not. "Hope springs
eternal in tho human breast"
Jean Rhodio passed his spare time In
prison in composing a grand opera In five
acts, entitled tho Golden Fleece" and
three years after his arrival In tho Tic dcs
Pins, where no had boon RELOCATED, and
where no enjoyed almost absolute liberty,
he was enabled to put in execution a
scheme which ho had long carcssod This
scheme was the foundation of school of
music reserved fer certain catogorics of
the natives
Rhodio was at once director and score
tary, professor of harmony, fuguc, coun-
terpoint, SJlfcggio and naturally of tho
violin. j. burglar who possessed some
talent o5 clnrinctiSt was placed in charge
of the wind instrument class, and an OK
notary, forser and dramatic author was
exclusively charged with the defamation
scUtiOu.
Some of tho natives had splendid bass
Voices, ard little girl, AIcolla- Lili, gave
tair promise of becoming u second Patti
Jean Hhodic happy in his enterprise,
had spent five years teaching tho natives
of the lie dies Pins tho gcntlo art of music,
when ono day tho commissary of police at
Nico received visit from young woman
who appeared to DO prey to violent grief
She explained between her sobs that she
had been abandoned by her master and
mistress and was absolutely pcnniless.
She had been abroad with them for sew
eral years, and on their return to Nice they
had turned her out.
Tho young woman was mono other than
Marianne, Jean Rhodio's missing servant.
Her strange conduct and disappearance,
which had had such disastrous conse-
qucncos for tho violinist, is easily ex-
planned She was in love with q valet in
tho service of rich Foreigners, who resided
iii the Plaino Moncoau. Suddenly tho for
eigncrs took their departure. What were
the lovers to do? Fortune came to their
aic. On tho day previous tc that fixed for
leaving Paris Kitchen maids place be-
camo vacant. Marianne was accepted and
leaving several months pay behind her
went off without notifying Rhodic in order
to escape from his rcmonstranccs.
She had intended to write, but had put
1t off and put it off till finally she never
wrote mt all. Now, however, that she
found herself in Nice, abandoned by her
lover, without parents and without friends,
sho thought of her former master and beg
gcd to bo sent to Paris.
Tho commissary acceded to hor reuucst
after vainly trying for week to find her
place. Tho money for her fare was nd
vanced out of tho public funds on condi-
ton that it should DO reimbursed upon
her arrival. On reaching tho capital Mari
ammo at onco haStcncd to tho Rue Nollet.
Not only was tho concierge no longer
there, but her master had disappeared,
and none of tho dodgers knew anything
about him. In tho height of her perplexity
she was sent for by the commssary of 20,
lice of the quarter, who demanded tho sum
due from her to the state
She was, of course, unable to pay
"Thcn," said tho commissary, "you
VIII have to go to prison for 10 days for
dofaulting the state"
Tho terrified girl burst into tears.
"Ah, she exclaimed, "if only my old
master had boon there, no would have
saved mol"
"Your old master? What masterp"
qucricd the commissary
why, NJ. lean Rhodic, of course, with
whom served for over five years"
Hold hard!' exclaimed tho magistrate,
tapping his forehead. He Thought awhile,
and then tho circumstances of Jean
Rhodes trial and condemnation came
back to him.
$50 You We're Jean Rhodes servant!"
he exclaimed
eyes, sir"
And you are not lcad?"
"Dcad? Nc!'
Then tell mo where you went to and
what you hare been doing since you left
Paris"
''Woll " said tho commissary after lis.
tcning to her story, "your prccipitato de-
parturc was the cause of an innocent
mans condemnation. And he told her
the whole history of Jean Rhodes trial
and conviction.
Maranncs astonishmcnt and grief can
be imagined.
The commisSary of tho Batignollcs quar-.
ter was an energetic and cntcrprising
functionary. He went To work to obtain
Joan Rhodic's liberation, and after months
of hard work, in which he was aided as
siduously by Rhodes rcmorscful counsel,
who had given up tho bar and made u
fortune AS soap boiler, the barriers of