The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1895-08-08

90 north and superintend the funeral
rites of the dead woman. You may we'll
suppose that it was with sad heart and
many self reproaches that looked upon
the cold face of my kind and good
friend. | felt that by my COMPOUNDED
stupidity and inactivity was in way
responsible for her death. | resolved
then and there to rescue her innocent
daughter and hound the villain down,
cost what it might.
1.-The purpose of that resolve remains
unaccomplished Years have elapsed
since Vicomte de Grenet 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 be found unless
some Nemesis in the shape of retrlbu-
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 pursuers 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
drug placed in her hands by an I'M
known person, with mischievous in
tent. That Grenet intended her death
I do not believe. He probably 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 that Vicomte
de 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
French line to Havre. from thence to
Paris 1t was learned from the officers
of the Gasgogne, upon which ship the
couple sailed, that the vicomte register
ed for the voyage under the name of Jean
F. Viennet During the passage the
strong constitution of the unfortunate
girl rallied under the influence of the
bracing sea air, and her mind became
clearer At lucid intervals she realized
the horror of her situation and would
plead to the captain for succor Rer
irate husband would explain these &C.
lions as the freaks of wild and diseas-
ed imagination and force her to return
to the cabin.
Zone of the stewards testified that on
several nights he had been attracted to
Viennet's cabin by the sound of blows,
followed by piteous shrieks and walls.
The captains attention was called to
this and Viennet forced to explain. He
said that his wife was raving maniac
and frequently assaulted him in this
manner. He was compelled to overpow
er her by force when she uttered these
shrieks and groans. In truth, the heart
less villain was no doubt trying to force
the helpless girl to sign her property,
which amounted to 800. 900 in her own
name, over to himself.
''In Paris the same brutal treatment
was continued. Virginia Staunton, a
beautiful American girl of wealth and
position, was kept locked in close
room, starved, beaten and tortured by
an insignificant French cur to obtain
her money until, driven stark mad, she
burst all confines and rushed frantically
into the streets. Police interference, of
course, caused the hellhound to flee, and
protection, which was, alas, too late,
rescued his victim. A raving maniac,
Virginia Staunton was brought from a
Partisan madhouse and now occupies
comfortable apartments in a private
sanitarium in New York. Her mind ut
terly, irretrievably gone, she alternates
from frantic terror to vacant lassitude
and thus ekes out her existence. -
The faces of the doctors interested
listeners wore expressions of sadness
and sympathy in accordance with the
pathetic nature of his story. Raising his
handkerchief to his moist eyes, the doctor
in a sad voice said, ''You, professor,
are a great metaphysician and occult
scientist" addressing one of his COM
panions, an eminent Boston professor
perhaps you can explain. Why did
this villainous man come into the life
Of this innocent girl and poison her
existence? She had never done any harm
to him or his Her life was pure and in
nocent. Why did fate decree her this
awful destiny?"
The professor shook his head, and
ring of azure smoke culing ceilingward
was his only response. w. Alger Fair
in Albany Journal