The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1895-07-20

For SIX months everything went wen.
The convict slept all day Oh a mattress
in his hut, and his guard did the same
on a chair just inside the door facing
the passersby.
But the prince is commonwealth is his
least fault-and requires the details Of
the smallest expenditures incurred
throughout his dominions. Among these
were placed before him the items of the
disbursements relating to the creation
Of q new Office, the maintenance Of the
prison, prisoner and iailer. The outlay
on the last was d heavy drain on the
royal purse.
His face heightened visiblv, and when
he considered it might last forever, for
the condemned man was still young, be
insisted Oh his minister Of justice taking
measures to suppress this expense,
The minister held acOnsultation with
the president of the tribunal, and the
two agreed that the Office Of jailer might
be- abolished. The prisoner, required to
guard himself all alone, would not fail
to escape, and this would solve the
question to the satisfaction of all.
The jailer was thereupon sent back to
his family, and one of the under cooks
of the palace was simply required to
carry, morning and evening, food to the
prisoner. But that gentleman made no
attempt to recover his liberty.
One day indeed when they had failed
to provide him with nourislment he
coolly presented himself to claim it, and
henceforth it was his custom, i'll order
to save the cook a journey, to come at
meal hours and eat with the servants Of
the palace, with whom he had become
friendly.
After breakfast he would take a stroll
as far as Moute Carlo. Occasionally he
Gould enter the Casino and risk a few
francs at play. When he won, he would
treat himself to Z good dinner at il of
the leading hotels, then he would re-
turn to his prison and carefully lock the
door from the inside.
He never slept out % single night.
The situation was becoming difficult,
not for the condemned man, but for his
judges.
Once more the court assembled, and
it was decided that they should invite
the criminal to depart from the states
of Monaco.
On this decision being communicated
to him he merely replied:
Il perceive you are joking. Come,
now. Why should I go away, I, indeed:
7 have 40 means Of living. I have no
longer any family. What do you wish
me to d0t was condemned to death.
You dion e execute me. said nothing.
Then Twas condemned to imprisonment
for life and handodover to- j%ailer, You
deprived me OF my %jailer. Still / said
nothing.
Now you ask me to set out of tht
county. No, thank you. Tam Il prison
err, your prisoner, judged and condemned
by you. I am carrying out my punish
ment faithfully, Here I stop"
The supreme court was d~umfounded
The prince few into % terrible rage ant
ordured them to act.
They applied themselves diligentl,
to deliberatirg.
The outcome was il was decided the,
should offer the prisoner q pension Q
600 francs a year to live in anothe
country.
He accepted.
He has bought u little inclosed plot c
, land within five minutes walk Of tn
realm of his former sovereign he live
happily ON his estate, Cultivating a fe-
vegetables end holding p~otentates j
contempt.-FrOm the French Of Guy c
Maupassant in Romance.