The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-28
THE MOTHER;s HEART.
Devotion of the Mother of a Convict.
She Follows Him to New CaIedO-
From the New York sun.

From the New York Sun.
"Crlminopolis' is a queer name for a
good book but that is the title of work
by M. Mimande on the convicts of New
Caledonia, Nou Island, Bourail and Nou-
mea. The author gives a detailed and
simple account of life in the land of penal
servitude, and he brings to Light worthy
candidate for the prize for virtue or Mont
yon prize. as II is called. 1t may seem
strange to think that such prize could
go to the country of the convicts, but
after all there is the. place where II IS
likely to be captured by la mere Vidrac,
whose pathetic story presents perhaps one
OF the most sublime examples or mater
nal devotion on record. 1t is told IN the
Figaro as follows:
IA few years ago a scamp named VI
drac, living in the outskirts of Bordeaux,
was brought to trial for murder. lie
was a perfect Meridional type, good
for-nothing poser, who lived upon women,
ON the strength of the curl of his mus
tache. Well this Vidrac has mother,
by whom he is adored. There can be no
purer more honest woman than she IS.
But her son, who diSgraced her, always
scoffed at her and treated her cruelty.
She is that kind of mother than nothing
tires and nothing changes the mo5her
that is always a mother. Every day our
ing the trial of her son she came 70 lne
assize court where the scamp threat
really threw kisses at her. Those kisses
seemed so false and so thoroughly Cas-
con that an intelligent jury would not
pave ldlIeQ 10 award 10 them TIC itatS
&of the guillotine. But the jury were not ex-
Vi perienced. The mother Of the accused was
there. and Vidrac got of with sentence
III penal seryitude for IRE: he retu ven1
of after that last -thetrlcal ehoft. ms
poor woman, who was widow without any
other children, sold her furniture, her COW
and her four chickens and followed her
#son to the penal colony .
When she arrived at Noumea ana az
the prison door pronounced the haiile ~ ~
Afnraa tna Looked at her with
"'Vidrael You want to see Vidrac?
Yes.
" You are the mother
Very well: wait moment
The devotion of the mother nad al
feady made the name OF Nidfac famous
in the colony; but there was another rea,,
ION for its popularity. The convict nau
ust assassinated one of his fellow PrLis3o-
.ners. The marine court condemned him
0 death, and Vldrac, securely bound IN
bis cell, was awaiting his execution Inc
plews prostrated the unfortunate mother.
NShe fell in a swoon, and remained AFTER
ward for three months almost completely
Unconscious. Why did she not have the
God fortune 10 die2 She regained her
memory, but what was she TO ind with
NJ Well. she found her sonl She had
aved him for the second time. lie was
pardoned on her account, and the doctor
Fhen she was sufficiently recovered. Iney
= brought him TO her. They allowed her 70
Zee her convict son again, and IN the hos
pital, IN the presence OF the doctor, nt the
bot OF the bed Of the poor woman the
Inscal had another opportunity 70 act the
Iaft OF a comedian.
Since then the phase OF shocks and
tamaB has passed. 20 give place 20 that
constant ana most painful devotion,
III De mariyrd0m which tire poor woman
HoW suffers in silence d. perhaps more
4 artfel0lhs than fhe previous tragedies.
|ldrac Was CONDEMNED 30 DE Dbl and
Naig, nn1 he " kept jag thc qnafflfl
#fakiDg fiOneE, from morning flii even