Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1897-12-18
ECHO OF a TRAGEDY.
sT0SY or A PORTRAIT AND THE MAN
WHO STOOD UNDER 1T.
The Han belonged TO Noble French
Family, but was an Impoverished Eek
iIo--original Of the Portrait the Cause
of His Family's Ruin.

Sshshys put W ~ III Impoverished tx
iIc-- Original Of the Portrais the Cause
of His Fa,nily's Ruin.
The family had rented house in the
mountains not far from New York. The
region had been settled as early as any In
the country hereabont and the houses
were as fine specimens of old colonial resi-
dences as any available for summer occu-
paacy. So the New York family settled
themselves there with satisfaction The
house had been for q great many years
the home Of O family well known In the
history of the United States.
The usual decorations of the house were
not disturbed by the summer tenants
Tho family portraits hung about the walls,
and over the mantel in one room was the
picture of woman Just who she was
the summer occupants Of the house took
no trouble to learn.
There came to this old country town q
young foreigner who had an American
wife. He was cultivated, refined, polite,
everything that man Of old title and
good position should be. But there were
some qualifications for his place In the
world that he did not possess. He was
poor, desperately poor, with a threatening
burden of debt. His wife had nothing
beyond her beauty and her devotion to
him. 1t was late in the autumn when
they arrived and the first Of their visits
to the country brought them to this old
village They know the New Workers liy-
ing IN the old house and an invitation
brought them to the place.
Pure accident led the young nobleman
TO stand after dinner with his elbow on
the mantel under the portrait Of the
woman. The room was large and shad-
owy, and the lights were low Probably
he never saw the face.
Possibly he would not have recognized
it. But it had, nevertheless, exercised q
large influence upon his fortunes. It was
through the influence of the woman whose
portrait hung in the living room of the old
New England house that this young man
was an exile from his own land because
he had not the fortune to live there, and
this although she died before he was born.
One of the guests at dinner that night
knew tho original Of the portrait and her
history. lie knew the young man, too,
and when no saw him and the portrait so
close together the long arm of coinci-
dence'' seemed to have reached as far as
it could stretch.
The young man who was standing to-
night under that woman's portrait, y the
guest said, "might have carried one of the
most exalted titles in Europe today and
might have had one of the largest private
fortunes had it not been for that woman.
She was perhaps the innocent cause of this
young mans i'll fortune, just as she was
supposed to have borne no part in the evil
that brought famous tragedy on his an
costors She was an English goyerness in
the family of French duke. He was rich
and his family ranked with the Oldest
His wife was as proud as he was and
when there came into her mind distrust
of the English woman's honesty and the
dukes fidelity, it was not matter which
she allowed to pass with the lightness
which people are accustomed to associate
with matters of this kind in French socie-
ty. She demanded that the girl be driven
from the house. hurriedly and ignomin-
iously, with no chance for question or jus
LITIGATION. The duke defended her and
himself from his wife's charges, and said
that the woman could leave the house I'M
der circumstances in which she could car
ry her reputation with her. But he re-
fused to turn her out at his wife's com
mand. The duchess went, so long as the
English woman was allowed to remain.
After awhile the duchess returned to
her home 1t was understood that the
English goyerness was to leave, now that
her departure would not reflect on her
good name. The night on which the
duchess came back found her husband
preparing to take his children out to an
evening entertainment They remained
away late When they returned, the duke
asked the first footman he met at the door:
g Is madame 10 duchesse at home?
g She is, sir. "
And where is she now?' the duke
rcd.
. She went to her room early, the
man answered, and her maid justtold me
that she was sleeping
The duke passed into the house and
the children went to their rooms It was
known that the duchess was passionately
in love with her husband, and her absence
from the house had caused talk among the
servants. The duke had every reason to
love her, as great fortune had come into
the family through her He went that
night directly to his own rooms. His pres
ence in the duchess apartments during
the whole of the afternoon had attracted
the attention of the servants, although
none of them had been admitted while he
was there.
Early in the morning the entire house
hold was aroused by the shriezs of wom-
an. They came from the duchess rooms
The servants rushed to them, and the
duchess was discovered dead She was
covered with blood, and her murderer had
hacked her body brutally. Her husband
was one of the first to enter the room. The
police were called, and in few moments
they were among the group standing
about the murdered woman's bed The
first person to make any charge was the
duke. He ordered the police to arrest one
of his Wallets.
That man was the only one awake in
the house when ] retired, he said, 'and
that was late Arrest him
Better go 10 the dukes rooms than
arrest me, cried the man, and see the
bloody towel that found there moment
ago,
The police ran into the room, and the
evidence was there. When it came to NOV
ing the duchess body, the heavy bed sud-
denly collapsed as soon as it was touched
and the thick curtains fell down over the
body. Then the dukes presence in the
room that afternoon was explained. The
bed had been arranged to collapse as soon
as the duchess lay in it, and the weight
with the oraperies was enough to have
sufocated her. The dukes visit to the cir
Gus and the eager inquiries about the
duchess on his return became clear He
was arrested, his guilt was proved, and
one week after his Wife's death he poisoned
himself.
The police advised the governess to
leave France. She came to the United
States. She was the wife of the man who
owned this house, and it is her portrait
that hangs over the spot where that young
man stood and smoked his cigarette The
family fortunes were lost through her in
direct agency, and the family name was
never so proud again. But don't believe
be knew whose the portrait Yves. New
York Sun.