The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-12-08
ECHO OF
A TRAGEDY.
A Portrait and the Man
Who Stood Under il.
AN IMPOVERISHED EXILE.
Original OF the Picture the Cause OF
His Famlly's Ruin.
THE LONG ARM OF COINCIDENCE

mountains not far from New York. The
region had been settled as early AS any In
the country hereabout, and the houses
were as fine specimens of old colonial resi-.
dences as any available for summer occu-
pancy. So the New York family settled
themselves there with satisfaction. The
house had been for great many years
the home OF family well known In the
history Of the United States.
The usual decorations of the house were
not disturbed by the summer tenants.
The 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 a
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 I'm 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. II was late In the autumn when
they arrived, and the first OF their visits
to the country brought them 70 this old
village They knew tho New Workers liv-
ing in the old house and an invitation
brought them to the place.
Pure accident lcd 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
IL. But 1t had, nevertheless, exercised n
large influence upon his fortunes. II 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 the original of the portrait and her
history. He knew the young man, too.
and when he saw him and the portrait SO
close together the 'long arm Of coinci-
dence" seemed to have reached as far as
IL could stretch.
1.-The young man who was standing to-
night under that woman's portrait" the
guest said, "might have carried one Of the
most exalted titles In Europe today and
might have had one of the largest private
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 a famous tragedy on his an
cestors. She was an English governcss I'm
the family Of n 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
s,f ha En- liob ~ nd ko
dukes fidelity, 10 was not matter which
she allowed 20 pass with the lightness
which people arc accustomed to associate
with matters of this kind i'm French socie-
ty. She demanded that the girl be driven
from the house, hurricdly and ignomin-
iously, with no chance for question or JUS
tifcation. The duke defended her and
himself from biz wife's charges, and said
that the woman could leave the house un-
der circumstances I'm which she could car
ry her reputation with her. But he re-
fused TO turn her out at his wifes com
mand. Tho duo hess went, so long as the
English woman was allowed To remain.
After awhile, the duchess returned to
her home. " was understood that the
English governs. .ss was To leave, now that
her departure ,Sould not reflect on her
good name. The night on which the
duchess came Lack found her husband
preparing to tale his children out 10 an
evening entertainment. They remained
away late When thy returned the duke
asked tho first iootman he met at the door:
Is madame la 6ucbcsse at home?'
'SEo is, ST."
"'And where Is she now? the duke
asked.
'Sho went TO her room early, the
man answered. and her maid just told me
that she was sleeping.
1.-The duke passed into the house and
tho childcen went to their rooms. 1t was
known that tho duchess was passionately
IN love with her husband, and her absence
from the house had caused talk among the
servants. Tho duke had every reason 10
love her. az great fortune had come into
the family through her. He went that
night directly to his own rooms. His pres
pnce In tho duchess apartments during
the whole Of tho afternoon had attracted
the attention OF tho servants although
mono OF them had boon admitted while he
was there.
Early In the morning the entire house
hold was aroused by the shrieks of wom-
On. 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
wns ono Of the first 10 enter the room. The
police were called, and In few moments
they were among the group standing
about tho murdered woman's bed The
first person to make any charge was tho
duke. He ordered the police TO arrest ono
of his Wallets.
"'That man was the only one awake in
tho house when l retired, ho said, and
that was late Arrest him
80 Better go To the dukes rooms than
arrest me. cried the man, and sec tho
bloody towel that ! found there n moment
ago.
The police ran into the room, and the
evidence WINS iherc. When IL came 10 NOV
ing the duchess body. the heavy bed sud
denly collapsed - suon ~ IL vas touched
and the thick curtains fcll down over the
body. Then the dukes prcseise ia the
room that afternoon was explained. Tie
bed had been nrung,d 10 coiapsc az soOn
a. the duchess lay in IL. and the weight
with the drapcrics was enough % haye
suffocatcd her The dukes visit 10 tho cir