The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-12-06
ECHO OF A TRAGEDY.
STORY OF A PORTRAIT AND THE MAN
WHO STOOD UNDER 1T.
The Man Belonged to q Noble French
Family, but Was an Impoverished Ex-
ne-OriginsI Of the Portrait the Cause
of His Familys Ruin.

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 In the
world that he did not possess. He was
| poor, desperately poor, with q 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 knew the New Workers liv-
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
large influence upon his fortunes 1t 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
it could stretch.
' "The young man who was standing TO-
night under that woman's portrait, the
guest said "might have carried one OF the
u most exalted titles in Europe today and
r might have had one of the largest private
n fortunes had it not been for that woman.
n She was perhaps the innocent cause OF this
Young mans ill fortune, just as she was
supposed to have borne no part in the evil
that brought famous tragedy on his an
cestors. She was an English governess In
a the family of French duke. He was rich
=, and his family ranked with the Oldest
His wife was as proud as he was, aho
8 when there came into her mind dlstrus'
h of the English woman's honesty and th'
a. dukes fidelity, it was not matter ~hici
-, she allowed to pass with the hghtnes'
% which people are accustomed TO assoclat'
r. with matters of this kind in French socie
10 tv She demanded that the girl be driver
from the house, hurriedly and ignomin
iously, with no chance for question or JUS
tifcation. The duke defended her ant
a. himself from his wife's charges, and SAT-
i's that the woman could leave the house uh
rs der circumstances in which she could Cal
>. nv her reputation with her But he rt
fused to turn her out at his wlies con
mand The duchess went, so long as III
English woman was allowed TO REMAIN,
"After awhile the duchess returned
her home. 1t WAS understood that tf
English goyerness was to leave, now tht
her departure would not reflect on h'
ng good name. The night on which ii
IN duchess came back found her husbaf
ov nrenaring to take his children out to
- evening entertainment. They remain.
'no away late. When they returned, the du'
)ol asked the first footman he met at the 200
sic "'Is madame la duchesse at homer
nd She is, sir.
"sAnd where is she nowY the uu'
asked =,
.ol- man answered. 'and her maid just told ]
the that she was sleeping
.ho 1.-THE duke passed into the house al
the children went to their rooms IL
an known that the duchess was passionate
ore an love with her husband, and her abseI
all from the house had caused talk among
servants. The duke had every reason
love her, as great fortune had come IL
the family through her. he wenc u
ed night directly to his own rooms. his pr
,ple ence in the duchess apartments auri
doe the whole of the afternoon had aetrac'
- the attention of the servants, A,nou
nen none of them had been admitted whi'e
one was there.
tod "Earlv in the morning the entire hou
hold was aroused by the shrieks OF wo
tho an They came from the duchess ROOF
-; The servants rushed to them, and
'"' duchess was discovered dead she y
n Oh covered with blood, and her murderer
our hacked her body brutally Her husp,
,yas one of the first to enter the room
nolice were called, and in few nome
H.. thew were among the group stahu
'he' about the murdered woman's bed
!, is first person to make any charge was
pper duke He ordered the police to arrest
the of his Wallets.
"sThat man was the only one awak
the house when / retired he said.
that was late Arrest him.
the s''Better go to the dukes rooms
IL ia arrest me- cried the man. and see
nv bloody towel that found there q mon
ago. ,a
1.-THE police ran into the room, and
evidence was there. When it came to n
the ing the duchess body the heavy pea
Gull denly collapsed as soon as It was tou'
and the thick curtains fell down over
D"'' body. Then the dukes presence In
:, room that afternoon was explained
the he'd had been arranged to collapse as
lease as the duchess lay in 1t, and the we
with the draperies was enough 10
suffocated her The dukes visit TO tine
ems and the eager inquiries about
-t'a"- duchess on his return became clear.
been was arrested his guilt was proved
---..t altar his Nv life death he pOis