The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-12-24
DEATH BALCONYS SECRET

press.
A, last the secret OF the disappa variance
=, the beautiful Jacqueline de Raveneau
and her husband, the count, 81 ancient
+,mily Is explained--that is. explained
as far as circumstances permit Ene
circumstances are such as one would
S~ne~t 10 And related between the cove
~ ~ rornances OF past centuries.
For q year. up 10 last September,
co,,nt and Countess Raveneau formed
Hsrt oE the gayest set: they were seen
sgysrvvhere, at tlle races, at the opera.
.Se Bols and In the ealons, RAveneau
SjnGelf had been a fashionable r0under
S,r nearly half a century. He was 10
IN me fall OF 1897, when he married Iac-
nrellne. When the, announcement APP
feared In the Figaro folk smiled. Raves
reau was old, and his wife was young
and beautiful. They called her the Juno
of The FaubOurg 81. German.
1acdueline herself came from q noble
family; but her people, the Barons De
81 Clair, are better known among his-
torians than among Enillionaires. She
seemed to enjoy the new NE sne nao
and gave herself up 10 1t with all the
Sovety OF a schoolgirl escaped from her
Snverness, RAVeneau was known as a
monster Of jealousy; but, though JAG
6ueilne had hosts Of admirers, she gave
Mn, NO cause for uneasiness. On the
contrary, in the first eight or nine
r,,nths after the appearance OF the
ronnle In Partisan high life her iadyship
ostGnIAhed the gOssipS by the apparent
coj5uess and hauteur she displayed to-
ward the men. All went well up 10 the
;ime OF the summer races. Then q
Young lieutenant OF hussars, N. pc
Courtbaiies. fell desperately In love with
the countess. and, though she refused 70
notice his suit, he became so demonstra-
dive that Count RaVeneau challenged
him. 80, mn,
lieutenant allowed his enemy,s rapier to
make a flesh wound IN his arm, and the
thing was over. Two or three days later
Count and Countess Raveneau took
isaye Of their friends by card. It was
rcported that the couple meant to spend
,ha winter on their estates in Britanny.
"He Ia going to bury his wife," said
tho young bloods with a sneer. The
cid men sympath1Ied with Raveneau,
and all the women pitied Jacqueline.
However, when. with the departure
Of the couple all news concerning them
ceased; when friends OF neither received
an Invitation to Join them IN the coun-
try; when even the notary and business
manager OF Count RaVeneau was kept
in ignorance OF his and Madame Iacque-
tines whereabouts; when finally the
hubble administrator, in the official Ca
sstte advertised for their address. alarm
nread among the friends. Letters sent
N me various town and country houses
YVned by RaVeneau came back unopen-
"a. Jarduelihe's parents and relatives
begged in the public prints for news OF
their child end cousin; the police OF for
elgn capitals Joined In the general search
but no trace could be found either at
home or. abroad.
For q month orso Paris talked OF no
body and of nothing but the Raveneaas:
then, as the authorities had taken hold
Of the matter, other mysteries began TO
occupy peoples minds, and the old count
and his beautiful wife were gradually
forgotten. Only Lieut.. NJ. De Court
babies never relaxed the energy Of his
search, At the beginning Of November
he thought he was on the tracks of the
T1inaways and begged his colonel for an
extended leave Of absence. AS a matter
OF fact, the discovery which he made
was negative, He had searched, by
Trustworthy agents, all the long lists OF
landed properties belonging TO the Rave
mean estates. The couple had not visited
at either Of the numerous places atter
leaving Paris: nsither had the count
drawn any OF the revenues at'his DIS
posal, OF the lot only one piece OF prop
erty had been neglected, and for good
reasons, too-Cast1e Ker- Guivarch.
Yer-GuiVarch Is q small fisherman's
Village on the northwestern coast OF
France. II Hes Isolated along the rocky
coast: and as neither railway nor steam
err touch trete the ancient settlement
up to now has escaped the fate OF be-
coming o summer RESORT for weary
toEnteoeopfe. There the cid feudal lords
Of Rayeneall built stronghold way
baclc In the thirteenth century. It's
T1rtnStelI,of many sleges that made the
old towers tumble down and swept
away the original approaches.
Castle Kerr uivarch, or what is left OF
It, stands on a rock about 100 yards
from the shore and can be reached ct
low tide by narrow tongue Of land. Il
has still q few inhabitable rooms, where,
It is said, members OF the Raveneau
family sought refuge in the days OF the
revolution.
N. De Courtballes had suspected from
the beginning that the count had car
RED of his bride to some lonely spot.
and when he learned OF Castle Ker-Gut-
varch ne made up his mind to follow
up the possible clue. But his letters to
the village mayor did not elicit any re-
Spouse; the mayor can neither read nor
write and was probably too lazy to ask
the parHon to do It for him. So nothing
was left but to go to Rer-Guivarch IN
person.
After a protracteti carriage Journey OF
thirty miles through a sandy and neg
Iected stretch of country, NJ. De Court"
bales reached Ker-Guivdrch on NoVeH7-
Der s. with the knowledge that his en-
deavorB would be crowned with success,
IN one respect at least-success OF
sOrry kind. The coachmaD that had
brought him from the railway terminus
was the same who had driven Count
and Countess Raveneau to ker-Gui-
varch couple OF months ago. This Is
the way NJ. De Courtballes found II out
u hope" said the driver, "you are not
going to Ker-Guivarch TO investigate
those old ruins there II such was your
intentlon / would rather miss the OPP
portunity for making 20 francs. My
last customer paid me twice the price
! asked OK him, but In the end lost
more time on his account than MS money
paid for. Such running to the police
and to tine courts. attending sessions OF
the authorities; aud the Judge said |
might be glad that I wasn't arrested as
a suspected murderer"
Murderer? Your customer isn't
dead?"
II don't know replied the driver,
doggedly; "nay be"-and tho man
crossed hImself-"thc devil took both OF