Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-03-12
HOUSE
1T STANDS As WHEN M PRACTICED
MAGIC IN 1T.
tn" secret Stairways-A Woman Of
h~ewildering Beauty-The Mys-
teriOus Neutrality-suspicious.
Sto eies Told Aboat II.
From the Courier Der Eta,s unis.

From the Courier Der Etats Cnis.
caSliOstro's house still stands in Paris.
Few alterations have been made In II since
the days of Its glories and mysteries, and
one may easily imagine the effect which 1t
produced in the night upon those who
eazed upon Its strange pavi!ions and wide
terraces when the lurid lights of the Ill
chemists furnaces streamed through the
outer window blinds. The building pre-
serves its noble lines In spite of modern
additions, AMI at the same tims has a
weird appearance which produces an al
most depressing effect. But this doubtless
comes from The imagination. because the
house was not built by Cagiiostro: he
simply rented ii. When he took UP his
quarters in it. it was the property of the
Marquise DOrvilliers. CagliostrO made no
change in il. except. perhaps, u Few tenn
pornry interior additions for the machines
which he used in his seances in magic.
The plan of the building may Well be
said to be abnormal. The outer gate opens
upon the Rue Saint Claude at the angle
of The Boulevard Eeaumarchais. The court
yard has Il mOrOsc and solemn aspect. AT
the end under 4 tagged porch there is a
preserves . old iron railing. On looking
at that stairway enc cannot help thinking
of the hos, of beautiful. women. attracted
terrified at what. they imagined they were
about TO see. who placed their trembling
hands upon that old railing. Here we can
evoke the shade of Nine. De La Motto run
ming up the steps with her head covered
with a cloak. and the ghosts of the Wallets
of Cardinal De Roman sleeping in the driv-
AT their feet, while their master. in com
pany with the Great Copht. is occupied
with necromancy. metallurgy. cabala or
oneiroCriticS. which. as everybody knows.
constitute the four elementary divisions
OF taslioStro's art.
a secret stairway. now walled up. ran
1 near no La yts.. m . 49,. -. fh. S..n,,l 800
where its traces are found, and a third
stairway. narrow and tOrtuous. still exists
az the ether end of the building on the
boulevard side. 1t is in the center Of the
wall. in complete darkness. and leads to
the old salons now cut into apartments,
the windows Of which look out upon u ter
race which still retains its old iron bal
comics. Below with their moldering doors.
are the carriage house and the stabl.-th-
stable OF Djerid. the splendid black horse
of l-orenzu fe!iciani.
Counts First Appearance.
1t was in the summer OF 1881 that the
Comte D- CaSliostro first appeared in
Paris. All sorts Of fantastic stories have
been told about nim.. According to the
most authentic records he was 4 rather
badly built man. clad in poorly cut blue
%taffeta. laced on the borders. He Wore his
hair i'll a Startling and most ridiculous
style, with powered plaits punched in ca
Denotes. His silk stockings We're en-
broidered in gold and the buckles of his
~ " flAi III iF'lOl lohts
The display o. diamonds on his fingers and
watch chains Went beyond the line of vul-
garity. His headdress was u pointed hat
ornamented with white plumes. During
eight months of the year he wore Il great
blue fox cloak. augmented by "a fur ca
pucheon in the form OF a ~irapousse. On
the street he was 4; walking scarecrOw and
the children Used 10 flee from him in ter
ror. His features We're regular. his com
plexion clear. his teeth superb and bis
description. His wife. the comtesse I.o-
renZa. was ra"ely seen. but by all accounts
she was Il woman OF hewildering beauty,
realizing the Greek lines in ali their an
tiIue purity ind enhanced by al Italian
expression. The most enthusiastic of her
had never seen her face. There Were
many duels to decide the question as to the
color of her eyes. some contending that
they were black and others that they were
blue.
Dnels Were also fought over a dimple
which some admirers insisted was on the
right cheek. while others said that the
honor belonged to the left cheek. She APP
peared to he no more than ~ years old:
but She spoke sometimes Of her eldest son.
who was for SOM. years q captain in the
Dutch army"
one may imagine the emotion that was
caused in tn. Marais quarter in the in
stallation of such strange tenants IL. the
hotel of Mime. DOrvilliers. 1t wa= the
Cardinal De Roman himself who selected
and furnished the place for the mysterious
hosts. He used 10 visit Cagliostro three
or four times Il week. arriving at dinner
time and remaining until an advanced hour
in the night. 1t was said that the great
cardinal assisted the sorcerer in his la
bors. and many people spoke Of the mys-
terious laboratory, where gold dubbed and
diamonds sparkled in crucibles brought to
Il white heat. But nobody. except Caglios-
trO and perhaps the cardinal. ever entered
that mysterious laboratory. All that was
known for Il certainty was that the apart
ments We're furnished with Oriental SPLEEN
dor and that Count Cagliostro in a dazzling
costume received his guests with kindly
dignity and gave them his hand to kiss.
Upon IA black marble slab in the ante
chamber carved in golden letters was the
universal PRAYER Of Pope: Father of all.
in every age etc. the parody of which
ten years later Paris sang as 4 hymn 10
the Supreme Being.
Told of the Count.
Among the many stories told of Caglios-
tro that of the supper in the hotel of the
Rue Saint Claude, where the ghosts made
and the host took their places at Il round
table upon which there We're thirteen Gov
ers. Each guest pronounced the name Of
the dead man whose spirit he wished TO
appear at the banquet table. Cagiiostro.
concentrating his mysterious forces, gave
the invitation i'll {! solemn and command
ing tone. one after another the six guests
appeared. They We're the Due De Choiseui.
Noltaire. DAiemhart. Dideroi. the Able
DE Noisenon and Mnntesuuieu. Surely one
might be in more stupid company.
When the living diners recovered their
breath the conversation began. but unfOr-
tunately for the great ghosts the record of
their conversation makes them talk stupid
NONSENSE. Perhaps This may he taken as
evidence of III. theorE that ii main loses
his head when he dies, Al all events, the
story created IT sensation in Paris. 1t
reached the court, and one evening when
the conversation turned upon the banquet
of the ghosts, the king frowned, shrugged
his shoulders and resumed his gam. of
cards. The queen became indignant and
forbade the mention of the name of the