The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-13
QUEER STORY BY "GYP"
CELEBRATED FRENCH WRITER
SAYS SHE WAS KIDNAPPED.
Tells q Tale Which the Police Think
II a Romance of the First De-
gree or q HallicunatiOn.

PARIS, May 13.-The Partisan sensation
of the hour is the alleged abduction of
the celebrated writer "Gyp,'' whose real
name is Comptesse Martell de Mirabeau,
a descendant of the revolutionary Mira
beau. She was found early Sunday morn
inng wandering about Pont de Bercy. Her
clothes were torn and her face scratched,
and apparently she did not know where
she was. The comptesse told the police
that she has been taken away in a car
riage by three men to an unknown chateau
and locked in a room, from which she sac
ceeded in escaping with great difficulty
The police believe she is the victim of a
Authorization. The comptesse when found
by police asked where she was and being
told. requested that she be driven to the
house of friend. Before complying, how
ever. the police took her before a police
commissary. to whom she made an extra
ordinary declaration. She said:
ION Saturday evening about 9 o'clock
1 was being driven to a public meeting in
the Rue dAlesia, organized in favor of
the candidature of Rene Lecointe. At the
corner of that street and Rue Sante. the
carriage was stopped, owing to the road
improvements. and a man approached and
asked me If really was 'Gyp' On receiy-
ing an affirmative answer, he said that
Nj. Barillier, the new counselor for the
Rochechouart quarter, awaited me a few
steps away, and he had an important COM
munication to make. 1 got out of my car
riage, following the man, walking about
twenty steps down the Rue d'Alesia. Sud-
qeniy my mead was covered with a sack
felt myself lifted and carried to a closed
carriage, which drove off at full speed.
AFTER very long journey the vehicle
stopped and the sack was removed 7 was
made to descend. Three men Surrounded
me- We were In an open country, before a
large guided gateway, through which we
passed We penetrated an immense park.
reaching the chateau, which In my opinion
must be situated at about 500 metres aIti-
tude The men did not speak. but they took
me 10 the nrst floor and locked me I'm a
room containing bed. AS soon as was
alone L opened the window and scrutinized
the country. Beneath the chateau flowed
a river and at some distance away was a
railway viaduct. I resolved to fee. made
a cord of the bed clothes and let mvseif
down into space. The cord being too short
! let myself fall into the mattress which
previously had thrown out of the window.
1 injured my knee and tore my dress I
crossed the park quickly as possible. and
wandered into unknown parts of the
suburbs of Paris
The prefecture of police Immediately
opened an inquiry on receiving the COM
missary's report on the declarations of the
comptesse. She gave an approximate direc-
ton Of the three men, but since her first
statement she has told q varying story and
this leads the authorities to believe she is
under delusion. Moreover, the cabman
who Ii said to have driven her to the Rue
d'Alesia cannot be found and no Carriage
was seen to stop near that street at any
time Saturday evening. Nevertheless A. IS
none the less certain that "Gyp" was
found wandering In the neighborhood of the
Bercy Bonding warehouses with her leg
bruised and her face badly scratched.
The Nationalist and the anti-Semitic
press endeavored to make political capital
out of the "Gyp'' abduction in view of to-
days elections, by accusing her opponents
of the crime. The Libre Parole prints an
Anarchist poster OF a threatening nature.
I'm which the comptesses name is mem
toned