The St. Louis Republic., 1901-06-23
RA MOTHER AVIARR KEEPS HER DAUGHTER PRISONER @R DUNGEON FOR TWENTY-FIVE YEARS.
BLANCHE MONNIER, ONLY DAUGHTER RICH wOMANOF HIS

I The town Is one OF the historical marks
of France. Now almost passed from view.
except for this blood-curding crime. II
bears still many imprints OF former i'm
portance.
Centuries ago the eyes OF a much smaller
| world than that OF to-day were upon It
At the time Of the conQuests OF Julius Cae-
| sar. Poitiers was a tower Of strength. Its
walls. ramparts and broken castles still
. speak OF that former Importance.
In 1856 the famous battle between the
| "Black Prince" OF England and King John
OF France was fought there.
1t was Christianity's stronghold as early
| as the Fourth Century. when bishopriot
which belongs to the Oldest In the world.
was established. and later It became tho
burial place OF Nine. de Montespan, the
favorite OF kinga
Like its natural surroundings. Poitiers Is
extremely inhcspitable and exclusive. Most
Of the houses stand by themselves. and are
surrounded by parklike gardens. with out
buiuldings shut In by high walls. with
frowning gate.
Such a house. palacelike In its dimensions
snd mural ornamentations. was that OF
Mn e. de Monnier. her son Marcel. and that
poor. miserable creature. Blanche. Its very
exclusivei ess. % well as that Of its neigh
crime that was perpetrated ufon human
bein=.
The Inhabitants Of PoitierS arc divided
into two classes-the poor and the i'm
mensely rich. The majority CT the latter
arc easily worth from 100000 to 1S.S0000
francs Nine. dc Mounier and her son. SLar-
Gel Monrier dc Marconnay. possess such a
fortune.
But, whether rich or poor. moral slug
gishness Is stamped upon the faces OF tho
people Of PoItiers. and the town chronicles
denote little advancement in two centuries.
Even upon this sluggish. back-number
population OF Southern France. the news
Of the dreadful crime fell like . thunder
bolt out OF q clear sky.
In Poitiers the de Monniers belong to the
best-known. richest and most devout faIni-
hea The aged Nine. dc Monnier IN the
widow Of Q professor who died many years
ago. leaving to his family a large estate.
The woman u nearly 80 years old. and the
regard Of the community IL divided In her
behalf Some considered her exceedingly
avaricious and hard-hearted: Others said
that she was charitable and the model Of
Q Christian mother.
Her son. Marcel who at his majority as
sumed tho family title Of nobility. Monnier
Dc Marconnay. was q notary public.
On account OF the recent failure Of the
Legitmistic party at the polls, he was
compelled to resign his notaryship, and has
since then devoted himself to ag.tating the
cause Of the clerical and Bourbon party.
HIS mother supported him with almost
fanatic perSstency. and It was we'll known
among the people Of Poitiers that the Mon
nier palace was the center OF the Legiti-
mists in the ancient bishopric.
Besides this son. whom she loved idola-
trously. Nine de Monnier had a daughter
Blanche.
The neighbors saw the girl grow from
childhood into maidenhood. The childish
figure. clad in pretty summer frocks. fiit-
ted hither and thither among the tall trees
and over the lawns OF the beautiful garden
Of the Rue do Ia Visitation