The Iola register., 1902-05-23

2SsEfNI eft of the Judge of instruc-
Ey ton, knowing that It would
doubtless secure an indictment against
the accused:
1.-TWO leagues from Tarascon, on the
1eft bank of the Rhone. stood the Cha
teau of Clameran. Here lived in 1S41
the old marquis and his two sons, Cas-
ton and Louis. A near neighbor was
the Countess de la Verberie, with one
daughter, Valentine, lovely girl of
eighteen. NJ. de Clameran detested
the countess, and Nine. de la Verberie
execrated the marquis 1t was said
that under the reign of Henry ". La
Verberie had betrayed the affection of
a fair daughter of the Clamerans. This
misdeed led to duel, which in turn led
to bitter hatred between the two
houses.
"Gaston de Clameran met Valentine
de In Verberie at an evening entertain
ment, and the two fell desperately in
love. CASTOR would often plunge into
the Rhone at Clameran and rise out of
the water at Verberie, where he would
have secret meeting with Valentine
Castor would place light in his win
dow Immediately before starting which
could be seen by Valentine at her home.
The two lovers, despairing of permis-
sion to marry, kept up secret intima-
cy, which led to Valentines becoming
n wife without the sanction of the
church or the law.
"One evening CASTOR went into n
cafe for q cup of coffee. Later, while
playing billiards, hearing Valentines
name coupled with his own to her dis
honor, he demanded retraction, be-
came embroiled and killed two men.
He fed to the chateau, where he con-
fessed to his father his intimacy with
Valentine, declaring that he wished to
marry her. His father urged him to
fy from the consequences of the MUIR
ders he had committed and, having no
money to give him, supplied him with
the family jewels. Meanwhile the po-
lice were coming to arrest him, and 1t
was arranged that the gates should be
suddenly opened, a servant should flee
In one direction, Louis in another and
thus misleading the police give CASTOR
an opportunity to escape. CASTOR
would have got away had not Louis
purposely tripped and fallen. The po-
hce. thus discovering the ruse, pushed
on after Castor, who. to save himself,
Jumped into the Rhone The current
was at the time 80 swollen that his
pursuers gave him up as drowned.
~Escaping almost certain death, Gas
ton, who before leaving the chateau
had placed the signal for Valentine in
his window, reached La Verberie and
had an interview with his beloved. She
Informed him that she would soon be-
come a mother. Before parting he
left with her the jewels given him by
his father, then fled the country, going
to South America. That night the old
marquis died, Louis. assuming that his
elder brother had been drowned, took
the title and the estate He left Cla-
meran Immediately and began a life
full of ignominy.
valentine confessed her condition
to her mother, who took her TO Eng
land. where she provided for her
daughters secret accouchement under
the care of Il physician and maid,
Mihonne. A son was born, which the
countess Immediately sent away to be
adopted by a farmer. Subsequently
Nine. de Ia Verberie pursuaded her
daughter to attempt to forget the past,
TO consider it buried in oblivion and to
marry. a young engineer, NJ. Andre
Fauvel, spent some time at Beaucalre,
where they lived, and fell in love with
Valentine, who, urged by her mother,
accepted his attentions ana finally mar
ried him. NJ Fauvel afterward be-
came the famous Paris banker. The
countess died in 1899.
Louis de Clamcran. after an absence
from home Of eighteen years, returned,
and from Mlhonnc, the maid who had
been with Valentine at the time of her
confinement, learned that his brother
had not been drowned, that Valentine
had had Il son by CASTOR and that she
had subsequently married NJ. Fauvol.
Impoverished by his eXcesscs and un-
able to find u living honestly, Louis de
termined to use this information for
the purpose of eXtortng money from
Mime. Fauvel. Going to Paris, he call
ed upon her and gave her to under
stand that he knew of her past. In
order to better serve his purpose he
told her that her son by Castor was
living, that he had been brought up in
London, that his father had been there
and found him, that CASTOR had died in
poverty and had asked him Oouis) to
apply to her for means for the mainte-
nance of their son Raoul. Nine. Fau-
vel at once gave Louis the jewels Gas
ton had left with her at their last in
terview TO be used for Raoul. Louis
soon introduced young man to her
who persOnated her son and received
from her large sums, which the two
villains divided, All this Nine. Fauvel
kept a secret from her husband. FL
nally Clameran, in order to facilitate
his plans demanded that she receive