The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-09-02

For the first time since Rome be-
came the capital OF Italy, f~hirty-four
years ago., the cardinal secretary OF
where than in the Vatican, and Is
tr~ansacting h business OF the holy
seat beyond the walls Of the Eternal
City. II 1 draw attention to the fact.
ii is because thfs could not be accom-
plished without the friendly good will
of the Italian government, which, in
order to suit the convenience of the
pontin and OF Cardinal Merry del val,
has established private telephone and
Geographic communication between
the Vatican and Castel-Gandolfo, the
old palace of The Pope-s, overlooking
the famous lake of Albano, some six
teen miles distant from Rome.
1t is the Pope himself VINO insisted
that the cardinal secretary OF state
should take up his residence at Castel-
Gandolfo. in pointing out that there
was no obligation or necessity for the
young prelate to remain at the Vati-
can during the hot summer
and accordingly he caused the papal
villa or chateau, which. had been
closed since 1870. to be placed in a
state of proper repair, more Than fifty
workmen being employed FOR the pur-
pose and some very handsome furni-
ture being brought from the Vatican.
The chateau is situated on one Of
the highest points dominating the
Lake Albano, with a superb view of
mountains, Campagna, and even of the
sea in the distance. The lake itself
lies like a diamond set in enamel, and
the gardens of the palace, which have
been carefully kept UP are simply glo-
rious.
The cardinal goes once a week TO
Rome by rail for the purpos or max
ing his reports to the Pope and to re-
ceive the members Of the diplomatic
corps. On the other days, when he
remains at Castel-GandoIro, ne is apt
to be rung up on h telephone, not
once, but several times, in the course
of twenty-four hours by Plus X i'm
person.
Cardinal Rampolla, during the six
teen years of his secretaryship of
state. never left Rome or slept outside
n walls of the Vatican but once and
that was when his mother died, an
event which kept him away for three
whole days.
Inc de la Tour du Pin.
whose arrest the other day at the in
stance of a jeweler of Rue Francs
bourgeois, on a charge Of fraud. Gre
ated so great a sensation in the Eau
bourg st. German, at Paris, is by
plrth a Countess de Cnauteaubriand.
a grand-niece of the famous poet and
statesman of that name, and bv her
marriage a member or one of the old
est and most illustrious houses of
france, which traces hack it's ances-
try In an unbroken line of the soyer-
eign barons de La Tour of the twelfth
century, who figured in nearly every
one of the crusades.
Inc Countess, who is an elderly
woman, and who's husband owns moi
only a n mansion in Paris, but also
an old chateau and large estates near
NemourS, has for some time past been
e~xtravagant, especially in
connection with matters Of dress, so
much so that when the time came for
making a wedding present to her
nephew, the marquis Ge la Tour du
Pin ,on the occasion of his marriage
to h daughter Of General O'Connor.
she found that she had no money left
for the purpose.
instead of addressing herself to her
husband, who had repeatedly emon.
strated with her about her expendi-
lures, she determined to borrow the
amount needed, and, together with
one OF her friends. the Countess de
Morlgny, she entered into negotiations
with a woman who bearing the name
Of de Horn, apparently
makes a business of acting as broker
in securing loans for ladies of rank.
This woman offered to procure a loan
of 100000 francs, providing she re-
ceived a commission of $4,000 francs.
The Countess de la -FOUR agreed to
these terms and was taken Off by Nine.
de Horn to the jeweler Marty. The
jeweler, Nine. de Horn explained, was
prevented by the laws from advanc-
ing the money in cash at usurious
rates, but who would give the countess
on credit 100000 francs worth of
jewellery, which she could then sell.
pledge or dispose of as she pleased.
Nine. de la Tour, on arriving at the
shop with Nine. de Horn, chose a
collar Of pearls worth 100, 200 francs
and other jewels representing about
$4,000 francs more, and ordered them
to be sent to her house.
The jeweler brought the jewels him
self, and on leaving them with the
unit de la Tour asked her 10 sligo
q receipt, which contained the proviso
that if the gems were not satisfactory
to the countess husband they would
be returned On the following day. The
countess, thinking to herself that it
was a mere formality, signed, and no
sooner had the jeweler left thar Nine.
de Horn coolly appropriated about
4 oVsVOV 1tdiiSS WOTlH VI TIE Jewels. de-
clar1ng that they represented her COM
| mission.
On the mex day, as the countess was
going OUT, the jeweler arrived and
asked of her whether she had decided
to keep the jewels or not. Greatly
astonished and completely mystifed.
the countess ~thereupon asked for an
explanation, and when she related to
the jeweler the role played In the af-
fair by the Countess de Horn, he a,
once exclaimed that he was not a
money lender, that he had never
dreamt Of any such transaction as the
one of which he had jusc been made
aware, n that all he knew of Nine.
de Horn was that she had occasionally
4 nrrrahac cod Snpna Sr;aac q. n;e Sta~o