Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-05

price. lie RO1 .l,Su francs on them. Fill
teen months later the government pawn
shop put them up for sale for unpaid in
terest Pearls had gone up: and jeweier
bought them for 44oo0 francs. The Hum
berts therefore were handed over the Diff
ference In cash"
Both Therese and her brother acted as If
the fairy story were simply true. A retired
grocer of Auteuii had loaned them some
Se.pp francs. Il became dsduieted as To
the fate OF my Investment" he tells. II
had not been paid my interest. Therefore
| called on them for an explanation.
II was received by Romain Daurignsc.
the brother. he continues. and then
Madame Humbert entered the room in a
scsiskin cap and coat and showed herself
impatient to be of To an appointment.
demanded Information concerning the
Crawford legacy. Roman took high tone.
saying Il have no explanation to give
ycur
Furious. ] answered: Then I'll seek It
from the crawfords' lawyers But are
you base enough to do the very thing that
VIII most injure u.s.? inquired the fashy
brother. Then madame spoke Why
should the gentleman not go to the Craw-
fords lawycrsT she exclaimed How? We
do not pay him and refuse him explana-
ton. Shall he not seek one elsewhere? 1
say he Is right Go. see the Crawfords
lawyers
The effect OF what / took for Madame
Humbert's generous impatience and scorn
OF small methods was so great upon my
mind that ! was completely treasured
concluded the victim. Il did not go TO the
erawfords lawyers. and l continued to
have confidence"
Who Played Crawford
One editor actually did see the myth
cal Crawfords. A rich retired Partisan. NJ
Hass, being introduced TO the family by
Ten Grevy. surviving brother of the Grevy
who was president OF the republic loaned
the Humberts 100000 francs on the express
stipulation that they would break with the
low-class usurers In relations with them
Then. little by little he loaned them nm
to 3OO0GU0 francs
How could l doubt?'' he asks When
visited them at their country place |
met there the chief personages of the gov
eminent and parliament, magistrates depu-
ties and senator's. colleagues OF Gustaye
Humbert, the father-in-law. When Wal
deck-Rosseau spoke against the Crawford
legacy began TO feel disturbed. neverthe-
less: and meeting Roman Daurignac one
afternoon l inquired the progress OF their
interminable lawsuits and showed impati-
ence. perhaps even doubt.
The next day / received the visit OF a
distinguished American OF some fifty years
or age. with smooth horid face. dark
haired with some gray in it, 1t was Mr.
Henry Crawford
You are helping Madame Humbert" he
said, to carry on her suits against me and
my brother. Without your support she
would long since have given in to our de-
sre-which is not lucre but uniting OF
duty. l have come now to beg you To
leave her to her own resources. Here
100000 francs on account of the loans you
have made her. Prepare a list of the total
and l Will reimburse you the balancei'
Il can still see the American taking from
his portfolio an enormous bundle of bank
notes. If l should ever meet him again l
would recognize him at once Without CIV
ing him time to finish. l rose and showed
him the door and told him never to return.
How could imagine him to be lay figure
moved by the Humberts to work gigantic
BLUM on me? I often wonder what lie
would have said and done had accepted
his 800 900 francsr
What every American in Paris has often
wondered is who was that alleged Ameri-
can? You understand? The Crawfords
of the Humbert-Daurignac imagination.
But somebody-very probably American
at various times did personate Henry
Crawford for them.
Who could he have been? The whole
family has been marvelousiy close-mouthed
in Jail. Therese is still doing her time at
the really magnificent new Central prison
at Rennes. Once month some Par-s pa
per starts the story that she has gone
crazy or is very ill., To the prison author
tiles she is an object of terror. Her name
is never pronounced, and they speak or
her mysteriously. Why they
afraid of her2 They afraid that she
will say something Thus far she has given
nobody away She who lived for twenty
years with the great ones of the present
republic might easily smirch reputa tons,
and she has not done it, Pc
1t is known that she spends nearly all
her time IN the infirmary, waited on and
watched over not only by the civil prison
guards. but also by the sisters of the con-
gregation of Mare-Joseph-"wh have a
great esteem for her"
Recently a Paris reporter was able to
have a short conversation on the subject OF
Therese with a young female prisoner.
All, monsieur. you have no idea how
bore ourselves here" she said. but | have
only eight weeks more. I'm not like that
poor Therese who has stll two years. You
should see her eat her beansi All the
same. she acts the hypocrite and coddIes up
to the good sisters! That's not chic, is it.
monsieur"
The reporter said il was not. 1t seems
raSthenic. The Diet has nothing building I'd
about it-rarely meat. and beans. beans.
beans and potatoes potatoes potatoes
But they give her great deal of milk and
the good sisters bring her dainties from
the city. At the beginning she talked "A
great deal: but the order was not to listen
to her. Now she preserves silence. She
scarcely ever reads. and she writes only
once month. either to her husband equal
ly in jail or to Roman her daughter
Eve who is now living comfortably with
the old grandmother in Geneva. She goes
to the prison church regularly and the
sisters say of her; She Is a good woman,
very interesting and very calm
STERLING HELLO.