Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-12-27
A Wife S Revenge
tOriginal.1

[OriginaL1
During the latter part of the eight
zenith century two young men. lean
DesmOulins and Alphonse Cateret both
living in Dion, France, were bosom
friends. Cateret proposed marriage TO
d young girl, Louise Plancon, but his
suit was rejected. Louise secretly
loved his friend Desmoulins, and in the
course Of time Desmoulins married her.
He was so devoted to Cateret that Lou
Use thought it best not to tell him that
Alphonse had once sought her hand,
and since Alphonse never told him he
was in ignorance of the fact.
Ten years passed. Cateret had gone
to Paris to live soon after his friends
marriage, the DesmOulinses following
later. Both men became leaders in the
revolution which was sweeping over
France like a cyclone. One evening
DesmOulins came across the Seine by
the bridge directly opposite the corps
legiSlatif and walked toward the Place
de la COncOrde, or Place de Ia Revolu-
ton, as it was then called. At the
same time Cateret turned into the
place from the opposite direction. The
two men met at that point where the
guillotine was set up and where it had
done great work that very day. Night
was falling, and the Place was desert
ed except for the friends They stop
ped directly under the instrument of
death and began to talk.
"AlphOnSe," said Jean, ''this revOIu-
ton is like tongue of fame which at
one moment sweeps in one direction,
the next in another. The favorite of
today is the condemned of tomorrow.
'YOu are right, Jean. Do you know
that if either Of us has an enemy that
enemy can send the man he hates to
the guillOtine.'
81 don't like it," replied Jean. eff
were single like you, l would not mind
the danger so much, but 1 consider my
family"
Cateret stood for awhile lost in
thought, then said: 81 have an idea.
Suppose we make an agreement If
you are the victim, 1 will pay your
wife $4,000 francs; if I an the victim,
you pay my mother the same amount"
After some discussion Desmoulins
consented, and the friends went to
Cateret's house, where the contract
was drawn up in duplicate, duly exc
cuted, and each party to it took a copy.
Ten days after this agreement Des-
mOulins was arrested under an accusa-
ton of having correspondent with the
royalists across the border. He had
received a letter from a fugitive, but
no one knew of it except his friend
Cateret, to whom he had shown it.
But there was nothing in this, for the
letter, bearing foreign mark, must
have been opened in the postoffice.
Louise Desmoulins was frantic at the
danger that threatened her husband.
AS soon as she became quieted she set
her wits to work to discover who the
secret enemy could be. At confer
ence she had with her husband in jail
he told her that Cateret knew of the
letter he had received from abroad.
Louise, remembering that Cateret had
once sought her hand in marriage, was
seized with q suspicion which she final
~ confessed to her husband
"Nonsensep' said JEAN '"There can
be nothing in that, since at my death
Alphonse must pay you $4,000 francs
And he told her of their agreement.
She was but half convinced.
Jean Desmoulins died on the -Scaffold
beside which the agreement had been
made. His wife shut herself up After
a few weeks she received one visitor,
her husbands old friend, Alphonse
Cateret. Him she saw constantly and
but few months after her husbands
execution promised him that she would
be his wife. Meanwhile she frequented
the courts and places wherein she
might learn the name Of her husbands
accuser. After awhile she became
known as the widow who was hunting
for one to send to the guilIotine. One
day she received q visit from one of
the leaders of the revolution, who said
to her:
81 know who Informed on your hus-
band. He is in my way, and 1 wish to
get rid of him. l will tell you who he
is on condition that you trump up an
accusation against him, leaving me out
Of the matter. You will not believe me
without proof. That proof 1 will fur
nish.'
ut is proof alone that l wish. l
know the man."
''How do you know himY'
"By the instinct of a woman"
"He is
"Alphonse Cateret'
"YOu are right"
The visitor the next day met the
widow in a building where records
were kept and, being in authority, took
her to d room where no other man in
France except the keeper could go. He
took down a volume which contained
record of more villainy than any vol
ume in the world and, consulting an
ipdav turned to fI1p name of Joap DpS-