Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-04
SHE YEARNED FOR JAIL,
WANTED TO BE ARRESTED BE-
CAUSE OF POVERTY.
Special Cablegram to The Star.

Special Cablegram to The Star.
PARIS, October Another crazy out
rage has been committed on a picture in
the Louvre. This is the third within few
months. Poussin's LIE Deluge" was slashed
with a pocketknife by a maniac, who
wished to draw attention" to his misfor-
tunes. A landscape by the Dutch painter
Berghen was the other day found to have
been damaged. though much less seriously.
by some unknown hand Now q young
woman Of twenty-seven has cut q picture
by Ingres. 1.-The sistine Chapel" beyond
hope Of repair. The remarkable thing is
that the outrage was not discovered until
she herself revealed 1t at the police station.
decently-dressed, respectable looking
young woman arrived there, saying. quietly:
II have just spoiled a picture at the
Louvre in order to be arrested. My name
is Valentine Control, and I was born at
Rouen in 1880. My parents died three years
ago, leaving me penniless. I served as q
governess in England, but English life did
not suit me, and 1 came back to France. I
did dressmaking in Paris. I had to get up
at in the morning and work till midnight
to earn Is cents day. and 1 could not pay
my rent. 1 returned three times to my ma
tive town, but could earn my living no bet
=
Paris and determined to get run in.
Was Let Go Once.
1.-THE papers lately mentioned that a man
had slashed a Louvre picture. That Is
what I must do to avenge myself. At 3
o'clock in the afternoon 1 went to the
Louvre. AS there was crowd In all the
galleries, waited till half-past 4. when
visitors began to leave, and went to the I'M
freauented Ingress room, where chose the
'Sixtine Chapelle' picture, because 1t was
not under glass. 1 had no intention Of max
Ing demonstration against religion. With
a small pair of scissors first of all tried to
cut the Popes eyes away. but the canvas
was too thick, and 1 had to content myself
with slashing the figure and several others.
1 had to stop several times, for fear Of at
tracing the notice Of the visitors. A young
woman was copying near me, but she was
too intent upon her work to notice me.
When thought had done enough damage
to be arrested I went away and came here
to give myself in charge. AS matter OF
fact, this Is not the first outrage of the
kind have committed. Some months ago.
In a room Of the Jardin du Plantes Museum.
I smashed q glass case containing hne
butterfly, which I destroyed. I was ar
rested. but the police let me go out Of pity
for the wretched perjury I was In. 1t Is
shame to see SO much money invested In
dead things like these Louvre collections
when SO many poor devils like myself starve
because they can't find work"
The GOODNESS and the lucidity Of the wom-
an were amazing. Misfortune may have
turned her head. but there was method
enough in her speech and her behavior.
She took policeman to the Louvre to show
him the picture which she had damaged. 1t
is not one of Ingres' best-known works, but
is one of his most interesting. The picture
represents the historic Sixtine Chapel at the
Vatican, with the famous ceilings and fres-
Goes. The pope is seated in the Bedia Ges-
tatorfa, and a number of personages sur
round him. The face Of the pope has been
partly destroyed, the right eye being gone.
The head of cardinal near has been
slashed, and the faces of two other person.
ages have been cut out. M. Dujardin-
Beaumetz, under secretary of state for fine
arts will take Immediate measures for pre-
venting further acts of vandalism, as an
epidemic of such outrages seems to have
broken out. Detectives in plain clothes will
be placed in the galleries. Some Of the
smaller rooms will be closed until funds
are forthcoming to pay for a larger number
of attendants.