The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-03-21
Human "Ace Of Spades
Tale of Catherine Thevenin,
Who Fascinated French Court

gers name in the Kings ear. He
turned his horses head and dashed
over to the side of the chariot. 1t
was fifty years since he had laid eyes
on the face, but he recognized the
rAs de Pique. The sight Mortified
him; he blubbered out:
"Oh, mademolselle, how old you
have grownl" He turned his horses
head and made away as II he had
seen a spectre. Afterward It was
said the King undertook to make
amends for his display OF loathing.
He recommended the outcast to the
Church dlgnitaries at Fontainebleau.
but she distrusted them. sure that
they were more interested in her
money than her soul. Strangers
from all over the kingdom visited
Fontainebleau to get glimpse of the
hag who dwelt alone in the big man.
sion. But she rarely showed herself.
She received remittances regularly
from Paris, and these, to the delight
of the small boys, were conveyed on
a wheelbarrow to the hermitage;
that is, small sacks OF gold. Even
Partisan journalists as late as 1850
made the journey to Fontalnebleau
In order to get the ex-Aspasia to re-
count some of her memories OF half
century before. She could have made
thrilling copy" for she had seen the
guillotining of the royal family, the
noblesse; she had seen and probably
conversed with Robespierre she had,
in fact, been part of the last days of
the Monarchy all the Revolution, all
the Empire, and was still hale, If not
hearty, under another Napoleon.
Many attempts were, made by rob-
bers to penetrate her fabulous treas
ury; only one succeeded and the booty
hardly encouraged others. The hag
had firearms within reach OF her bed
and at the fireplace where she cooked
the small daily ration allowed herself.
With her lawyer a Partisan chroni-
quer obtained entry to thehouse. The
hag, pistol in hand, opened the door
and then seated herself by the filthy
fireplace, nodding to the lawyer to do
as he listed. There were many and
large rooms, every one filled with
such objects of fine art as now cost
fortunes, even the limitations. Heaps
of the most exquisite SeVres china
were scattered about, some of the
dishes used for the most ordinary
needs. The list of the paintings and
statuettes rivals an auction at the
famous Partisan or London collectors
sales. Titan, Rubens, Vandyck,
dozen of the most valued masters
were represented by canvases en-
ployed to stop the windowsl There
was half ton of crystal. which alone
ought to have been small fortune.
Gobelin tapestries were used as mats,
canoes of some of the most celebrat-
ed statesmen and worthless of the
century were flung about like so
much waste paper. The woman her.
self was wrapped in frayed lace OF
wondrous fabric, but 80 foul that it
would have been taken for the most
squalid rag. The secret of the scene
was that Cathepdpe was unable to
read or write, and hadn't the slight
est idea of the precious stores she
had accumulated in her youth, when
dukes and princes Wed with each
ot:>sr in sending her the treasures of
their palaces. A few weeks after this
visit, in 1853, butcher boy passing
the house saw a Gorgon head thrust
through the window and heard a
shrill voice crying for help. He fed
In terror. But, as he told the story,
some of the neighbors Thought it
would be. only Christian to see what
was wrong IN the mysterious house.
The hermit was found dead beside
the chimney place. so unutterably
filthy that it was difficult to get any
one to handle the corpse. 1t was ex-
pected that the sale of priceless OBJ
jects described by the chronlquer in
the Paris press would bring for
tune. But the public shrank from
even visiting the sale. Canoes of
Marshals of France, princes of the
blood, scores of the great noblesse,
were knocked down for sums like a
dollar. The whole collection didn't
bring $4,000, though single objects
since have brought as high as $780,
900. The hags body was buried de-
Gently, but her heirs from the distant
Burgundy village were so shamed of
the kinswoman that they had never
known that they permitted the body
to be thrown into the paupers' ditch
when the term that the grave was
paid for expired. philadelphia Bull
letin.
Americas Gilded Youth.