The National tribune., 1908-01-23

other day, presumably because hel
nerve was gone, and she could not face
the charges brought against her This
woman had humbugged everybody
dressmakers, jewelers., hotel managers
and bankers, anybody and everybody
she wanted to get something out of, and
for years had lived the life of a fash
ionable society woman in New York
calling herself Mrs. John Van Ness Rob-
erts, and claiming to be member OF
the old Stuyvesant family. She was a
very attractive woman, young and beau
tiful, fascinating conversationalist, re-
markably well read and quite linguist
AS. Mrs. Roberts, living in handsome
apartments, dressing magnificently and
| driving in her own mOnogrammed car
i riageS, no one seems to have doubted
her for moment, and she is said to
have been entertained by even the wife
of Gen. Grant at his home on Cover
nor's Island. When Prince Louis of
Battenburg was in this country Mrs.
Roberts, as she was known, attended
the ball he gave. one of the most no.
ticeable women present, and was seen
to greet the Prince as an old acquaint-
ance. After Mrs. Roberts's death the
other day she was positively identified
by Col. Robert Haire as the notorious
Louise Vermuele, who was tried for
/
him as her counsel. According to his
story, which has met with no contra
! diction, she had lived all over the coun-
! try under different names, borrowing
and humbugging everybody by the per-
lsuasiveness of her tongue. A few months
ago she made will leaving to a woman
friend her jewels, valued at fully $4,000,
and all her rich furniture and clothing
| to a cOiored maid. A career even more
| remarkable and romantic than hers was
| that of George Manolescy, who called
himself Duke of Otranto and Prince Le-
lhovary, and seems to have been ac-
cepted as such without suspicion. He
was native of ROumania, strikingly
handsome. of fine figure and frank, win
ming manner, and he first distinguished
himself by running off with the pocket
book of the Turkish Pasha, who en-
ployed him, and at the same time with
the particular pet Of the harem. He
was arrested for this on Greek terri
tory, attempted suicide, and was taken
to a hospital, where his good looks at
tracted the attention of Queen Olga,
who secured his release and gave him
money to take him home. He next
turned up in Paris, where he stole
enough to set himself up in fine villa,
appeared on the Bois in his own car
riage. and, in short, had everything his
own way until he was found out and
clapped into Jail. Then he came to this
country, where he posed as the nephew
of the Spanish Minister-it is needless
to say that he avoided Washington
and became engaged to the daughter
Of one Of our millionaires. Some time
afterwards he went to Brazil, rescued
a rich Brazilian from gang of ruff
fans, and in escOrting him to a hotel
relieved him of $4,000. He finally mar
ried the Countess Angelica Won Konis-
bruck, a member of an old and distin-
gtiished Saxon family, exhausted her
dowry and compelled her TO get di-
vorce. After years of experiences of
this character, making love to rich wo-
men, obtaining possession of their
money, then deserting them, robbing
here, there and everywhere, he returned
to Italy, married a rich French woman,
and appears to have settled quietly
down with her. He was writing his
memoirs when he died in Milan the
other day.
Lafcadio Herne, who is principally
known to the reading public by his
works on Japan, had a very romantic
history. His father was a handsome,
dashing Irishman, and a Surgeon-Major
in the British Army. Sometime in
the late 40's, when the Ionian Isles
still belonged to England, his regi-
ment was sent there, and DR.. Herne
made the acquaintance and fell madiy
in love with a very beautiful Greek
violent opposition OF her family-for
the feeling of these people against
the English soldiers at that time was
as strong as that which existed be-
tween the Southern women and North
ern soldiers during our civil war
she married him, and their second
child was the little boy Lafcadio, so
named from Lefcada. which is the
modern Greek for Santa Maura, the
island on which he was born. The
little olive-skinned, dark eyed, long
lashed, sensitive boy who possibly
played during his early years among
the ruins of the Temple of Apollo,
showed from the first that passionate
love Of the beautiful which was always
la leading characteristic together with
la curious shrinking from the unlovely
which amounted to aversion. AT the
tender age Of seven. his parents hav-
ing gone to Ireland when England
ceded the Ionian Islands to Greece, he
found his little world turned topsy-
turyy by the divorce Of his father and
mother, which subsequently led to his
adoption by an aunt of his fathers, a
stern, childless widow, who was a con-
vert to Romanism and fanatic of the
most pronounced type. Deprived thus,
suddenly and uncomprehendingly, of
his home and, at the same time, of the
care and tender love of his beautiful
young mother, whom he adored-he
seems to have had only the vaguest
remembrance of his father-the child
became distrustfuI OF everything and
everybody. and he grew up In the chill
aunts home. this dark-eyed. sensitive,