The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-19
VALERIAN0
 IS ARRESTED Robbery and Wholesale Murder Charged. ALL PARIS IS STIRRED Catholic Chaplain Turns Traitor to
 His Friend. A Young Girl in Paris. Who is Accused of Murdering an old Woman,
 is Conducting Her Own Defense.
BY HENRI DUBoTs.

Paris, April 1s.--The arrest at Naples of Padre Valeriano. Friar of the orders of San Pasquale. and resident chaplain to the late Duke de Montforte. for rob- bery and wholesale murder, is the talk of Paris.
 The old Duke, who was well-known along the Riviera and fin Paris society. expired suddenly last year at his villa. Lydia" near Naples. which he had built fin his youth and presented to his English bride. Miss Lydia Berth.
 After the wedding day, the Duke and Duchess of Monforte were absolutely boycotted by the other branches of the ancient family because Miss Berth, who was of Protestant ancestry. de- clined to embrace the Roman Cath ollie faith. The Duchess of Monforte was, however. an attractive figure in aristo- cratic circles, and she endeared herself to Neapolitans not only by her sur passing beauty. but by her benencence.
 The last years of her married life were embittered by the fickleness of the duke and the. intrusion into the sumptuous home of a pretty young German governess, named Francesca Bugner. Then the duchess was re- moved, by a sudden and unaccountable death, while not many months later, the governess met similar mysterious fate.
 All this time the Duke of Monforte had. besides his chaplain. special favorite .n a Calabran valet, bearing the name S.cllianf. The friar and the valet play a big part in the drama. for the police accuse them of having not merely stolen the Monforte heir looms and title deeds. but of having poisoned the duchess and the govern ess and finally the old man himself
 When the dukes relatives came from Paris on his decease. to take pos- session. they were amazed to find the sealed strong state-rooms quite empty, though the seals were not apparently tempered with. They tried to keep the affair secret, but the Naples Chief of Police, after discovering that Padre valeriano had pawned s20.0oo worth of the Monforte jewels at city bank. bounced upon him on Tuesday while he was visiting his mistress.
 The superiors of the Order of San Pasquale, to which Valeriano belong ed. disclaim any responsibility, as they say the friar has lived outside his mon- astery for over year.and had previ- ously been suspended as sequel to the discovery of a disgracefui corre- spondence with one of his fashionable penitents.
 Little is known of the aged dukes last days, as, after his dual bereave- ment, he lived a retired misanthroptc
 existence Since the Duke of Mon forte's decease. the renegade friar had been living in arst-class hotels in Ma pIes under the false name of De An gelis. The valet has also been ar- | rested.
 | According to their version. the old duke, just before breathing his last made a present of all the jewellery to VaIeriano and the bonds to the valet The valet, needing ready-money, hand ed the bonds to the value of S6,40O to Valeriano. who paid him out of the proceeds of the pledged jewels minus 340o, which the friar retained as his own commission on the transaction. valeriano's long cross-examination ended in the confession that he con signed SC. 400 in Monforte bonds to a young Taranto count.