Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1908-09-12
AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL
* FIND. *
[Original. ]

has been so much plot ana counter
plot as In Paris.
Recently a workman engaged in raz-
ing n house In the Faubourg st, Ger
main on removing square stone eX-
posed the crown of a human head. AS
stone after stone was displaced skel-
eton, dressed in the fashion of the
time of Louis MI, was uncovered. The
space in which 1t stood was just large
enough to hold it. One side, opening
into a large chamber, formed the door
to the compartment, being tall, mar
row mirror at the bottom of which
were two wooden drawers flanked by
candelabra. mirror, drawers and all
moving together when the door swung.
The architect at once sent information
of the find to the Academy of History,
and NJ. Andre Brosseau, the secretary,
was dispatched to examine the skele-
ton. Brosseau was astonished to find
that though dressed as Il man, the
frame was that of a woman. The dis
covery filled out the missing links to
mystery of the time of Cardinal Richie
lieu that Brosseau had been long try
ing to solve
In Richelieu's day dueling became 50
prevalent in France that the cardinal
made it an offcnSe punishable with
death. Jules Bcauchemin and Castor
Arnot, disregarding the edict, arranged
to settle a dispute with rapicrS. Beau
chemin was noted fcncer, who had
often killed his man. Arnot was little
more than boy. Nevertheless Beau
chemn was left dead on the field. The
cardinals spies, who had got wind OF
the matter, arrived on the ground only
In time to see ArnOt jump on horse
and leave the spot at gallop. Run
ming after him on foot, one of them
seized a horse by the way and fol
lowed him to the door of his home.
AS soon as they could gain admittanCe
they entered and searched the house.
The young man was not to be found.
There was no one there but servants,
one of whom, being threatened, con
fcssed that she had seen her master
run hurriedly upstairs and into his
room. The cardinals spy spent an
hour vainly endeavorlng to corner his
man. What puzzled him was that
there was no egress from the rear that
he considered possible. Concluding
that Arnot had got away by some hid
den passage, the entrance to which
was only to be found by one who knew
the secret, he went to the cardinal and
reported the facts. The same day
notice was posted in the streets OF
Paris offering a reward for CASTOR
Arnot, but the duelist was never taken
nor was he ever again seen in France
though mysterious reports occasion
ally got out that he was serving with
the army on the frontier.
Now, all this was a matter of history
with which the secretary of the acad-
envy had been familiar. If the skele-
ton found had been that Of 4 man,
solution of the problem as to what had
become of Castor Arnot would have
been found. AS 1t was, the find only
added to the mystery for what was n
woman doing In this secret space IN
the garb of man? AS to the house
having been occupied by the Arnot
family, that was uncertain. However,
the riddle was solved by bit of paper
found in the pocket of the doublet
worn by the skeleton
The story completed was in this
wise: Jules Beauchemin was a sutton
for the hand of Henrietta aged TWEEN
ty-four, sister Of CASTOR Arnot. She
detested and refused him. Beauche
min not being able to take revenge
upon a woman, while at cards one
evening with CASTOR, a boy of nine
teen, deliberately accused him of cheat
ing. This was tantamount to killing
him, for Castor, Notwithstanding the
cardinals edict, could not live in Paris
without having resented such an impu
tation, and Beauchemin always killed
his man.
Henrietta Arnot learned of this in
tended assassination of her brother.
Inviting CASTOR to drive with her, she
took him to a farm belonging to her
family on which lived a couple who
were devoted to her. CASTOR was in
weighed into a room from which there
was no egress, locked in and left in
charge of the couple. In the early
morning the sister, dressed in her
brothers clothes, appeared on the duel
ing grounds. Just as the principals
were about to take their places Hen
rletta paused lifted some gauze from
her face and said:
IN. Beauchemin, l am Henrietta
Arnot This quarrel is with me, not
with my brother. l desire before we
fight that you sign this paper, exon
Grating him from the charge you made
against him."
Beauchamin, astonished, took the pa
per, signed it without reading 1t and
handed 1t back to Henrietta. Then he
threw down his sword.
EN- gardew cried the girl Iiercely.
Beauchamin refused. Henrietta made
a pass at him which, had he not MIN
bly, stepped aside, would have killed
him. He took up his sword, intending
simply to parry her thrusts. This he
did successfully for some time, when
either his foot slipped or he became
unneryed, for he received n thrust
through the body.
1t was Henrietta who was chased
and who shut herself up in the secret
closet. But whether she died from
suffocation or because she could not
1t was supposed at the time of the
duel that she had fed with her brother,
CASTOR.
Gaston's keepers, hearing that a
price was set on his head, set him free