Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23
Drunken Woman Mistaken by I'm.
dertakers for Corpse.
MAID SERVANTS sCHEMERs
Paris Couples Taken in Beautifully
bv Dear Ones-Workman's At
tempt at Suicide Fails.


has not ceased to decrease, there are still
far too many, and in 1906 absolute Hitter
ates were. in fact more numerous than IN
1905. This retrograde movement Is heio
to be a deplorable sign that instruction
is. after all, only obligatory In name.
Too many children are kept away from
school on one pretext or another by
parents of the lower class, and inspectors.
however keen they may be. have great
difficulty in enforcing attendance at the
communal school. Perhaps. also. the ig-
norance displayed by conscripts denotes
the necessity of popular instruction be-
tween the classroom and the barracks.
1t is very likely. as commentator re-
marks that many of these illiterate con-
scripts have learned how to read and
write and have forgotten it. An unin-
telligent scholar. for instance. leaving
school at the age of twelve after having
studied badly. if consequently he carefully
abstains from reading or writing. may end
by knowing nothing at all by twenty.
The obligatory school period in France
is shorter than elsewhere. and certainly
some system of instruction between the
necessary as primary instruction itself.
Slept Too Long on Train.
NJ. Thomas. minister of marine. re-
Gently took the night train for Fayet ST.
Gervais, in Savoy, where he intends to
spend his vacation. He was to reach
Dion about midnight and continue his
route toward Modame in the express that
leaves about half-past one.
He slept well and woke to find that.
although he had been travelling in a fast
express all night, he had scarcely got
much beyond the suburbs of Paris. The
M CT lyn f1,nv, El,4y1 l. c
train reached Dion nobody wished out
of respect for the minister. to wake him
up. All the other passengers left the
car and took the proper train.
Meanwhile the minister, who was Sleep
ing comfortably. was forgotten by the
employees. and his car was attached to
the train returning to Paris: This is
how NJ Thomas. after travelling all night
by express. nearly reached the point from
which he started. Happily another train
came along. which took him a second
time to Dion.
Half tragic and half comic confusion
was caused at one Of the Paris police
stations by the presence of corpse. a
drunken woman and coffin. The police
had brought the body of an unknown
man. probably tramp. who died on the
banks of the Seinne. to the station. in
tending to have 1t conveyed to the morgue
on the following morning. During
the night a drunken woman was shut up
corpse. She lay down beside it, quite
unconscious OF it's presence and slept
soundly all night.
Mistook Woman for Corpse.
In the morning the undertakers came
with a coffin. and. mistaking the woman
for the corpse. they were about to lift
her into the coff1n when she bounded up
with scream. and ran into the street,
where she tainted.
The undertaker's men also got such a
of swooning. He thought the corpe had
come back to life. Both he and the
woman were taken to a druggists for at
tendance. and there, as the latter recover
ed. she screamed each time that she
saw blue coat. She seems to be still
convinced that the police intended to
bury her alive.
A Paris deputy and his wife had a lit
tie maid servant. whom they regarded as
veritable jewel. as she was active and
covered to their horror. that this para
gon was the very reverse of what they
had believed her to be. She had long re-
ceived money to pay the weekly house
hold bills. but had pocketed it all and
when the tradespeople had applied to her
she had coolly Informed then that her
master and mistress were temporarily
hard up" and she had actually had the
audacity to indite letters to them on the
notepaper of the chamber Of deputies
The climax came when the girl, while
husband and wife were away in the coun-
try, gave a dinner party At the trial
the deputy deposed that he heard that
the dinner was very we'll served. viands
being on the menu for which he was
afterward called upon to pay. The meal
over. the guests adjourned to the drawing
room. where they sang and danced till
morning. creating an indescribable din,
which kept the neighbors awake" He
heard Of this when he returned and went
into matters. to discover that not only
were a number of bills unpaid, but that
jewelry and personal effects had disap-
peared. SO that he was out of pocket by
several hundred dollars.
Did Not Overlook Wine Cellar.
"They also did honor to your CELLAR"
the judge inquired. Il had fifty bottles
Of champagne: I have drank three and
there is one remaining" was the melan-
choly reply. Although the little "bonne"
declared that she had only consulted the
along. she failed to support this with any
substantial proof. and she has. according
ly, been sentenced to six months i'm
prisonment
At the beginning of this month a fur
dealer Of Paris engaged servant girl
for his villa at Garches. Her name was
Marie and. as often happens. she looked
the picture OF innocence and simplicity.
She showed him her certificate from her
late mistress. lady in the Avenue de
Wagram. which was most eulogistic. The
fur dealer did not take the trouble to
inquire from her former mistress and
trusted the new servant on her mere
looks. A few days afterward he went to
the seaside with his family and left her
in charge of the villa. Suddenly he was
obliged to return to Paris and at the
same time paid flying visit to his home
at Garches.
His surprise was great to find the good
looking servant gone as we'll as all his
wife's jewelry and number of other
valuab BILE articles. estimated at more than
10000. At the same time a pawn ticket
was sent back to him regarding a violin.
The girl had written on the back of II,
saying that she had found It in his son 8
pocket, and that she preferred to send 1t
back as it was Of no use to her. Some
further explanations.
Suicide to Spite the World.
workman. aged forty -nine years. who
for some time past showed signs OF men,
tai alteration. has. as he stated in a let
ter. committed suicide ito spite the
world He imagined that he had dis
covered the secret of a wonderful aero
plane but nobody would believe in his
invention. The world. he said, was too
selfish and full of ingratitude. He chuc-
killed.. though. at the idea that he would
have his revenge by committing suicide
and thus preventing mankind from de-
viz inc nv hanAf1f T.