The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-09-11
THE TRUE NLUEbEARD
He Was a Cruelty and Malevo-
lently MaliQned Frenchman.
NOT A MuRoERous MONSTER.

NOT A MURDEROUS MONSTER.
He Had Matrimonial Misfortunes, e
10 True, but He Seems to Have Been
the Only One Who Came to Grief on
Account Of Thsm-Ais Tragic End.
The supposedly detestaSle Bluebeard.
the monster Of uurdereus polyga0y.
the very name Of the ogre into whose
mouth one used. II one could. In child
hoods happy hour. to throw india rub
Der balls. was In truth . man who has
been as cruelty and malevolently ma
ligned by history as Nero. Richard Ill.
Macbeth, tuttt quaint. So says NJ.
Anatole France-and pray who can
speak with higher authority on the
real facts Of faery ?-in LES Sept
Femmes de Ia Barbe- Bleue ct Autres
Contes Merveilleux." One knew al
ready that Charles Perrault first wrote.
In about 1860. the historical biography
of Bluebeard. but one did not know
until now. how deeply Perrault. prob
ably through false Information. wrong
ed the memory Of an excellent and Ill
treated parsonage. From NJ. France
we learn that NJ. Bernard de Montra-
goux. Of old and noble descent. lived
In 1850 or thereabouts Mt the ancestral
Chateau Lea Guiliettes. on his estates
between CompieGne aud Pierrefonds.
The castle, OF frewning outward as
pect, was l1sl6e q treasure house of
taste and wealth Its owner. contrary
to long existing tradition. wore no
beard. only a Dustaohe and q little
tuft below the lower lip. He was
known through the countryside as
Bluebeard because his hair was very
black. and therefore his close shaver
cheeks and chin were markedly blue
He was a dne figure OF q man who
In spite Of his manifest advantages as
q good match. did not get on well with
women OF his own rank In life. This
was due to an incurable shyness on hi.
| part. Pleasant and pretty girls who
had been well brought up attracted
him immensely. but also filled hin
with an INDISPENSABLE terror.
The 01st notable result Of this If.
fiction was that the unfortunate or
phaa, for such he had been since his
early youth. incapable Of making pro
pcsals for the hand Of any Of the at
tractfve and high born ladies in the
neighborhood. married a certain Co
lette Passage. q fascinating girl In hel
way, against whose character nothing
seems known. who was going round
the country With q dancing bear
Things went we'll enough for a few
months, and then Colette, who had q
nrst reveled In being . lady Of quail
ity. began to long for her old freedom
The longing became Irresistible. and q
last she took her departure secretly
with her Justly beloved bear. 1t Il
noteworthy thai they made their "a
caDo ~ way Of room that had q dool
leadang to what had been waite,
meadows. and 90 to opon country
Perrauit cai1ed this room ''le petit cab
met" bat 1t was also known ~ ''thl
wretched pRiacesses' ROOM" becaus,
q Florent1ae painter had covered 1t,
walls with the most nfeiike Aeures o.
Circe. N5obe and Procris. The tfagi'
effect % these paintings was enhancet
by the porphyry flooring Of the room
which suggested bloodstains.
Mo1tsaDoux appeared inconsolabl,
at the disappearance. which was com
plete. Of Colstte, his first wife. and
doubtless his lot would have been IA
less unhappy Y he had never tried Il
console himself. This, most unfor
tunately. be did By marrying ont
Jeanne do Ia C1ochs. who turned on
to be a violent dipsomaniac. Blue
beard was OF q nature 50 kindly and
noble that. although In q At Of mad
passion abe nearly killed him with ,
kitchen knife. he continually hoped Il
reclaim her ~ Kindness. But one da,
she strayed into the generally shut III
prinoesses' room. tsok the painted fg
| ures for real people and was % terri
| TED that she rushed wildly into tn,
open fields, tumbIeA into q deep pool
| and SO was drowned.
So things went on, q new a@ictioI
I with each new wife. and In each cas-
the 6nal catastpeDhe was ASSOCIATED
with the princesses room The china,
to the unhappy career Of the mon
| than worthy and lova3.le Bernard d.
Montragoux came with his seventh
wife. Jeanne de Lespoisse, cleveres
and most fascinating Of q family o
utterly INSCRIPTIONS Adventures. n,
one knew anything about the supposed
late husband Of the mother. OF tn,
two brothers, q dragon and q musket
eer, one was q low rascal and q mer,
sponge: the other lived on gaming am
| on the good nature Of women to whom
be made love. Anne. the sister. wa
the incarnation Of malicious cunning
Associated with this precious famil,
was q certain Chevalier do Neriua
who had 6 great deal to do with tn
final tragedy Of II. de Montragouxi
! career. The nature Of this TRACED,
| may b inferred. but It u curious that
while Perrault represented Bluebears
rs taking a journey in order to lay ,
trap for his wife. the fact was exactl.
| copoeite. Both befoEe and Skecr hi
lITI.0 D1C