The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1909-01-07

t had been daring he revolution. An
other famous lover, Alfred de Musset,
lies buried not far from the two will
lows over the graves OF Heloise and
Abelard David, the painter; Rachel,
the actress; Balzac, Scribe, Michelet
and many other well known folk lie
near at hand. Admiral Sir Sydney
Smith, Lord Seymour and other well
known Englishmen are to be found in
other portions of the cemetery, while
literature is represented not only by
great authors, but by Lesurques, the
victim of Dubosc In the famous legal
Lyons Mail imbroglio.
But Pere Lachaise has more romance
than in it's tombstones. Chatting one
day with one of the old soldiers who
are the keepers Of this grim park,
learned some curious facts about it.
I'VE never have dull moment" the
man said. "You may think that our
time here is monotonous, but you are
quite wrong If you do so. To begin
with. there are the burglars. The
cemetery is overrun with them. There
are the connoisseurs who often get
away with valuable prizes, for you
will be surprised at the works of art
Of small size which people put in their
chapels The window is broken. a
stick slipped through the hole, and all
sorts Of things worth having are fished
out; then the bronze stealers, who
take away as much as they can carry
in their special pockets and make from
Is to 20 francs a day at the game until
we catch them.
"a little while ago a bust weighing
forty pounds was taken out Of the
cemetery over one of the walls. But
the most curious form Of robbery Is,
perhaps, that of the pearl wreaths.
Women are the principal Offenders.
They select the new ones, which are
not weather stained, fiatten them with
their backs against the tombstone,
slip them under their dresses, and
when they have got away with them
1--WE have no right to search even sus-
picious looking customers sell them
to dealers, to whom they tell the well
worn story Of poor workwoman who
has need of food.
"You would hardly believe 1t, but
Pere Lachaise," said the keeper, lis
favorite meeting place for lovers. We
get lovers Of all ages, and perhaps
more schoolboys and schoolgirls than
anything else. But the three most
curious things we see here in the GENE
terry are the forlorn widows, the letter
boxes and the cafe" 'The cafe?
asked. Eyes. There are hundreds of
people In Paris who refuse to believe
that their dead do not enjoy after
death the good things they used to like
when they were alive. Mothers bring
apples and sweets and leave them on
the tombstones of their children. Peo-
pie bring wine and glasses, and there
is one old gentleman who leaves
potato salad on his sons tombstone
regularly every Sunday. Of course
the children soon find out these things,
and we have never been able to con-
vince the people who bring them OF
the absurdity Of doing so. 1t is very
harmless superstition, after all"
"And the letter boXesY l asked.
Lovers letter boxes?" said the guard
ian. "There are dozens Of them In
all parts of Pere Lachaise. Sometimes
they are holes In the trunks Of trees;
sometimes they are little hollows I'M
der stones.
'@rhe inconsolable widow is a fire.
quent visitor. She is pretty woman,
and black suits her. She kneels down
by tombstone, rarely the same one,
and when a likely looking mourner OF
the other sex appears bursts into tears
He consoles her pretty soon, and the
two leave the cemetery arm In arm.
One Of these widows invited me to her
wedding six months ago, and last
month 1 was called to give evidence
about her meetings with her victim,
for she had seven other husbands liv-
ing."-St. James Gazette