Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1909-09-22
THE TRUE BLUEBEARD
He Was a Cruelty and Malevo-
lently Maligned Frenchman.
NOT A MURDER0US MONSTER.
He Had Matrimonial Misfortunes. II
Is True, but He Seems to Have Been
the Only One Who Came to Grief on
Account Of Then,-His Tragic End.

ne f7Sc matrimonial MtStortuneS, X
Is True, but He Seems to Have Been
the Only One Who Came to Grief on
Account Of Then,-Ais Tragic End.
The supposedly detestable Bluebeard.
the monster OF murderouS polygamy.
the very name Of the ogre into whose
mouth one used. if one could. I'm child
/ hoods happy hour, TO throw india rub
Der balls. was In truth n man who has
been rs cruelty and malevolently ua-
lignod 10y history as Nero. Richard III.
/ Macbeth. tutti quant SO says NJ
I Auatolc Francc-and pray VIII, IAN
/ speak with higher authority or the
/ real facts Of facry Pin les Sept
/ Femmos de In Barbe-Bleue e. AuireS
/ Contcs Ncrvei'leuN." one knew ai-
ready that Charles perrault first wrote.
I'm about 1900. the historical biography
+ OF Bluebeard. but one did not know
until now how deeply Pcrrault. prob
4 ably through false information. wrong
cd the memory Of an excellent and 80
treated parsonage. From NJ. Franco
we learn that NJ Bernard dc Montra
gouX. OF old and noble descent. lived
in 1850 or thereabouts at the ancestral
I Chateau Les Guillcttes. on his estates
between Compicgnc and Pierrefonds
/ The castle. of frowning outward as
pect, was inside n treasure house Of
taste and wealth. Its owner contrary
10 long existing tradition. wore ~.
beard. only n muStache and n little
tuft below the lower lip. He was
known through the countryside rs
Biuebeard because his hair was very
black. and therefore his close shavcn
checks and chin were markedly blue
T He was 4 fine figure OF n man who.
IN spite OF his manifest advantages rs
a good match. did not get on well with
women OF his own rank I'm life. This
was due TO an incurable shyness on his
f. part. Pleasant and pretty girls who
had been well brought up attracted
him immensely. but also filed him
with an indescribable terror.
The first notable result OF this NJ
Fiction was that the unfortunate or
phan. Tor such he had been since his
early youth. incapable OF making pro-
posals for the hand Of any Of the at
tractive and high born ladies in the
neiShborhood, married 4 certain Co
lette Passage, fascinating girl i'm her
way, against whose character nothing
seems known, who was going round
the country with 4 dancing bear.
Things went well enough for a few
months, and then Colette. who had ut
first reveled in being a lady Of quail
ity, began 10 long for her old freedom.
The longing became irresistible, and ut
last she took her departure secretly
NNif In.
noteworthy that they made their eS-
cape by way Of a room that had a door
leading 20 what had been water
meadows, and SO 10 open country
Perrault called this room "le petit cab
met" but il was also known as ''the
wretched princesses' ROOM" because
q Florentine painter had covered its
walls with the most lifelike figures Of
Circe, Niobe and Procris. The tragic
effect Of these paintings was enhanced
10y the pOrphyry flooring Of the room.
which suggested bloodstains.
MontragouX appeared inconsolable
at the disappearance, which was COM
plete, OF Colette, his first wife, and
doubtless his lot would have been far
less unhappy If he had never tried 10
console himself This, most unfor-
tunately, he did by marrying one
Jeanne de Ia Cloche, who turned out
10 be a violent dipsomaniac. Blue
beard was Of n nature so kindly and
noble that, although in a fit of mad
passion she nearly killed him with a
kitchen knife, he continually hoped 10
reclaim her by kindness. But one day
she strayed into the generally shut up
, Processes room. took the painted fig
ures for real people and was so terri
fed that she rushed wildly into the
open fields, tumbled into deep pool.
and so was drowned.
SO things went on, n new afiliction
with each new wife, and in each case
the final catastrophe was associated
with the Processes room. The climax
10 the unhappy career OF the more
than worthy and lovable Bernard de
MontragOuX came with his seventh
wife, Jeanne de LespOisse, cleverest
and most fascinating of a family of
utterly INSCRIPTIONS adventures. No
one knew anything about the supposed
late husband of the mother. OF the
two brothers, a dragon and a musket-
eer, one was 4 low rascal and a mere
sponge; the other lived on gaming and
on the good nature Of women to whom
he made love. Anne. the sister was
the incarnation of malicious cunning
Associated with this precious family
was certain Chevalier de Merlus,
who had great deal to do with the
final tragedy Of NJ. de Montragoux' :
career The nature Of this tragedy
may be inferred. but il is curious that,
while Perrault represented Bluebeard
as taking Il journey in order TO lay Il
trap for his wife, the fact was exactly
opposite. Both before and after his
marriage be had heaped benefits on
all these wretchcs. When he was
obliged 10 90 away in the matter of
an Inheritance he gave all his keys
without reserve 10 his wife warming
her ont Of pure love against the un-
happy associations Of the princesses'
room. AS soon as ne was out OF the
way trap was laid for him, aud il
was in that very room that he was
most treacherously assassinated. The
worst and the best Of II was that NJ
de Merlus, after marrying the wealthy
widow, became an exemplary husband
and subject Of the king
Transposed.
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