The Press., 1910-10-26

Truth is 50 much stranger than fic
 ton that perhaps 1t Is better to state
 that the main incident of this story
 actually happened just as 1t is re
 corded
 The French revolution had reached
 that stage commonly designated tht
 reign of terror. Every day the doors
 of the conciergerie prison opened t'
 let out a number of human beings. not
 to life, liberty and the pursuit Oi
 happiness" as was enunciated shortly
 before by the American colonists in
 their Declaration of Independence, but
 to suffer death on the guillOtine. Al
 first the victims were confined to those
 who stood for tyranny. The king. the
 queen. the nobility, royalty and its
 supporters lost their heads. Then the
 different factions that had brought
 about the revolution began to fight for
 power, and the Conservatives were
 guillotined by the Radicals. After this
 whoever desired to get rid of one he
 wished to remove had but to inform upon him as an enemy to France. and the accused would join the ''innumer- able caravan" passing under the yoke of the guillotine to his long home.
 It was not always an enemy that
 was to be got rid of. Sometimes il
 was friend. That friend might pos sess something that at his death would fall into the hands of the informer.
 There lived in Paris at that time a
 young couple, Henri and Marie Cha.
 teaubrun. who were devoted to each other. Henri when the struggle against oppression began took a deep interest In it, advocating the reforms that were proposed. He and a friend of his, Antoine Boyer. became somewhat
 prominent as leaders in that quarter of the city in which they lived. Boyer, who was a bachelor. came often to the Chateaubruns to consult with his friend upon the course to be adopted by them in public affairs. Mime. Cha teaubrun took a lively interest in the early efforts of the revolutionists to make France constitutional mon. archy and was usually present at the conferences of her husband and his friend.
 During these meetings Boyer con, ceived a passion for Mime. Chateau. brun. For time he struggled against it, not even acknowledging to himself that he loved his friends wife But the time came when he knew that life, for him was not worth living without her.
 As the revolution proceeded the two friends and coworkers found them selves on different paths. Chateau brun continued Conservative, while Boyer joined the ranks of the blood thirsty Jaco5ins. The latter did not give up his visits to the Chateaubruns. Indeed, he was not able to keep away from the young wife of his friend. Since neither she nor her husband sus- pected his love he was always well come.
 And now, the revolution having swept beyond the conservatives, those who had hoped for benefcent results to France, who had worked for the of a better regime, found themselves in the position of enemies to their country. In attempting to Itay the flow of blood they incurred the enmIty of those who were she'd ding 1t. Then it was that Mime. began to fear for the Iafety of her husband. She urged him to retire from any further partici- patton in public affairs. to go to a small estate he owned in the country. But, dangerous as 1t was to continue a contest with the leaders of the mob, Chateaubrun was too much of a man to cease to defend what he considered Ehe best interests of his country.
 FieFcer and hercer grew the mob, requiring of their leaders more and larger drafts of blood Mme Chateau Orun begged her husband to leave Paris. He sent for his friend Boyer, now one of the Jacobin leaders, and asked him what he had better do. Boyer said he would take the matter lnder advisement and let him know his conclusions.
 The day after this interview there was knock at Chateaubrun's door, and when 1t was opened a party of I0ldters entered and informed Cha teaubrun that he was under arrest by order of the convention. In spite of his clinging wife he was dragged away md lodged in the conciergerie.
 He demanded-an arrested persons made the demand-to know the charge 1rOught against him. He received no a0wNHw hA \-vn Iemblance of trial he was given. hen was informed that he was accus- d of conspiring with others to bring he Duke of Orleans across the border md establish him as king. Chateau 1run knew that there was not a word Df truth in the charge, but it's very lbsurdity told him that 1t was a pre- ext rather than an accusation, and he Ost hope at once.
 Th0re were twenty-one persons tried lt the same time with Chateaubrun md convicted on various pretexts. They were all sentenced to be execut- d on the guillotine on the same day. All were imprisoned In the conciergerie, which was the depot of supplies, so .O speak. for the terrible engine of leath. The day before the execution Mime. ChateaubFun went to Boyer md begged him to save her husband. He told her that to show favor to one convicted by the mob's tribunal would be to endanger his own head She was astoniShed that he considered the risk in the case of his old friend, but Boyer maintained resolutely that he dare not interfere. From Boyer the wife went to the conciergerie to tell her husband of the failure of her mis- sion and to bid him goodby. She was taken from the prison and carried home in a sw0on.
 The next morning a number of carts were backed up to the door of the con ciergerie, and a soldier in the prison called the names of twenty-One men who were to go forth to execution. Among them was Henri Chateaubrun. They all walked out to the carts. some