Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1910-03-12
THE TRUE BLUEBEARD
He Was a Cruelty and Malevo-
IentIy MaIigned FrenChman.
NOT A MURDER0Us MONSTER.

He Had Matrimonial Misfortunes, 1t
10 True, but He Seems to Have Been
the Only One Who Came to Grief on
Account of Them-His Tragic End.
The supposedly dctcStable Blucbeard
the monster of murdcrouS polygamy
the very name of the ogre int" whose
mouth one used if one could, in child
hoods happy hour to throw india rub
Der balls, was In truth man who has
been us cruelty and malevolently ma
ligned by history rs Nero, Richard Ill,
Macbeth, tutti quaint. SO says NJ
Anatole France and pray who can
speak with higher authority on the
real facts of faery?-in LES Sept
Femmcs de Ia BArbe-Bleue ct Autres
Contes Merveillcux.' 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 Pcrrault. 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 thcreaboutS at the ancestral
Chateau Les GuillctteS. on his estates
between COmpieGnc and picrrcfOndS.
The castle, of frowning outward as
pect, was inside a treasure house of
taste and wealth. Its owner. contrary
to long existing tradition. wore no
beard, only muStaCh" and little
tuft below the lower lip. He was
known through the countryside Is
Bluebeard because his hair was very
black. and therefore his close Shavcn
cheeks and chin were markedly blue.
He was a fine figure of a man who.
In spite Of his manifest advantages as
good match, did not get on we'll with
women Of his own rank In life. This
was due to an inCurable ShyncSS on his
part. Pleasant and pretty girls who
had been well brought up attracted
him Immensely. but also filled him
with an indcscribable terror.
The first notable result of this af-
fiction was that the unfortunate or
phan, for 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
neighbOrhood married Il certain Co
lette Passage, a fascinating girl in her
way, against whose character nothing
seems known, who was going round
the country with Il dancing bear.
Things went we'll enough for Il few
months. and then CoIctte, who had at
first rcvcled In being n lady of quail
ity, began to long for her Old freedom.
The longing became Irresistible, and ut
last she took her departure secretly
with her justly beloved bear 1t Is
noteworthy that they made their es-
cape by way OF room that had door
leading to what had been water
meadows, and so to open country
Perrault CallYl this room ''le petit cab
met" but II was also known as "the
wretchcd prinCcSScs' room," because
Florcntinc painter had covered its
walls with the most lifelike figures of
Gree Niobc and Procrls. The tragic
effect of these paintings was enhanced
by the porphyry flooring of the room.
which suggested bloodstains.
MontragOuX appeared incOnSolablc
Mt the disappearance, which was COM
pletc, of Colette, his first wife, and
doubtless his lot would have been far
less unhappy II he had never tried to
console himself This, most unfOr-
tunatcly, he did by marrying one
Jeanne de la CIoche, who turned out
to be violent dipSomaniac Blue
beard was OF nature so kindly and
noble that, although in n fit of mad
passion she nearly killed him with n
kitchen knife, he continually hoped to
reclaim her by kindness. But one day
she Strayed into the generally shut up
princcSScS' room, took the painted fig
ures for real people and was so terri
fled that she rushed wildly into the
open fields, tumblcd into deep pool,
and 50 was drowned.
SO things went on, Il new afilictiOm
with each new wife, and in each case
the final catastrophe was associated
with the princcSScS' room, The climax
to the unhappy career Of the more
than worthy and lovablc Bernard de
MontragouX came with his seventh
and most fascinating of family OF
utterly INSCRIPTIONS Adventures No
one knew anything about the supposed
late husband of the mother OF the
two brothers, dragon and a musket-
Ger, one was a low rascal and Il 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 Chcvalicr de McrluS.
who had great deal to do with the
final tragedy of NJ. de MontragouX's
career. The nature of this tragedy
may be inferred, but it Is curious that,
while Perrault represented BlueDeard
as taking a journey in order to lay Il
trap for his wife, the fact was exactly
opposite. Both before and after his
marriage he had hcapcd benefits on
all these wretchcs. When he was
obliged to go away in the matter Of
an inheritance he gave all his keys
without reserve to his wife, warning
her out OF pure love against the UNI
happy associations Of the princeSSes'
room. AS soon as he was out of the
way trap was laid for him, and 1t
was In that very room that he was
most treachCrOusly assaSSinatcd The
worst and the best Of il WAS that NJ
de MerluS, after mIrr in" the we. lthy