The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1910-01-05
THE TRUE BLUEBEARD
He Was a Cruelty and Maleyo.
Iently MaIigned Freachman.
NOT A kURDERoUs MONSTER.

He Had Matrimonial M:sfertunes, It
Is True, but He Seems to Have Seen
the Only One WAo carne 70 Grief On
Account Of Them-Eis Tragic EnG
The supposedly detestatie Bluebeard.
the monster OF murdcrous polysamy.
the very name OF the ogre into whose
mouth one used. II one could, in child
hoods happy hour, to throw india rub
be- balls, was in truth 4 man who has
been as cruelty and rna!evolcntly ma
!i.ned By history as Nero. Richard III,
Macbeth. tutti Quac:i. So says II.
Anato.e France-ard pray who can
speak with ligher authority on the
real facts OF faery?-in Les SEPT
Femnes de Ia Barbe-Bleue ct Autres
Contes Merveilleux." One knew al
ready that Charles Perrault drst wrote.
IN about 1850. the historical biography
Of B,uebeard, but one did no. know
until now how deeply Perrault. prob
ably through false information. wrong
cd the memcry CT an excellent and III
treated parsonage. From u. France
we learn that NJ Bernard de Mon:ra-
souS. Of old and noble descent. lived
Chateau Les Gui.iettes. on his estates
between Comp!eSoe and Pierrcfoods.
The castle, of frowrins outward as
pece, was inside treasure house OF
taste and wealth Its owner. contrary
to long .:istias tradition. wore no
beard. only nustache and q little
tuft below tie lower lip. He was
known through the countryside Us
Sluebeard because his hair was very
black. and therefore his close sharea
checks and chin were markedly blue.
He was fne figure OF man who.
in spite OF his manifest advantages as
good match. did not get on we'll with
women os his own rank in life This
was due to an tncurab!e shyness on his
part Pleasant and pretty girls who
had been well brought up attracted
him immensely. but also filed him
With IN indescribab.e terror
The first notable result Of this az
nictfon was that the unfortunate or-
phan. for such be had been since his
early youth. incapable Of making pro-
posals foc the hand Of any Of the at
tract;ve and high born ladies IN the
Ileighborhood, married a certain Co
lette Passage, fascinating girl IN her
way, against whose character nothing
seems known, who was going round
the country with dancing bear.
Things went well enough for few
months, and then Coiette. who had at
first reveled in being lady Of quail
ity. began to long foc her old freedom.
The longing became irresistible. and at
last she took her departure secretly
with her Justly beloved bear. 1t Is
noteworthy thai they made their es-
cape by way Of room that had door
leading to what had been water
meadows, and so to open country.
Perraulc called this room "!e petit cab
met" but It was also known rs the
wretched Processes room" because
4 Florentine painter had covered its
walls with the most lifelike figures Of
Circe. Niobc and Procris The tragic
effect Of these paintings was enhanced
by the porphyry aoorins Of the room.
which suggested bioodstains.
Montragoux appeared inconselable
at the disappearance. which was COM
plete. Of Colette. his first wife. and
doubtless his lot would have been far
less unhappy II he had aever tried to
console himself. This, most unfor
tu1ately. he did by marrying one
Jeanne de Il Cloche. who turned ont
to be 4 violent cipsomaniac- Blue
beard was Of 2 nature so kindly and
noble that although in dt OF mad
passion she nearly killed him with 4
kitchen knife, he continually hoped to
reclaim her By kindness. But OIL uay
she st-ayed into the generally shut up
princesSes' room, took the painted tS-
urcs 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, . new aaictior
with each new wife, and in each case
the final catastrophe was associated
with the princesses' room The climax
to the unhappy career Of the more
than worthy and lorable Bernard de
Nontragoux came with his seventh
wife, Jeanne de Lespoisse, cleverest
and most fascinating Of family OF
utterly unscrupuious Adventures. No
one knew anything about the supposed
late husband OF the mother. OF the
two brothers, dragoon and musket-
eer, one was low rascal and 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 g certain Chevalier de Merlus,
@ho had great deal to do with the
final tragedy Of NJ de Montrasouz's
career. The nature Of this tragedy
may be inferred. but 1t is curious that.
while Perrault represented Bluebeard
IS taking g journey in order to lay
ras for his wife, the fact was exactly
opposite. Both before and after his
marriage be had hcaped benefits on
al these wretches. When he was
obliged to so away il the matter OF
an inheritance he gave ali his keys
without reserve TO his wife. warning
her out Of pure love against the un-
happy associations Of the princesses'
room. As soon as he was out OF the
way q trap was laid 70. him. and 1t
was "a that very room that he was
most treacherously assassinated. The
worst and the best Of it was that ".
de Merlus, after marrying the wealthy
widow. became an exemplary husband
and subject Of the king.
pn>nr.onia Follows Cold