Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-08-24
Charmed
Equally by
Three Famous.
Beauties, Each
Ready to Be
His Bride--Un.
able toChoose
Between Them,
and Crazed by
lndeCision, the
Lieutenant Had
to Blow Out
His Brains

again saw Lieutenant Won Hoffschnefdsr
among the living He was not seen that
evening by any of his friends After nm.
packing his trunks and rearranging his
wardrobe his valet was dismissed for tina
night
Next morning the Lieutenant's Iifeleas
body was discovered lying full length on
. the Persian rug before the mantel in his
sitting room. Near 1t had fallen the re.
VoiVer with which he had blown out his
brains. AS mentioned at the beginning NJ
this account the photographs of the
Countess lrma, of Mile. Renouardt, and Of
Mile. Lorraine, stood side by side on the
mantleptece.
quantity of cigarette ash Uttered tha
mantelpiece, and was trodden into the Per.
sian rug. The Lieutenant was an inveter.
ate smoker of cigarettes. 1t was plain. bv
these signs, how he had spent the evening
after unpacking and restoring to the man.
teip1ece his photograph of the Countess Ir.
ma now hanked by those of Renouardt ami
Mile Lorraine-the three most beautiful
women In the world, each of whom ha
loved to the point of madness-and each
ready to become his wife!
AS he gazed into the three pairs ~ MIA.
tured eyes-smoking furiously and dron-
ping cigarette ash on the mantel-the INN
OF lndecision In his brain developed into
monster. How was 1t possible for him to
decide? He loved them all equally. each
was ready to give herself to him. How
could he renouce the other two? He paced
backward and forward, treading cigarette
ash into the Persian rug.
When the Lieutenant realized fuIIv that
a decision was impossible, the one nossrh,a
solution of his difficulty occurred to hin,
His revolver was handy. and he did NOT
hesitate to use It,
For some reason best known to them.
selves, the relatives of the unfortunate
young man have not favored the pubIica.
ton in Vienna newspapers of the above
details of the cause of the suicide. Tbs
official explanation, while temporarily
deranged." has suficed
The Countess Potacka left Vienna I'm.
medately, going to her country estate IN
the neighborhood OF Warsaw, where she
denies herself to all visitors It Is whiS.
pered in Vienna society that she ia
roken-hearted-but that her pride win
eventually come to her rescue, for she IL
one of those who cannot deny the evf.
dences furnished by the suicide chamber
that either one of two famous Paris
actresses might have become her SUCCESS.
full rival And that is a reflection which
would hardly permit a spirited Polish
noblewoman to languish very long.
There is no doubt that Mile. Renouard.
and the charming Lorraine were sincerely
shocked by the news of the tragedy
though they have since endeavored tn
create the impression that they never sert.
ously considered the |impetuous matrt
monial propositions of the young officer.
They are consistent In this; otherwise
they would naturally resent his uncere-
monious departure without waiting to
learn their decisions
Students of psychology, both in Paris
and Vienna. who have the outline OF the
story as told here, agree that any per.
fectly sane young man of the tempera.
ment of Lieutenant Hoffschneider in
similar circumstances, would logically be
expected to solve his problem in the same
tragic manner A prominent biologist. In
this connection, is quoted as observing a
fresh and emphatic suggestion of modern
physical decadence among the Iesured
class, due to the exaggerated Importance
given nowadays to the subtleties of the
tender passion. OVERTURNED minds and
nerves sap the physical bulwarks DOS.
sessed by savages and by those who lead
the simple life. and leave sensitive organ.
izations open to just such tragic episodes
as ended the career OF Lieutenant Won
Hoffschneider.