The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-02
Important and Picturesque Char
acter Belonging to One of High
est Families in France.
BN ia MAN0UIsE DE EONrENOY.

by Ia MARQUISE DE FONTENOY.
TT SEEMS strange to me that the
l American press should have taken
1 so little notice OF the death of "a
most important and picturesque per-
son belonging TO one of the highest
families in France. AMI who was prom
inent in the military and afterwards
In the political and the literary world
dur ng many years past. when he had
exchanged the sword for the pen. AS
a rule We ara accustomed to lind in
the papers a liberal space given TO the
demise OF one who has Oecn much III
the public eye and who has up to the
moment of his death continued to at
tract towards himself general notice
The illustrious man am abiding
to is Count Jean de Sabran-Pontevcs.
ones ears like the swift swish of Il
sword cleaving the smoke of battles
Besides baing gallant soldier he
was chivalrous political enemy. a
h ghest grade OF talent. "laureat de
!Academic Franchise (prix Montyon)"
il YOU please. and published. under the
Psendonym of j Fan lie Hutin." several
train I'm Raid en- AISLE" 'Lettrcs d
Phanotte,'' and Les Neillees du Ger
fnut.' delicious volume dedicated to
his daughter.
The now ducal house OF Sabran- Pom
tcves descends in straight line from
the twelfth century without u break.
Indeed, IL may be said in passing that
1t Is much older than that, If one fol-
lows the line back, counting such an
ccstors. for instance as the SOW ercign
Count OF Forcalquicr; the Forcalquiers.
as is we'll known, being amongst the
few great mobiles who ruled the lands
as absolute sovereisns long before
the CrusadeS were even thought. of.
King Louis IN. of France was num-
bered among their allies. Marguerite
de Provence, daughter of Raymond
cncc. had four daughters. The first.
as | havc'iust said, ma rried "St. Louis"
the second. Eleanor. married Henry III.
of England: the third. Jeanne. mar
ried Raymond: Sovereign Count of
Toulouse. and the fourth, Beatrice. mar
ried the rcigning Count Charles OF
Anjou. Beatrice. sister-inlaw of St.
Louis. was one of the ancestresses Of
that branch OF the Pontcves belonging
to the antique nobility Of .Langucdoc.
told, the Ponteves. who were the
founders of tho family. developed into
two branches when one of :hc two
Pontcves brothers, Bretons brave and
true. of the type OF Du Guesclin, the
famous knight separated one Of them
wandering off to the South of France.
whilst the other remained on his own
lands.
The Count Jacques dc sabran who
has just died at his Chateau or Ger.
faut, in Tourainc. was the uncle of
the present Duke fiolion- Louis Marie
Elzear. fourth Duke of Sabran- Pom
teves, as also Marquis of Ponteves.
etc, etc, and who is now about
thirty-seven years of age.
jacques was the veritable type Of q
warrior OF the .olden time. Looking
at him. ono would have thought that
he had only just removed his Crusa-
der's armor and modernized himself
sufficiently only to head tho present
royalist party. which, although greatly
diminished. still exists in certain faith
full and stubborn provinces of France.
His genlality. simplicity OF manner,
and elegance of dcmeanor were amus-
ing To watch as we'll as his calmness
OF gesture and fine. commanding figure,
when one saw him gallopiny every
morning as early as or o'clock
in the Bots de Boulogne as real sports
men are wont to do. For beneath tho
simple accoutrement OF sportsman OF
day. he managed somehow or other
to give the impression OF not belong