The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1913-07-31
REVENGE RUINED QUEENS LIFE.
Became Wanderer After the Brutal
Murder of Her Faithless Lover.


daughter of the great and good Gus
tavus Adolphus, kept all the gosslps
of Europe in ferment for many
years. After holding down the throne
of her father for four years, she vol
unfairly abdicated in favor of her
cousin, in order that she might travel
and enjoy herself At that period she
was young and beautiful and the
most learned and accomplished wo-
man of her time, and it is not strange
that the welcome to Our City, sign
was hung out whenever she designed
to visit burg.
Toward the close of the year 1857
she honored France with her pres
ence, and the palace of Fontainebleau
was turned over to her with the COM
pliments of the season. She was at
tended by a royal retinue of servants,
and also by. her grand equerry, the
Marquis Monaldeschi.
This gentleman, as his name sug-
gests, was an Italian, and for con-
siderable time had been the queens
favorite They were recognized as
lovers, and, since the queen had abdi-
Gated, it seemed more than possible
that they would be married and to go
housekeep;n The marquis was
extraordinarily handsome and gifted
in all the graces and polite manner
isms of the time. He was charming
man, but entirely unscrupulous.
When duty took him away from his
royal mistress they wrote love letters,
just as ordinary people do, and the
letters of the marquis always breath
ed undying devotion. And, while
thus convincing the queen that he
lived for her alone, he was quietly
laying siege to a,young Roman girl
of wealth and beauty.
In his letters to this girl he ridi-
culed the queen shamefully, applying
contemptuous names to her; and, not
satisfied with this baseness, he sent
several of the queens love letters to
her, that she might enjoy good
laugh. But Nemesis was on the false
lovers trail.
There was certain cardinal who
had long been jealous of the mar
uuis, and who was anxious to be the
queens favorite. The cardinal had
his spies and soon learned the details
of Monaldeschi's treachery. By some
means he secured possession of the
entire correspondence with the Ro-
man girl and turned the letters over
to the queen. Christina must have
had a bad hour when she read those
letters, in which her love and trust
were ridiculed.
On Saturday, November 10th, the
marquis was summoned to the Gal
erie des Cerfs, long and gloomy
apartment Of the palace. He enter
ed, bowing and smiling in his accus-
toned manner. The queen was there
with Father le Bel and three armed
strangers. Christmas face was as
cold and rigid as marble. AS the
marquis advanced, smirking, her
glance brought terror to his heart,
although he had no inkling of what
was in store. Turning to Father lie
Bel, she said:
Hand me those papers,"
He produced the letters, which had
been intrusted to him by the queen.
She in turn handed them to the mar
quis.
"Do you recognize these?" she.
asked.
There was an icy sweat on the
brow of the marquis and his legs
trembled under him.
''I have never seen them before"
he stammered, at last.
Look again. said the queen,
sternly, Are those not your seals?"
He could say no more. Helpless,
speeches., trembling in every limb,
he could only look imploringly at the
merciless woman. The three men
closed around him and drew their
swords.
"You are a traitor" said the
queen, and turned her back on him.
The three armed men drew closer.
The marquis saw that his hour had
come. He had been known as man
of courage, but in this extremity he
was a picture of abject terror. He
seized the queens gown and entreat-
ed mercy. He walled and wept and
howled, and she looked down at him
with unforgiving eyes and lashed him
off with her riding whip.
Father lie BEL she said, "you are