The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-01

to a row in front of his door, in the course
of which he exchanged blows with a per-
feet stranger, was hit with an umbrella,
and apostrophized with epithets not usual
even in tragedies. He had been driving
out in his carriage, and, as usual, had
| taken his little dog with him. To comply
with the rules the dog was held in a
leash, but as he was getting out of his
| carriage the dog jumped do<sn first, and
a lady who happened to be walking Dy
| got between master and dog, was tripped
and fell over the leash
The accident was regrettable, but when
the lady rose red with anger, she abused
the actor In such a way that he in turn
lost patience and paid her back in kind.
One of two gentlemen who accompanied
her then took up her defense. which he
converted into threatening attack. NJ. de
Max raised his hand and landed blow.
The lady banged his hat with her um-
brella The coachman jumped from his
seat and fiourished his whip in the face
| of his masters antagonists. The usual
sequel an appeal to the police,
then followed M. de Max and his
coachmen, as well as the two who ac-
companied the lady, were summoned be-
fore court. The judges considering that
there had been a lack of reserve all
around. distributed penalties right and
left. Plaintiffs and defendants We're
equally punished. NJ de Max was sem
fenced to a fine of 25 francs, his coach
| man to 16 francs, and each of the two
men who had defended the lady to S
| franc fine. The dog, who was really the
chief cuprit, came off scott free, AMI
did not even appear in court.
! Recently, towards evening, a little band
of policemen carrying long ladders and
| headed by a commissary and justice OF
| the peace marched down the Rue du
al no &
reached No. 81 three ladders We're placed
against the windows of the second stors
and three policemen mounted rapidly.
Meanwhile commissary and justice dis
| appeared into the building
| What was the meaning of all these pre-
| cautions? Had yet another bandit been
tracked to his lair in this quiet and emf
nently respectable street? The theory was
| untenable, especially as the police had
| left bombs and buckles behind Besides
everyone in the quarter knew that the
! building was occupied by Gems CONNIE
| il faut"-entirely respectable tenents. But
| what everybody Slid not know was that
the occupant of the fat in the second
! story had remained behind barred doors
| and shuttered windows for seven years.
The proprietor of the building knew 1t,
and it was he who had called in the police
to compel his tenant to open her doors.
1t is a strange story. Seven years be-
lure Mile. CleUleillne sIeNat, IOr lfldC Is
her name, lost her only sister. with whom
| she had lived for 40 years. Her grief
must have affected her mind, for when
she returned from the gravesde she
bolted the door of her fiat, closed the
shutters of the windows. even blocking
their interstices with black paper, emp
tied her lamps of oil, and threw away
her matches. From that day onwards
she lived in darkness and in solitude. The
only visitor for whom she unbarred the
door was a fellow tenant, who kept a
grocers shop in the basement. Three
times a month this lady, Madame Coch-
on, was permitted to pass a supply OF
timed provisions through a small win
dow. In the same way she was handed,
four times year. a cheque payable to
bearer, which she had to cash.
Then the police, after demanding en-
trance in the name of the law and receiv-
ing no answer, broke in the door, they
found the old lady dying-alive but feeble.
The room was indescribably dirty. Ev-
erywhere were piles of tins still redolent
Of their contents-sardines, herrings, and
so on. On the carpet were the dead
bodies of two cats, who lay as they had
fallen several years before. Feebly pro-
testing against the outrages, Mile Levat
was taken to the hospital, bathed and put
to bed. Inquiries are being made for
relatives of the old maid, who is reputed
to possess considerable wealth, including
a fine property at Chesnay.