The daily Alaskan., 1914-11-27
THE WHITE
 DEATH
By WILLIAM CHANDLER

In 1880 Mile. Antoinette Garnier, named for the i'll fated queen of France who lost her head on the guillotine, was one of the most attractive of the younger girls of New Orleans. The Crescent City was in those days one of the gayeSt cities, if not the gayeSt, in the United States. Being city of the French. it contained a number of em- tyres of the revolution whereby the Bourbon kings lost the throne, and they were of the uohleSSe, some of them having the right to titles that they did not use. New Orleans. social ly was delightful. but more foreign than any other American city. Edwin Wentworth, q young north erner from the state of Maryland, went to the Crescent City to spend winter, attracted thither by the reports of the unique social life. Having letters to the best" people, he was invited ev- erywhere. He met Mile. Garnier, and love affair euSued. It was arranged that when the spring came on they should be married and both go north to the grOOm'S home.
 In those days there was frequent in tercOurSe between New Orleans and France. While desirable persons came out to the new world to make homes for themselves. occasionally one would come whose absence would have been preferable. Among these was Antoine Le VOiSier. q dueliSt who had killed so many opponents that he had ac- uuired the sobriquet of the White Death.
 One evening at cafe young Went worth saw him. asked who he was and on being told remarked ill d voice loud enough for Le' VoiSicr to hear that the authorities of Louisiana should ship the fellow back to France. The result was challenge. If Wentworth had come from Massachusetts or any north ern state he might have declined 1t, But, hailing from border state, in which duciing had not entirely died out he felt compelled to fight. He was rash to have made the remark in the White Deaths hearing and rash to go on the 'c.d with one who had fought twv.!y dUels and killed ten meu. Wentworth was entirely unskill- ed in the u>r .f weapons, and there was no time t1 . ,rn how to use them.
 The result .s that he went out to meet his urru@aIist. and another mur der was done
 Mile. Garnicr was So crushed by the tragedy that for awhile her life seem ed to be in danger, and as she recover ed her strength she showed signs of mental derangement. The social world saw her no more and so rapid are the changes in the world of fashion that in few months her place there seemed to have been filled and she forgotten.
 It was Eot long after WentwOrth's murder that the cholera visited AmCri- ca. and New Orleans was not immune from it's d'vastatiOns. But it seemed that nothing could even temporarily obliteratc the peoples desire for amusement. A masked ball was given In large hall, and, although it was not an :Gnir to call out fashionable society. ,>. 'cialy at such time, many of thr a..! ton went there to divest thems Ives of the gloom surrounding them.
 The contrast within and without the hall was fearful one. Within was dance nf life without a dance of death But the death from without broke in among the mcrrymakers. A figure en- tered thc hall dressed In white flowing robes, the mask as white as chalk, with great hollow eyes. grinning mouth and rotten teeth. It advanced to one wearing q Louis NV. costume and stood staring at him. The merriment ceased. and all eyes were bent on the two figures. The Louis KY. figure took off his mask and displayed the features of Le NoiSier.
 The reason for his unmasking was apparent He had seen himself con frontrd by cue dressed as the Wbite Death and waS LeSirouS to avenge The insult
 "Wlncvrr you are who has offered this affrout you shall pay for it." ne said.
 'I am the White Death"
 Meet me in an hour in the wood" replied Le VoiSier. referring to a wood on the outskirts of the city where duels were fought.
 Not without a reason. For me the White Deathl to confront you, the