The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1914-07-15


honor whatever. Fortunately the Du-
rands were relatives Of the American
minister at St. Petersburg, and the
mother wrote him with reference 20
the marriage and the rumOrs she had
heard The ambassador wrote her to
come at once to the capital.
The fact Of having the influence OF
one of so much importance at the Rus
sian court makes this episode in real
life one Of the remarkable stories of the
world. Mrs Durand and the young
bride-the latter assumed th2-eItL2Nand
name of Countess Stremuf-Went TO
Russia and stayed ut the American
embassy. They We're Informed by the
counts brother that he was a villain
and that they had better have nothing
further to do with him.
Stremoff while drawing a young
American girl into his tolls had no idea
that she had the opportunity of calling
to her aid the power of the United
States. Her cousin. the ambassador,
took the matter as an indignity to an
American citizen to the Russian gov
anu dSheu lOI IeOi SSS lOI tuS
young countess. The result of his rep
reservations was an arrangement be-
tween the two powers that the pair be
officially married at Warsaw, in Rus
sian Poland. The count. who by this
time had thrown off the mask, showing
that he had intended to make Miss
Durand his dupe refused to go to War
saw or be married.
And here comes in among the wrongs
that may be perpetrated by despotic
power case of right. Probably no
other sovereign, no head of republic
surely, would have been able to compel
this rascal to do justice to the girl he
had intended to win for the purpose of
deserving her when won, except the
car of Russia.
One day Stremoff received an official
document from the car ordering him
to go to Warsaw and complete the
marriage that he had begun Oh the Ri
viera. An order from the autocrat Of
all the RusSias to one of his subjects is
not to be despiSed. One who by nod
can send persons. without the SEM
bidhIC VI a u lsti ~ WI thC III Cau-
ed mines in Siberia is not likely to be
disobeyed when he directs a man to do
justice to Il woman. And the wronged
girl had behind her the power of the
great American republic to REINFORCE
the car.
Count Stremoff dared not disobey his
sovereigns order, and at the appointed
inn fhn ,ort,,
at the church. the bride wearing a
black dress. attended by her father,
her mother and the groom brother,
who had been very kind to the in
jured girl The father had concealed
on his person a revolver, determined
that if the villain refused to convey
the necessary legal rights to his
daughter he would at least prevent his
working any more mischief.
The bride and groom met at the altar
rail. Probably no more dramatic
scene, certainly no more unique one
ever was enacted in a church. The
groom was simply passing through a
form in obedience to the will of one
who held over him the power of life
and death: the bride was enduring an
ordeal to make her legal wife. But
for her it was terrible crisis, know
ing as she did that her father was
armed and at the slightest disposition
on the part of the groom to recede the
ceremony would be turned into trag-
edy. She must have prayed silently
there before the altar that she might
be spared bloody ending Of her mis-
fortune.
The priest began the marriage s,11
Ice, all save -
eyes fixed on ing BY
what ioophoje, II amy, d5 might at
tempt to escape what was to be forced
upon him. To all. especially the bride.
the service seemed interminable. But
at last it was ended, and Heloise Du-
rand had become legally as well asl
really the Countess Stremoff. The bride
and groom parted at the door of the
church, never to meet again.
The Americans fled from Russia at
once for by the Russian law the huS-
band can imprison. beat in every way
iii treat his wife if he can get his hands
ON her. They reached the border the
same day ami were safe
What became of the groom, whether
he continued his villainy or had been
sobered by this one experience, is not
known. The wedding took place more
than half a century ago. and his name.
save for this episode. wherein be-
showed his villainy, has sunk into OBJ
livion. Not so his wife. She became
one of the worlds famous actresses.
Yet of all the dramas in which she
ever played it is questionable if any
was so truly dramatic as the one in
which she had played the real. tns
principal role in the days of her early
youth.