The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1922-12-07
HIST1RYiS|
kYS TERIES
OF WHICH sEx1

y - 4
ahioh deals with the intrlgues
and plots that hnBeyeombed the courts
Of Europe during the Eighteenth cen
tury, Is filed with the accounts Of
number ~ unusual personag es-but II
Is doubtful II any 81 these are quite
as remarkable as the ones connected
with the career Of the Chevaiier
dion, whose exploits we're directly
responsible for much n the glory which
surrounds the name ~ Louis Nv
Born Ut Tonnere, France, in lbs,
Charles GeneyieYe Louis Auguste An
dree Tmothee DION de Beaumont de-
veloped a talent early in life for
impersonatlng members OF either sex
with facility which appears 10 have
been little less than marvellous. In
fact, the mystery which surrounds the
true sex Of this adventurer-Or adyen-
turess- becomes more startling with
the examination OF each exploit Ae-
'cording 10 contemporary historians,
DION was able TO appear either as
man or as woman, with an ease
which rendered penetration Of his dis
guise impossible, and his ability In
this line gained for him tthe mascu'
line pronoun being used advisedly)
position at the head Of the secret
agents employed by Louis and II was
not long before he became the most
accomplished spy who ever delved into
the secrets OF a court or OWNED the
Intention Of ruler.
Part Of the time he would be the
Chevalier dEon, dashing. debonair and
fearless. Then the cheyalier would
allow II 10 be known that he was
going somewhere on visit, and
beautiful woman-versed In all the
arts which make men open their hearts
and their lips, forgetful OF the seal OF
secrecy which they would never lift
TO their closest male friend-would
appear, and another report would soon
be on It's way TO the private sanctum
OF the king
, No one suspected that the dashing
chevalier and the flirtatious coquette
were one and the same, though when
the exposure was finally made, even
his enemies had the grace to say that
DION had fought over half OF Europe
and flirted over the other h0lf." In
Paris, In London, in Rome and In
Genoa, the chevaller added success
after success TO his long list Of vic
tories, prying into secrets and ferret
ing out the truth when the greatest
spies Of five kingdoms had utterly
failed
But Il was while al the court OF the
Empress Elizabeth of Russia, In the
feminine role, that the chevalier
achieved his crowning triumph Eu-
rope was then on the verge Of the
Seven Years war. and Louis desired
an alliance with Russia. One after an
other the veterans of the diplomatic
service returned TO Paris, stoop-
shouldered and beaten. The Imperial
palace, they said, was closed to them.
The empress would have none OF their
advice She was adamant in her de-
cislOn to stand aloof in the struggle
which was approaching.
As last resort, d'Eon was dis
patched to Moscow, and before many
weeks had passed, II began TO be ru-
mored about the Russian capital that
her majesty had a new maid Of honor
who appeared to have a strange hold
over the queen. The girl, as charming
as she was pretty was careful not to
play her cards too rapidly but she
lost no opportunity to shift the con-
yersatlun Is a discussion Of diplomacy
and az first to suggest and then 70
prove the wisdom Of an alliance be-
tween France Russia and Austria
against Frederick the Great Little by
little the decision IF the queen began
10 crumble, and, some two weeks after
the new maid Of honor disappeared
from the palace-whieh was about the
same time that DION was making his
report to Iouls-it became known that
the alliance would be ratified at an
early date thus completely altering
the map Of Europe
This. however. was destined TO be
the cheyalier's last success. He was
growing old. and lines we're appearing
IN his face which II was difficult 10
hide by the application Of cosmetics.
Following an almost total collapse Of
his plans at the Court Of St James, in
London, DION retired from public life
and. during the 33 years which elapsed
before his death. he dressed contln.
ually as a woman, using the name
mime. DION" This would appear 10
lend weight 10 the belief that he be-
longed 20 the feminine sex. but beyond
the fact that be was one OF the worlds
uper-spies nothing definite has ever
been discovered about the ambi-seK-