Year: 1879

Not very long ago a young lady, the
daughter of French gentleman resident
in this city, but herself American born,
I think, went to the French capital with
her mother, sister and sisters husband.
During their visit they met Partisan
who fell, or claimed to fall, violently in
love with the young girl, and in due
season became engaged to her, pressing
for an early marriage The brother-in-
law felt violent prejudice against the
lover at first, but having found his ref
erence satisfactory, could take no steps
toward interrupting the course of true
love. The trousseau was ordered the
European tour cut short, and finally the
day set for the eXpectant bride and her
mother to return to America in order
that the girl should be married from her
fathers house. Then, contrary to all
French etiquette, which is extremely
rigorous in forbidding lover to travel
with his betrothed, the amatory French
man insisted upon crossing the ocean
by the same steamer that bore his future
wife. This still further reused the sus-
picion of the brotherin-law, and to some
extent of the mother, for she was still
influenced by the customs of her native
land, although she had so long lived
away from it.


The young lady herself, having been
reared in the freer atmosphere of the
Republic, and doubtless feeling u par
donable pride in the devotion of her
lover, thought very little of the matter,
and ultimately the lover carried his
point in spite of the earnest remon-
strances Of the mother and mother-in-
law. No sooner had the party of three
sailed, however, than the brother-in-law,
who with his wife had remained in Paris,
applied to the Prefect of the Paris po-
lice for the history of the man he dis
trusted. In three days he was sent for
to come to the prefecture, and there
handed the dossier of his sister-in,law's
impatient swain.


1t began with his birth at such a
place on such date; gave his real name,
which was quite different from the one
he was passing under; the names of his
parents; the places Of their birth and
their occupations; in what town he had
lived, the streets, numbers and rooms
he had occupied, with the price he had
paid for his lodgings at the different
houses; the journeys he had made, the
luggage, naming the number OF pieces
and each article that he had
each time taken--as, for instance,
he had gone January %, 1869, from
Brussels to Client, carrying
sole-leather trunk, black hat box,
canvas travelling bag, and brown rug
in shawl strap--and in fact the
minutest details of his misspent life, in
cluding the most important points of all,
that, on certain date he had been mar
ried to Belgian woman, by whom he
had several children, stating the dates
and places of their birth, and that he
was then wanted by the Belgian govern
ment on criminal but not eXtraditable
ohense.


The happy brother-in-law, delighted
with thus easily and promptly obtaining
the evidence he wanted, cabled to his
father,in-law in this city to stop all
preparations for the marriage till his
letters were received, and when the
lovers arrived in New York they were
met by the stern parent, who forbade
any communication between them until
he learned the nature of the charges
against the would.be bridegroom In
due time the whole thing came out, and
the wretched scamp offered to be bought
off for $500, but was finally contented
with 500, and took his departure, leav
ing the unhappy girl he had imposed
upon very thankful for her escape and
for the efficiency of the French police