Year: 1870

A French correspondent of German pa
per relates that, on recent date, there arrls-
ed at one of the most fashionable hotels In
Paris Russian prince, his wife. and ayoung
German Girl whom the latter had engaged as
tiremaid in Wurtemhurg. The party were
last however, from England, by packet 70
Havre, and on reaching the hotel, at very
late hour of the night, found the building al
ready Sc crowded with guests that it was on
ly with much difficulty they could secure two
adjacent rooms on one of the highest floors.
Even then it seemed as though the German
maid would be obliged to ''sit up" for want
OF proper sleeping accommodation but even
while the Princess was regretting this un-
comfortable likelihood for her favorite, the
hotel-keeper, unexpectedly, and with some
shutting popularity Of manner, announced
that he could give mademoiselle very nice
room in another part of the house. if she
chose. Being much jaded with travel, the
sleepy fraulein gladly accepted the offer, but


being conducted to the conceded apartment
by servant, was rather surprised at finding
it very elegantly appointed, and, indeed,
much more splendid than the rooms appor-
toned to her princely master and mistress.
Still too weary, however, to more than no
tice this pecularity, she lost no time in retir-
ing to the fine bed at her disposal, hoping to
awake early enough to attend her mistress
morning toilet in good time for breakfast.


When the Princess was ready for her, how
ever, she did not appear nor could the mes
senger sent to her door make her hear the
loudest knocking. Alarmed at hearing this
the Princess herself went to the locked door,
accompanied by servants, and, upon feceiv-
ing no answer to her call for admission. caus-
ed the bolt to be forced. The maid was
found to be lying under the canopy of the
great bed in a strange kind of stupor, and.
upon being shaken slightly and addressed in
German by her mistress, started up with
the cry, "There is a dead man in the chair
On, please take him away?n Believing that
the girl was insane. or in a brain fever, the
attendants hastened to call physician, and
it was only after the latter had arrived that
the suppose sudden maniac could find credit
for what she had to say. Upon ascertaining
that the chair to which she had referred in
her first outcry was quite empty, she regard
ed it with shrinking terror, and solemnly de-
clared that the following had been her exper-
fence in the room: Soon after herretirement
to bed, the door, which she had previously
locked, was opened, and gentleman entered
with a light in his hand. He wore the blue
uniform of a French naval officer, and, from
the moment of his entrance, the startled be-
holder was paralyzed by an influence Of awe
impossible to resist. The intruder placed
his light upon c table near the bed, swept
the girls clothing from an armchair, and
pushed the later toward the middle of the
room. He was a tall young man, with dark
complexion, long black hair and gl;ttering
eyes; and, after marching hurriedly up and
down the chamber several times. and passing
his hand abstractedly through his ebon locks,
threw himself into the chair. Once seated,
he talked to himself with seeming great pas
sion, in French, about somebody's cruelty
and treachery, and then, while the fascinat-
ed girl upon the bed stared affrightedly at
him, drew pistol from a side pocket, press
ed it against his right temple, and fred |! Sim
ultaneously the poor girl heard an agonzed
voice ut her ear saying, ''pray for my soul ~
and Immediately sank into the stupor from
which she was finally aroused by the touch
and voice of her mistress. Upon the conclu-
sion of this strange narration, given with
great excitement of manner, the Princess felt
assured that her maid must either have been
dreaming it all, or lost her senses but the
physician took q different view of the matter,
and insisted upon examining the hotel-keeper
as to the previous history oftheroom. Then.
indeed, some light was thrown upon the mys-
terry. The host was forced to confess that,
on the very night of the vision, and not long
before the arrival of the Russian party, a
young naval officer had committed suicide in
that room, by shooting himself through the
head, in consequence of some faithlessness in
women. His body had been Immediately
sent to the Morgue, where it then was. and
the room hastily placed in order again for the
credit of the house. "Only few people in
my hotel know of the affair."" continued the
hotel-keeper. after the room was carefully
cleaned gave an order to let mademoiselle
have it, as favor to Madame the Princess,
never supposing that her rest would be dis
turbed there more than elsewhere, if sue did
not know of the sad event that had taken
place before her arrival.