PECTURE-SLASHING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 32, 1 November 1907, Page 5

PECTURE-SLASHING.

Another crazy outrage has been committed on a picture in the Louvre' (says tho Pans correspondent of the "Oaily Telegraph ). This is the third within a few months. Poussin's "Lo Deluge'! was slashed, with,a-pocket-knife by a maniac "who wished ;to; draw attention " to his misfortune's—moro imaginary than real. A-landscape by the Dutch painter Bcrghom■■ was the other day found:to have been damaged, though much less seriously, by some unknown hand; Now a you'u'g woman of 27 has. cut a picturo by liigres.j "The' Six-, cine Chapello," beyond hope of repair. The remarkable thing.is' that.the-outrage was not discovered until she herself revealed, it at the police, siatipii... A decently-dressed.' respect-' able-looking young woman arrived saying quietly, "'I have just spoilt a picture at the Louvre, in order to no arrested. Mynanie' is Valentino. Coritrel, and I .was born at Rouen, in 1830. My parents died three, years; ago, leaving mo pennSlosa. , i served as a'governess in England, but English life did not suit mot andl on me back to Franco. I did dressmaking in Paris. 1 had to.get up at 4 in the morning and work till midnight to.earn sixpence-halfpenny a day, and I could liot pay my rent." I returned three times to my native town, but could earn niy living no better there than in Paris. I came back to Pans, and determined to get run in. The papers lately, mentioned that a man had slashed a Louvro picture. That is what I must do to avenge myself. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon I wont to the Louvre. As there was a crowd in all the galleries I waited till hulf-past 1, when visitors began to leavo, and went to the unfrequented Ingres room, where. I choso the 'Sixtino Chappelle' picture, because, it was. not under glass. I had no intention of nnjking; a demonstration against religion. With a small pair of scissors I first of all tried to cut the Pope's oyos, away, , but the canvas.was too thick, and I ,had to content myself: with slashing the figure and several others. I had to stop- several times, for fear of attracting the notice of .visitors. A young .woman was copying near me, but. she. was too intent upon her work to notice me. When I thought I had dono enough damage to be arrested, I went away, and came here to give myself in charge. As .i matter of fact, this is not the first outrage of. tho kind I havo committed. Rnmo months ago, in a room in-the Jardin du Plan-" tes Musoum, 1 smashed a. glass case containing a fine butterfly, which i destroyed. I was arrested, but the police let mo go. out of pity for tho wretched penury I: was in. It is a shame to see so much money invested in dead things like these Louvro co'lections, when so many pobr.devils like myself starve becauso they can'ffind work."