A Tragic Story.

Manawatu Standard, Volume VIII, Issue 146, 1 December 1884, Page 4

A Tragic Story.

', ( Thc Liberty de x ffieiby,rg, giyos fip. ' accQunt of a" remarkable series ''of "iactp thaV ' .occurred m: ,. connection^ witl) tlie attempted ;t cejeliratipn',,o/ thejVoltaire Centenary., at Ferney, or a smalt town of 'tKe jQel partraent of the ' '^in,'.' France; nesr Geneva, and- once the residence of the • celebrated enemy of religion. jGertain persons of, Ferney, resotvedto i|nite their^ towri 'with I ! Paris ,m s doing honor to\tSfe''mpm I qry' ; pf' i yp£ taire, and for . this ( purpose' it' w.as plo^osea' id erect ' his'statue by sub scription over the public 'fountain m the taiddk^of the.~town,,- A gentle- - man,, whose name is suppressed out of consideration jtp ■• • the s^yiving members of his family, . undertook to rais6 the necessary J: contributions, andjmade an appjeja^ $o thi inhabi- :- tanfe for that purpose;, but Jhe was cut ofpyg sudden f death i : WfoW |ie/ hadwell 6o%Tmenced Kisuhnoly work*. Another took his place,' and a few days after^rds /this \ ynan/f as^dlso: carrjed to the, cemetry a corpse. The two deatWmade a deep impression on tßepe6ple, and itseemjedj as if the project ; ,of the statue wdujd 'ibe^ban^oned. However, 'a ! son pi* the' proprietors? of the chateau ' formerly : ' "b%ne'd ; ; and-^innabitbd bY , Vol^^Mok up Ithes enterprise vthe? coll^c.tj.pn.w.as.ma^ and the : .st%tue r wasjordered of the sculptor j'butDe-"' forej it^'dduM'^be' ' 'efecVed' th'e' young ' maii top. ■wasrsmitjjen; dow,n/' ilfct'iHo easily; be $at these three,, |l|atjhs creat^cl considerable sensation! IK ! the 16'calnf f and n f et t\iiW wer| tp'igfe koreiTicMms.JVl. David/ the P!ff|^ ct %'O f J he ; S h .^ ea u, .^nd fathbi of the last' deceased, de'teif-/ min|d to erect the statue. He-'i^"-earijestly warned, pf 'the ganger he was (incurring, But he was deaf 'to all remonstrances: ■ The statue Was' erec-ted^ott 1 ' its' ■' desired 1 sitei; a' fete was>planned for its inauguration and M. {David took £lie:JjEsd in;it,r ; ;Tlhe | sequel was appalling; the man who j walked at the h6a^ or* the procession' fell {down dead" Suddenly a few days afterwards ; r -arid'j ; lastly M.iE)avid -him self Msisn bQme ; to his grave! ou .October 3rd. The correspondent jM the lAberte remarks hereupon : — | ''Inj all'&veiddatitis it 'I dfaWriacdh^ 1 Let the reader, if he please, j 'hialle of this terrible sequence noth- i ing (more than a fortuitous coinci- j de.nbe. Some, I assure, will see m ft;tne finger of G^-".-"r i'".\ .•*"■■! ' fe ■' '; I■%