Romance of a French Marquis.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 211, 16 July 1887, Page 3 (Supplement)

Romance of a French Marquis.

It has been ascertained that the Frenchman who committed suicide by jumping from the Boston and New York express train near Piovidcnce, United States, was the Marqnis de la' TourasbO, and belonged to a prominent French family of South France. Among other positions he held the oilico of notary, and in thi.s capacity was tho custodian of fully 700,000 francs. His wife was a beautiful heiress of rank, his home was a palace, and it was always open to his friends, and "was visited by members of the ro3'.al family. He was a favourite member of many .social clubs, as he spent money freely and thoughtlessly. His bets were honourably paid, and some of them m ere so largo that even his seemingly inexhaustible supply of gold was severely taxed. For many year* ho floated along on the high wavo of social prosperity. Then the crash came. Having squandered his own fortune, he took money from the trust fund to meet the demands of creditors. Only a little was taken at first, with the intention of replacing it in the near future. ]t was tho same old story of downfall. After tho first step nothing remained for him but flight. Alter his preparations were made he confessed his guilt to hi,« wife and bade her good-bye. His little children weie comforted with the promise that he would boon return, but they never saw him again on French soil. He managed to escape under cover of darkness, closely pm tailed by officers of the law. Ten yearh ago he landed in New York with only a few thousand francs. After fruitless efforts to obtain employment as a teacher of French lie went to Toronto. There his deu»Lion to the church was so great that ho had the reputation of being almost a religious fanatic. Much of his time was spent with the Jesuit fathers. He came to Boston about a year ago, and soon after his auival he intioduced another wife to hi& friends. They, of course, knew nothing of his previous lri^toiy. To them he was August de Sempc, instructor in French. She earned enough money by dressmaking to make the homo comfortable and to provide her shiftless husband with clothing. He spent all of her money for liquor or at the gaming table. His ruin seemed to be complete. At times ho made an earnest eftbro to rcfoim, but the old habits soon dragged him down again. Two months ago his American wife died while giving birth to a child. Do Sempe being penniless, thought of his wife and of the children who made his home happy in France. Ho knew that his wife had surrendered all her possessions to help settle some of his debts and that she was living almost in poverty, but his eldest daughter, Marie, had been adopted by his wife's family and was living in luxury. He wrote to her and represented that he was rich and invited her to come and share his home. The young lady is 18 years old, and was glad of a chance to see America. She came, but found squallor instead of luxury, and discovered her father to be a profligate. She rebelled at the idea of caring for his illegitimate child and went to New York. The father followed, and by threats compelled her to return. Though ho threatened to take her life sho told him she would escape at the first opportunity, which came in due time. She is now with fiiends in New York and wiH go to France in a few weeks.