A ROMANTIC SUIT.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1987, 18 May 1875, Page 3

A ROMANTIC SUIT.

An extraordinary case has just been heard before the Civil Tribunal of Tours (Indre-et-Loire). It arose, says Galignani, out of an application by the Viscount de Finse, of the Chateau of La G-rangerie, to obtain the legal interdiction of his mother; a widow aged 67, on the ground of her insanity. The conduct of the viscountess had for some time past been so strange that the son wished, to deprive her of the management of her fortune, which she was dissipating, not

only prodigally, but in such a manner as to cause a scandal in the neighbourhood "■ of her residence. The mother replied by denying the right of the young man to make such a demand, alleging that he was not the son of either herself or her husband. In support of that allegation, she made a series of extraordinary revelations. According to her account, she married the father of the present viscount in 1833. She was of very humble origin, having previously exercised the calling of midwife. The friends of her husband, offended at this mesalliance, immediately ceased all relations with him, and repeated attempts to obtain a reconciliati©n were unsuccessful. He then thought that the birth of a child might, perhaps, cause

his parents to relent, but his wife was without family. He, in consequence, gave out that she was pregnant, and took -.a- house at Montmorency for her confinement. In the moan time, arrangements were made with a midwife" named Soumefc, of the Hue de l'Oratoire, in Paris, who engaged to procure a child at. the proper moment; this was done, and the infant was registered as the son of tho viscount and viscountess. The child was, in reality, the son of a woman named Legendre, of Ville d'Avray. -Itvtasput out to wet nurse; but died a few days afterwards. The woman Soumet then procured a second one, the son of an unmarried woman who had been confined at her house, and was mad el to take the place of the other. According to the allegation of the mother the young man who has always passed as her son is this infant, which was brought up by herself and her husband, but who dpes-not appear to have ever been acknowledged by the family, or to have caused the hoped-for reconciliation, ■ The father died-last year, and the son sueceede'l to the title and fortune 'of ■ 300,000f. The hearing of the case occupied three days. On ...the second the. viscount wished to stppl|he proceedings by abandoning his denj||d for the interdiction of the do-; wager viscountess, but this step was opposed -by , her" counsel, and -the,> Ctourtj ordered the suit to continue:: ■ The tribunal finally gave judgment that the Viscountess 1 de Finse should be- admitted to r -furnish proofs of her statements,: and ordered a judical inquiryinto'flie'cirqumstance,s.