SUICIDE OF FOUR LOVERS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXV, Issue 244, 14 October 1891, Page 4

SUICIDE OF FOUR LOVERS.

LATEST FJBENOH SENSATION,

A Freneh correspondent writes :— Prance has an occasional sensation, it is true, but the one that is now agitating the beautiful old City of Nancy and the BurroundiDg country, it is generally admitted, has few (if any) parallels in the history of the country, unless one exception is made in favour of those ocoaßional fantastio stories which modern romancers are fond of putting between leaves, and which afterwards, bound in yellow, are taken by the public as faots, In this" instance there ace four tombstones, recalling the passing away of four young lives, which stand as grim warrants of the testimony and truth of this story. For some time past in a Buburb of the oily in ' question, in one of the most beautiful villas imaginable, surrounded with magnificent grounds, carefully tended lawns, and prettily laid out gardens, there lived a lovely woman. Her reputation for beauty, graoe, wit, and charm were long known and were widely sur 3 throughout the country by many admirers. She waa Marie Benee, the daughter of a wealthy land proprietor, who comes from the Department of Isare. Marie was born in one of the pretty suburbs of Grenoble, and her ohildhood, which no doubt resembled Shat of other children, does not oall for any special mention, and may be readily passed over, so that you may come to the dramatic period in her career, when five years ago she blossomed forth as a demi-mondainn de premier ordre, for which Nature had so bountifully endowed her, and, naturally enough, she made her headquarters in Paris. There she met a young fellow j ust out of college, the possessor of unlimited means, and the son of a general in the French army. With him she sought to get away from the turmoil and bustle of the oity, and that induoed her to decide upon Nancy, where her villa was decorated with the greatest taste, and was filled with knioknacks and brioa-brac of all sorts, as well as all the other dainty accessoriee which wealth alone can provide. There for a time the couple lived in seeming bliss. But one morning, although exaotly what led to the trouble has never been told, the body of the general's eon was found lying outside of the gate of the villa oocupied by Marie. The evidence Which, was brought forward pointed to the fact that it was a case of suicide, and the poor fellow was buried without any particular inquiry being made into the cause. In spite of their intimacy, however, it was noticed that the sad 'incident did not seem to affect in any way the career of the gay demi-mondaine, for within a week she was carrying on with another young man, scarcely 25 years of age, the son of a gentleman of large property, who lived in the immediate vicinity. luis young man was independent of his father, for he had a great deal of money in his own right. Their menage did not last long, however, for it was soaroely six weeks from the time they had first oonoe together when bis body was one day found in a field with his throat out from ear to ear, within leas than a mile from the residence of the lady, No question seemed to hare been asked as to how he died, and it waa admitted to be a dear case of suicide ; for the young man had left letters in which he said he regretted the aet he had taken, but it was thought remarkable that there was not a single word of reproach against the woman who was generally supposed to have driven him* to his death. She, however, professed that she was absolutely ignorant of the oiroamstanca wbioh led to the deed, and added, as if to prove her statement, that when she ported from bun the night before, he was in tho happiest Ivaue of mind possible, and fiom no word that he uttered had she the remotest suspicion that he would take his own life, and that when next she looked upon him she would only see him pale in death, and unable to reply to her endearments. He was laid to rest, and another mound was added in the cemetery of Nancy, After this event Marie repaired to Paris for about a month, and then returned to Nancy, taking op her residenoe in a beautiful villa .just without (he oity. Within two months it was remarkflble that she had formed an intimacy with another young man, thia time a captain in a liae regiment stationed at Nanoy. He was handsome, rich, and' muoh courted, belonged, to an excellent family, and bore a good reputation. Suddenly one morning, now Borne months ago, the inhabitant? of Nancy were startled and shocked to near that, his body had been found floating in the river. Here was another clear case of, suicide without any explanation why the orime was committed. Again the young woman

was rigorously Questioned, but was either unable or unwilling to give the slightest ' reaso^why the young captain should have /-committed the fatal act. For a time there -• .was a' storm of disapproval all through the , town. Mary K,ene"e was Bbunned by every- .. -\ one, and it was in the face of this public .■/'disapproval that she had come to Paris, C'- where until lately she had remained in ob- ; r iourity.. About Bix weeks ago she returned :7to Nancy, and reopened the villa with a : great fete, to which in spite of the shadow i Mcyerhangiug her, all the young men in the £»f neighbourhood flocked. Within a few days became known, and her beautiful eyes i|-|»#biirfo her Bide a blight young fellow, *§3 &&;sin"Gf}Bton de Marce by name, belonging $O?$6 : .&XLe-,bf the most distinguished families in i'.wJw was preparing to enter the s^?|iu^i||fjri|clipol of St, Cyr, end who, in the fe^We^tinie, wa^'servixig xu the 26th Regiment lf% ©futile, line) thoa in garxison at Nancy, His Mlo^o^^0 1 '^ I '^ for W possible from

this connection, bub with no effeot, for the fellow waa madly in love with the girl, and: she appeared to be devoted to him, Ton may imagine the sensation that convulsed the town, of Nancy when you hear that the dead body of De Marce was found dangling from the branoh of a tree in the garden of the villa belonging to Marie. The inquest developed the usual condition of affairs. There was a long, penitent, heartbroken letter from the suicide to hia family, but not one word of explanation why he killed himself nor one word of reproach or condemnation for the woman he had been living with. Your correspondent has it from the lips of a gentleman who was present when the young man's body was cut down, that tears were streaming from Marie's beautiful eyes, and grief was written on every exquisite feature. She kissed the dead man's face and implored him to return to life. • Very aad indeed," I ventured to say, "Yes, so sad-" replied my friend, " that I saw her the same evening sitting in a oaf6 sipping absinthe and chatting gaily with another young man, a lieutenant in theßame regiment to whioh the unfortunate De Marce had belonged to, I could not help wondering how soon this poor young fellow's brains might be scattered over the velvet carpet of RerieVs boudoir. It is impossible to tell you the effect; thiß story created in Nancy and throughout the surrounding country. No explanation whatever can be given for the action of these men, They are dead, and " dead men tell no tales." It has been remarked, however, that there was no extravagance or fast living on the part of these young fellows, and certainly no monetary trouble can be said to have driven them to the rash act.