SACRIFICE FOR LOVE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20706, 2 May 1929, Page 14

SACRIFICE FOR LOVE.

EXILE NEAR DEVIL’S ISLAND. WIFE TO BE NEAR HUSBAND. I, , —— ' CONVICT ON LIFE -SENTENCE. ■ . \ A beautiful young woman is about to abandon her home and relatives in Paris to live near her husband, Charles Mestonno. sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil s for killing another man in a quarrel (said a writer-in Tit Bits recently) Alice Mestorino knows all about the terrible dangers that lurk in the death jungle of Guiana, but she-wants to show the world that she believes in her husband. The young woman Will not be allowed to be with her husband on Devil’s Island, for only prisoners and guards live there. &he intends to live in a settlement on the Drench Guiana coast opposite the penal island and separated from it by only a few leagues of "water, while continuing her efforts to have his case reviewed by the courts. The story is one of the most dramatic ever heard in the French Assizes. Alice was 17' years old when she met Charles Mestorino, a handsome; young Italian two years her senior. Charles was beginning Ins career ii> Paris as.a designer of 'jewedlory; and Alice was the daughter of well-to-do parents, whose ambition it was to marry her to a man of equal financial standing. . DECORATED FOR BRAVERY 1 ■ But the young people loved one another too devotedly to listen to parental objections. They van away and were happy. A month later' the war broke out. Young Mestorino refused.to fight on the French side, but when his own. country was drawn in he enlisted, and served as an airman under dAnnunzio. Twice he . was .decorated for bravery. Then one day his plane was seen plunging. to earth inside the enemy s lines, and he was given up for dead. . . VVhen the sad news was . brought to Alice she nearly died of, grief. To make matters worse, her: parents their fortune and became dependent upon the young woman for support. Alice found employment as a mannequin in one of. the famous Paris dressmaking establishments, there her beauty attracted the attention of Miguel, Escobar, a millionaire South American merchant. He fell madly in love with the mannequin., .He asked her to marry him, promising her a" life pension for her parents, and for herself , all the luxuries his money ; could buy. The thought of her parents made Alice accept. VI will marry you,” she said, ‘■‘but mv heart —forgive, me—my heart is dead.” " MARRIAGE TO ANOTHER. Soon they, were married. There was a magnificent settlement in money and jewels, and off they went,to Rio. Alice was worshipped, by her husband and gave him everything in return except love. .Often, she Wept. : She was wondering if lover had really died on the battleheld. Somehow-her heart- would not give up hope. , h Orio night, when on a visit: to Paris, she saw mm in a cafe. Frankly she told her husband about Mestorino, begging him to forgive her. lam sorry, Miguel,” she said, but Ido loye him, and you must let me go to him. I shall not,forget now that I am your wife, but you must divorce me, • ■ Escobar nearly collapsed , under the blow, but he let his wife- divorce him and went back to his own country, never to set foot on French soil again. Alice-was £?"}•- i- , e - Charles began to . build a little love nest in ■ the suburbs of Paris and opened a wholesale Jewellery business.’ . . . ; . ’ _ _Afttn"_ their marriage a young-sister’of Mestorino s, Paulette, came .to .live null them. Paulette was .a. sweet and devoted girl, and she often helped in the shop. There,was a diamond broker named Uaston irupheme noticed her and'started to make love .to her. Both Alice , and Charles • resented the - man’s: attention to knowing that he- was married 1 heir attitude did not- deter - Trupheme. whose business dealings with Mestriuos gave him sufficient excuse to see. Paulette and pester ,her. - - One morning the partly-burned body- of a man was found in a''forest road near h? r li' the body could not be identified. The face and portions of the clothinfr had been incinerated with Piu t Thcp the detectives proved that the body was that of Trupheme. “THOSE WERE TERRIBLE DAYS.” fj-°i”. t!l ®, “js l ? 4 before the body was found, _ said Alice Mestorino, with tears streaming from her. eyes, “ I sat up waitintr for Charles until nearly .10 o’clock, i heard him running his car into the garage and locking the door. When he came into the bouse he looked-pale and haggard'. He did not eat, - but went straight to bed, saying he felt -miserable, and making me say that I would never give him up, no matter what they said about him or did to-him. I did not know the body of Trupheme was in his caiv in the garage, and I nursed Charles until he fell -asleep. He Jumped up before daybreak and' was .off again in his car. " Those, were terrible days! When they identified the body of Trupheme they arrested my husband. There was an imploring look in his eyes as he kissed me good-bye- ‘We fought,’ he said. °ua 1 felled linn with a ring gauge.’ ” The triaj of Mestorino created a great sensation in the courts. It appeared that Mestorino owed Trupheme 35,000 francs for, a cut diamond and could not T'M'- When Trupheme. called on Mestormo they argued about it and fought, Mestorino hitting the other man with a ring gauge. Four of Mestorino's em-ployees-rushed into the office, and one of them testified'■ that'he ■ had seen his emrOJml' bending- over the prostrate form of irupheme and strangling him. All of them, including Paulette, admitted they had felt sorry for Mestorino and had helped him place .the dead body into a sack To be taken by him to the woods. Paulette was sentenced to two years iu prison, but the four workmen went-free. Mestorino was sentenced for' life to Devils Island. He had admitted having tried to render the face of Trupheme unrecognisable. During the trial Alice tried to commit suicide by swallowing poison, and lingered (our davs between life and death. WIFE’S VERSION OF AFFAIR. . ** My hi shaud is not an assassin,” were the first words she said on regaining consciousness. Later, when she ■ visited ber husband iu prison, she realised that he had been guilty of striking Trupheme when.the latter had. insulted him. “ The truth is (hat Charles got angry when be found That'Trupheme’s diamond had a flaw and was worth only 25,000 francs,.- \Vhen he took Trupheme to task about it, Trupheme called him a vile name, and picked up the ring gauge to iiit hint. But CJrarleg snatched the gauge Irom liis hand aud struck him on the head. The blow killed.him. *As lie stooped to quench the blood from Trupheme’s face, the others rushed in. It was they who urged him to do away with the body. He lost his reason, and when they swore thev would never betray him, he packed- off the body with their help, and then tried to cremate it in the forest. . The man who testified he had seen Charles strangling the prostrate Irupheme told a deliberate falsehood. I shall prove that in time; “ Steps are being taken •to obtain a revision of my husband’s case, but in the meantime he will be shipped to Devil’s Island. Everybody knows what that means. Few men can stand that torture without going morally and physically to pieces. But 1 am- determined to follow him.