AN UNCANNY DISCOVERY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9642, 17 January 1903, Page 5 (Supplement)

AN UNCANNY DISCOVERY.

THE CONTENTS OF A CHEST IN AN OLD CHATEAU. PARIS, November 27. An uncanny- discovery was made yesterday m an old chateau at St. Maurice, i 1 m tlie delpartment of Landes. I Some years ago there died tliere the i mistress of the house, a wealthy old lady, j Mme. de M , aged 90. After her J death the stately residence' passed into | 1 the hands of her heirs, who resided m i Paris, and merely visited the chateau ! m the summer. Only a part of the an- ' cient building was occupied, and some of the rooms liad not been, opened m the ' memory of the oldest. : retainer. But a few days ago it was decided to l overhaul the chateau from top to bot--1 torn. All tlie doors were unlocked, and • m a secrot cupboard, hidden away m a • disused room, a chest made of rare wood was found covered with dust and cob- , webs. When il was opened a thrill of . horror went through every one looking : on, for tlie chest., lined with silk that \ had once been white, but which was now yellow, lay the corpse of a beautiful • girl, apparently between 14 and 15 years » of age. » Then it was . recalled that Mme. de I M — - had lost her eldest daughter, whom ; she adored, about 50 years ago. The dis■j tracted mother liad the body embalmed, t and a magnificent funeral was given her >• child, but she must have obtained pos- > session of the corpse subsequently and $ kept it m tlie chateau ever afterwards. s The Mayor of Grenade-sur-Adour was promptly -"communicated with, and the corpse, which for half a cenlury, had lain locked up m. a cupboard, was conveyed to r the family vault and there interred.