Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 02.pdf/199

 176

CAUSES CÉLÈBRES. XVI. DE PRASLIN. [I847-] ON

the 17th of August, 1847, the Duchesse de Choiseul-Praslin, the only daughter of Count Sebastiani, accompanied by the Duke, her husband, and her family, left the magnificent Chateau de Vaux-Praslin, near Melun, to return to Paris, whence an ex cursion to the baths at Dieppe was contem plated. On reaching the city the Duke and Duchess separated. The former, accom panied by his daughters, went to pay some visits; Madame de Praslin, with her sons, was driven at once to the H6tel Sebastiani, the city residence of the family. She reached the house about nine o'clock in the evening. The Duke did not return until about eleven o'clock, when he conducted his daughters to their apartment and then descended to his own, which was situated on the ground-floor and separated from that of the Duchess by a small antechamber. At midnight the house was buried in darkness. All was silent. At half-past four in the morning frightful cries were heard, coming apparently from the chamber of Madame de Praslin. A pass er-by compared them to those of a madman in an access of fury. A few moments later a sharp ringing of the house-bell awaked Auguste Charpentier, the Duke's valet, and Ma dame Leclerc, the femme-de-chambre of the Duchess. Both dressed hastily and de scended. On attempting to enter Madame de Praslin's chamber, they found the door, contrary to the usual custom, locked on the inside Hoarse, despairing cries came from the apartment, filling the souls of the two domestics with terror. They tried to force the door, but, being unable to accomplish this, they sought another entrance leading from the grand salon. The door communi cating between the salon and the chamber

was also firmly locked on the inside. They knocked, calling loudly, " Madame! Ma dame!" There was no response. They lis tened intently, and could hear distinctly a hoarse breathing, which seemed to come from the middle of the room. Evidently a crime had been committed. The two domes tics then went out into the garden; the blinds of Madame de Praslin's chamber were closed as usual, and fastened on the inside by iron bars. But on reaching the extremity of the building, they saw that the door of a wooden stairway leading to the antecham ber which separated the Duke's apartment from that of the Duchess was wide open. The valet entered. The darkness was pro found; no sound was to be heard. Char pentier, thoroughly alarmed, then ran and awakened a friend. "Something terrible has happened," he said; " I fear Madame has been murdered!" Accompanied by his friend, he returned to the H6tel Sebastiani, and the two ascended the wooden stairs and finally succeeded in entering the Duchess's room. There a hor rible spectacle met their eyes. The body of the unfortunate woman lay extended upon the floor, covered with gaping wounds. Seized with terror, they rushed from the room out into the court, and there they con sulted, gazing with frightened eyes toward the windows of the room they had just left. As they gazed they saw a column of smoke rising from the chimney of the Duke's apart ment. This seemed to them extraordinary at this hour and at this season of the year. There was no sign of a light in his room; the blinds were tightly closed This re called to them the fact that in spite of all the noises the Duke had not yet appeared. In a few moments there was a general alarm in