L P Fisher
VOLUME VI.
ALBANY, jQjJjGON, MARCH 14, 1871.
NO. 27.
The Diamond Bracelets.
It was during the palmiest days
of the Kmpire. Never was Paris
so gay ; in fact, it was the fete day
of the Empemr, the last flickering
days ot his greatness ere his glory
departed forever. All Paris knew
that he would grace the opera that
night and add to its usual luster
the glittering pomp and circum
stance of power. Accordingly, all
that portion of Paris who had the
necessary number of francs went to
the opera, and, in honor ot so great
an occasion, Mons. Blauvais, the
director, was to produce La Pro
phete. The overture was over; the Em
peror, accom pan ed by the Empress,
radiant i:i her beauty and glittering
with jewels, had just entered the
royal box ; his suite, uniformed in
every color of the rainbow, stood
grouped in the lack-ground. In
anotlier moment the bell would
tinkle and the opera commence
But in an instant of time, when
every sound was heard, the second
box. to the right of the Emperor
was opened, and the curtains were
drawn aside, and revealed the Jove
ly wife of the Hussiau Embassador,
Duke Metekerwitch.
No wonder that the bell tinkled
unheard, and the curtain went up
unnoticed; no wonder that every
eye was fixed with a fascinated gaze
upon the woman who had just taken
ber seat, aud was calmly and with
well-bred nonchalance glanoiitg
about the house ; for upon her arms,
blaring like beacons, sparkled the
diamonds of which Paris bad heard
eo much, and which royalty in vain
had long sought to purchase. A
hum of admiration ran through the
house, and then for the first time
the enchanting strains of the chorus
were listened to.
lSll'KUI.VL ADMIRATION.
When the curtain tell upon the
first act, and Milord This ogling
Milady That, a servant wearing the
imperial livery, presented himself at
the Russian Embassador's box, rap
ped only as an imperial flunkey
could rap, and then entered the
box.
"Her Majesty had noticed the
bracelets, and was dumb with ad
miration; would Milady be so gra
cious as to allow the Empress to
make a personal examination of one
of the bracelets V"
In an instant the fair arm was
shoru of its gems, and with a smoth--ed
ejaculation of delight the mau
wearing the imperial livery bowed
himself out of tl box , bearing the
bracelet that a million of francs
could not purchase.
. The curtail) fell upon the th rd
act, ascended again on the fourth,
the notes ot the finale rolled through
the house, the curtain fell for; ths,
last time; and Mill with well-bred
politeness, the wife of the Russian
Embassador waited for the return
of Iter priceless jewels. The impe
rial party rose and departed, and
yet the bracelet was not returned.
Then the Duke- with a terrible
frown of impatience, rose and drove
rapidly to the Tuilleries and dc.
manded the return of the diamonds.
Explanations followed, and the
Duke, was! at last convinced j,hat
the Empress Had' never sent for He
bracelet, and that the man wearing
the' imperial livery was one of the
daring thieves who infested the
(fcjfcafr'lle bade his coachman
drwe to the office of the Vteftxi 'of
Police, and ere daylight a huudrdl
ioai JriatjWiegBiris. TbePufce,
filled with .anxiety remained at the
office, for tidhigs.'w bile the Duchess
W&lessiy awaited the recovery of
a policeman's admiration.
The great chick had just tolled
the hour ot six when the bell ot the
Dnke's hotel rang violently and an
officer of the police was Ushered into
tlie presence of the Duchess.
"Was the bracelet recovered?"
and "would they imprison the
scoundrel for the rest of his days?"
eagerly demanded the Duchess.
"With a grave bow the officer
stated that the thief was taken, and
upon his person was found the
bracelet, lint the fellow stoutly
insisted that he was not a thief, and
that the bracelet in his possession
had lieen in his family for many
vears. Would-Madame intrust to
iiim the mate to themiMng brace
let that the identity might be com
plete? i -
Madame the Duchess without a
word, unlocked her casket and
placed in the hands of the trusty
officer the second bracelet. The
officer, with a, profound bow, left
the artme'i't, and Madame retired
oiiee more this time to sleep and
to dream of her preeioils diamonds.
When the bell tolled the hour of 9
the Russian Embassador, 'haggard
and disordered, entered his wife's
apartment and threw himselr'in des
pair into a chair. Madame opened
her eyes, and with a smile of delight
asked for the bracelets.
TUE END OF THE BRACELETS.
"Satan!'' exclaimed the Duke,
"we can learn nothing ot them."
"What !" shrieked, the madaroe,
"ljave you not recovered it ? The
officer who came for the other brace
let said the thief had beeu taken
and the brace'et found."
The Duke with an exclamation
of amazement, sprang to his feet,
and in a husky voice besought his
wife to explain. In a few words
she told him. And then, with a
groan, the Duke dropped into a
seat.
"I see it all,"i said he; "the ras
cals have robbed you ot the second
bracelet. There was no messenger
sent for the bracelet. The man to
whom you gave it was no officer,
but a bolder thief than he who rob
bed you first.''
And so it proved . The bracelets
were never returned, and the Rus
sian Embassador recalls the last
day of the fallen Emperor with a
sigh, for it made him a poorer man
by many millions of francs than he
was when he handed his charming
wife into his carriage and bade his
coachman drive to the opera.
A Sfoblpmnn'ti Lou Heir.
It is not often that the romances
of real life are dressed in the bright
colors oi develop themselves with
the dramatic arrangement of ortho
dox fiction. Italian skies and brig
ands only coniu tu our matter-of-fact
country in the shape of bad paint
ings and vicious padroni. A true
story, then, that' will transport the
reader to Italy1, Hnterest him in a
lieautiful but unfortunate woman,
introduce him to a magnificent villa,
ami ti ally transport him back to
America in search of tlie wronged
and lost scion of a ribblc family,
bids tair to produce a pleasing aud
novel sensation. The threads ot
romance run all about us, in and
through our daily lives, but we ate
seldom able to distinguish a round
ed plot set off with the recognized
adornments of the professional story
writer. " J
It may ea have happened lliat
the reader of the article has kwdly
thrown a coin to 'the 'lost heir of a
noble Italian house, he is known
to have been brotigbt to New York
in September last: He isnow clev:
eiii.yair6.eldi and his same is Lo
rensa Otstt, tuiwbich he is entitled
to add "diMttffti Ftve yearsago
he was supposed 'to 'bveub:n
drowned wot tar trom ill viHa, w
which he w bora, situated near
the litt le town of Carreta, in the
neigiiborhood ot Naples In 1862
or 1803 his mother, then a young
and beautiful girl, of noble but not
very wealthy family became the
wife of 3 ntonio Caeti di Monti.
Her name previous to marriage was
Lncretia Bettmelli. Four years
passed away. 8he lived surrounded
by all the comforts and elegance
that love and opulence could sug
gest or procure.
A YOUNG WIFE'S 1K8T SORROW.
Then her husband died. Devot
ed to his memory, ahe determined
to irive un her whole life to the nur
ture and education of her son. The
property was very large, and by I
will she received tlie greater por-
lion, in joint trust Vith ber late
husband's brotlier, $t her son. 8o
far, the story is a matter ot record.
It was obtained by the writer from
Andrea Nicolini, who has been sent
to this country to make search for
the missing boy. What immedi
ately follows does not direct'y relate
to the business he is prosecuting,
hikI was gained by him OhiytrOTrl
gossip and hearsay;' Yet it forms n
part ol the story as a whole, and
bears, internal evidence of truth.
Like most ot the gossip, that bears
the test ot time, it is doubtless based
on fact. An uncle of Antonio,
named 'Aiessaiidroy, a man nearly
fitly years' of age, and who had
speiit a Urge fortune' at the gaming
table aud in extravagant living,
made a proposal ot marriage to his
nephew's Widow. iShe, consulting
hex own inclinations and heeding
the warnings of her family, rejected
his suit,. .Whether, .betb4 really
conceived a passion, for the still
young and band.ume widow, or
whether his family pride was hurt,
it was certain that he chose to take
the refusal as an affront. He at
once broke off all intercourse with
the lady and her family. Not long
after this his second nephew, Anto
nio s oroUier, also aieu. jow
came Aiessandro's opportunity both
tor revenge and to retrieve his wast
ed fortunes. Whether he indeed
was active in procuring to be done
what followed it would appear to
be impossible to 6bow with cer
tainty' PLOTTING FOlt BEVENGE.
Eor tlie obloquy which has been
thrown upon him, and the detesta
tion in which his name is held in
the neighborhood ot Carretta, the
only foundation that can be (pointed
out is an evident motive to ' which
is added certain circumstantial evi
dence, though Tueohni intimates
that there are proofs and clues in
tlie possession of the Bettineili fam
ily which point to a clearer solution
ot the mystery than was publicly
entertained. Of the nature of these
or as to whether or not they tend
to implicate Alessandro, be will say
nothing. Antonio's pareuts were
dead, and by the Italian law his
property, on the death of his son,
would revert to his uncle. Little
Lorenzo's life, therefore, was now
the only barrier between hint and
the whole ot his late nephew's for
tune; except the widow's dower.
All that is known at least, all that
is publicly bwwB- tbat'Lorensft,
when he was about six years old,
was missed one day about nightfall.
He has not been seen by the family
since., llishat was fopnd on the
shore of., stteauj, jne current ,qf
winch had been swollen into, a tor
rent by the warm Spring rains.
The ribbon which passe4.under .his
chin and bound hia;h$ purely on
his head was found tied as it had
beeti tied by tlie maid, lint it bad
been torn from the straw on one
side. Not king afterwards a ntu
named lkbari retwrted finding a
small whip with which the child
had been playing, about a mile for
fin do,w the,Btrm, in the edge i
of the water, ;:Tbe bpdj, wee
found. In the legal investigation
which ensued consequent on Ales
sandw's claim to the property, little
opposition was made, because it wa
generally be ieved that the little fel
low had fallen into the water while
playing, '' he bereaved mother re
r.ired from the stately villa where
she had experienced so much happi
ness and so much grief, and took
refuge with her family, with whom
shetill resides, the recipient of a
comparatively moderate income.
EnbENCKR OF FOUL PLAT.
About a year ago Becharia gave
utterance during a drunken spree
to certain expressions, which ex
cited suspicions and reawakened in
terest in a maimer which had been
dismissed very generally from the
public mmu. He was arrested and
held for several weeks, during
which he was subjected to several
private examinations before the
magistrate and representatives of
the Bettineili family, but it would
seem that there was not sufficient
evidence to hold him. It was re
membered, however, that he had
disappeared on the afternoon of the
day on which the child was sup
posed to have been drowned, and
was not sieu at Carretta for two
days afterward. It was his evi
dence with regard to the finding the
whip, that was taken as conclusive
in the legal investigation. It was
also now urged that the tearing out
of the string' from the child's hat
' was not a natural thing for a child
of six years of age to do. It had
been sewed in very strongly
Becharia is a man of bad char
acter,1 and has earned the title of
"bully'' by1 nfs bravado and disrep-
utab e exploits. ' He was 1 supposed
at one time to have been in the
service of abend of brigands among
the mountains. Little Lorenzo was
an unusually bright boy, and had
already shown himself possessed to
an extraordinary degree of the mar
velous faculty for playing on mu
sical instruments, which is so otteu
developed in Italy. It is surmised
that the temptation to carry him off
tor the price to be obtained tor him
trom a padrone would have been
quite sufficient for a man like Been
arie. Whether indeed there were
probable proofs ot collusion between
him and Alessandro is a matter
that is known only, if at all, to the
officers. N icolini significantly sug
gests, on this point, that the first
thing to do is to find the lost heir.
THE SEAliCli? FOR THE LOST 11KIK
That he was not drowned there
are almost positive proofs. A gold
ornament, which he wore upon a
little scarf about his neck, was ad
vertised tor, with the offer of three
times its value. It was furnished
by a Naples pawnbroker. He re
ceived it a year ago from a woman
that he did not know, and had
oever seen since. Through the
instrumentality of the Government
detectives traces were found of a
boy who answered in every respect
the discription of Lorenzo. He
had beeu purchased abou. the time
ot Lorenzo's disappearance by a
Neapolitan dealer in these little
Italian slaves, who, however, pro
fessed not to remember from whom
be received him. He gave the
name of the padrone to whom he
sold him in turn. The latter was
found in Marseilles, and had sub
let hk, us the custom" ia, to a pa
drone in Paris: This latter pa
drone, about six months ago, sailed
with him to New York, where
Nicolini is now searching for him.
It is possible, of course, that the
boy m emipiy the lictu of the
vulgar cupidity of some ordinary
kidnapper; but wbu N,icii was
asked to give the name of the pa
drone who last came into possession
of him, he shrugged his shoulders
- and said the name was known to
aim. to ft thought it was sot
known to others; the padrone
would have to be found secretly :
there was much money, and if
others should know whom to look
for they might find hira first, and
money would be paid to keep the
boy concealed. The search, he
says, has not becrt entirely without
result since he ha been in America,
and h has good hopes ot ultimate
succes .
H1IMOKOU8.
Epitaph for an aeronant "gone
up."
Mosquitos are to bum in Florida.
It is said that before slates were
invented people multiplied on the
tace of the earth.
Why does a sculptor die the
most horrible ol deaths? 'Cause he
makes faces and busts.
There is nothing so effective in
bringing a man to the scratch as a
healthy, high-spirited flea.
A Western Congressman says he
is 'sposed tospeshpay-hio-mentsaiid
will vote for irredeemable green,
bax ev' time,
A Philadelphia gentleman adver
tises soap that is destined to wipe
out tlie national debt. There is
probably some "lye" about it
A prudent mamma givesthe fol
lowing advice to her daughter, ")
marry the man that you love if he
is as ricu as CroBsus."
'Boy, what's becoraei of the hole
I saw in your pants the other day?"
Young America (carefully exam
ining his unmentionables.) It's wore
out, sir.
An unstamped letter was depos
ited in an Indiana Pwtoffice last
week, beneath the address' was the
indorsement, "Let her slide p. m.,
she's all hunk; inside air one of
them post hole kcerd.";
The other day a certain tailor
sent his bill to a magazine editor.
i He was startled a few hours after
ward by its being returned, with a
note appended saying: "Your
manuscript is respectfully declined.
Old gent "You don't mean to
to tell me, waitec, that you can't
give me a toothpieky Waiter
"Well, sir, we used to beep 'em
but they almost invariably took
'em away when they'd done with
'em."
"Tell that man to take off his hat
in Court I" said a Judge to an offi
cer, the other morning, ine of
fender, a lady wearing the fashion-
le sailors hat, indignantly ex.
claimed, "I am no man !" Then
I am no Judge."
A clerk in a city "bookstore, think
ing to annoy a Quaker customer
who looked as though he was fresh
from the country, handed him a
volume, savins : here is an excel
lent essay ou the rearing ot calves."
"Thee had better present it to tby
mother, young man," wasbe spon
taneous retort of the Quaker,
A Cayuga county (N. Y) man
sends the following advertisement
to the Syracuse Journal: "Mr.
please publish that Wanted a ynng
lady trom the age ot 18 to T2 who
would like yunite her selfe in the
Iocs of ma trimonie I the writer of
this am 22 years of age five feet in
hight iu weight 135 Of occupation
farmer" ;sU
"Doiit voft mean to marrv
again, my dear sir f" said a Worn
widow to ber neighbor. "No, my
dear widow," said old crMty, "I'd
rather lose all the nip Pve get
than take another.""
WftWra the last three mouth
the President has appointed thirty
Postmistresses. 1 be
might have I been
Twenty-seven:)t them la
notified their husbands
services am a krofmngweA.
consequences
mftititNfted.'
i ve already
that thai
ill ttfl