Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 November 1881 — Marrying for Money in Italy. [ARTICLE]

Marrying for Money in Italy.

Young Lovatti, up to a few years ago, was one of the large class of idle youths to be found in all Italian towns, decently connected and nominally an artist It was his ill-luck to meet with a Belgian lady, who is described as neither young nor beautiful, but who had, according to her own account, a fortune of 30,000,000 francs left her by M. Jacob, Minister of Police under the Empire, the copy of whose will she had deposited with a notary at Naples. This the notary actually had, but it seems he had expressed doubts of its genuineness. How much of the story Lovatti believed can not be told; but he married Mlle Vanduelle, taking care, however, only to go through the religious ceremony, which is not legally binding; and the happy pair proceeded to spend their thirty millions. Every one seems to have taken the story of the will for true, and to have given unlimited credit, though at the same time charging such prices for goods as were consistent with such a fortune; thus a fan worth 500 francs at the outside was put down at 1,500 francs. From Borne the pair went to Naples, where they chose the richest jewels, the costilest dresses, and then they proceeded to London to draw the millions. *ln London Lovatti discovered the fraud at the time he was in the treaty for the purchase of the Villa Mirafiori, at Borne (the property of the late King’s wife), and also for a title formerly held by his family ; and then they started for Brussels, where they proceeded to sell the jewelry, etc. By this time suspicion awakened in Borne and Naples, and some of the creditors started at once for Brussels, where they succeeded in recovering a part of their money. Lovatti gave himself up to the police, and he and his wife were brought back to Naples, where, after some months’ imprisonment, they were released on bail. Thereupon Mad. Lovatti disappeared, leaving a letter saying that she was sorry to have got her husband “into trouble,” and Lovatii had been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment.— St. James' Gazette.