9 April 2011 Antique Murder

We went to a little town today to visit a large antique store. We always find really cool things at the Antique Emporium.

I especially love the furniture, but they have all sorts of things there from dishes and clothes to old books and even phonograph records. Ah, I miss those days!

This particular trip was exciting to me because there was a new arrangement of furniture there that used to belong to a count and a countess from the 1800s. The story attached to it carries love, lust and murder. Can you imagine the stories that it could tell if it could talk?

The man that had this set on consignment at the Emporium purchased it from his parents, who had obtained it due to the defaulted loan of another person. He had gotten it on a trip to South America. That is where there is a chink in the armor, so to speak, because it is unclear how it got from Europe to South America.

It is said that the count had it custom-made for the home that he shared with his wife, the countess. He grew jealous and she was either suspected of, or outright caught in the act, of breaking her marriage vows. He murdered her. The murder was allegedly committed in the room where this furniture was, perhaps even on the bed.

I didn’t get any bad feelings about the furniture as it was displayed, but the thought of opening any of the doors in the largest armoire really gave me pause. It was kind of like the feeling that you might get upon entering a basement or attic after watching a horror movie.

Now, at $20,000, this bedroom set is not likely ever to grace the floors of McClendon Villa, but the story behind it is going to have me doing some internet digging to see if I can find anything on this count and countess, in spite the fact that I don’t have their last name!

I think that this could be a very interesting story and I have always loved history.

Have you anything in your possession that carries an interesting tale with it? Please share!