The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-01 00:00:00

FORGERY AIVD SWINDLING.

It may be remembered that in April last a great
sensation was occasioned by the trial and condemn
nation to two years' imprisonment for swindling of
the Vicomte de Beaumont-Vassy, formerly prefect
of a department, and master of requests in the Coun-
cil of State—the swindling consisting in his having
obtained sums of money amounting to about 40,000
francs from different persons on the false pretext
that he required them to bribe certain Government
functionaries so as to induce them to cause the Go-
vernment to parchase for 3,500,000 francs, con-
siderably more than the real value, a patent for a
new mode of making saltpetre, which those per-
sons possessed. The investigations into that affair
led to the discovery that a Belgian named
Schille, a gentleman by position, who had been
charged to sell or work the patent in France, had
obtained, in connection with it, various sums by
means of forgeries ; and that another Belgian,
named Demaret, a veterinary surgeon, had as-
sisted him in turning to account the forgeries by
passing himself off as a French general of divi-
sion, and wearing the uniform of that grade, with
the decoration of the Legion of Honour. Yester-
day the two men were brought to trial before
the Court of Assizes, at Sebille for forgery, and De-
maret for complicity therein ; the former also on
the subsidiary charge of swindling, and the latter
on that of illegally wearing a uniform and decora-
tion. The case, from its peculiar character, and
especially from the names of the persons mixed up
in it, excited much interest, and the court was
crowded. After the prisoners had answered the
usual 'questions asfo names, ages, and professions,
the indictment was read, and it was to the follow-
ing effect :—Two Belgian bankers, named Anciaux
Robert and Ghislain, purchased some time ago a
patent for manufacturing saltpetre, and towards the
end of 1857 they resolved to endeavour to turn it to
account in Paris. They accordingly charged Sehille,
who was their countryman and a man of property,
to get up a company in shares for working the pa-
tent, and in May, 1853, he drew up in due form the
statutes of one called "Societe Generale des
Saltpetres de France." In order to give this
company a legal existence, it was neces-
sary to have a certain number of shares
taken by other persons than the projectors. Se-
bille sought an interview with a lady of rank, the
Vicomtesse de Rouge, who was residing in a con-
vent in the Rue des Postes, and he persuaded her
that an unknown friend had ordered him to pre-
sent her with 300 shares in the said company, at
the same time requesting her to use her influence
to obtain subscribere for the other shares. She
referred him to M. Bochet, her avoue, and to that
gentleman he spoke with the greatest apparent
confidence about the company. He a few days
after presented to him a letter which purported to
be written by, and bore the signature of, General
Fleury, aide-de-camp to the Emperor, and which
stated that if the Vicomtesse de Rouge would sub-
scribe for a certain number of shares, the amount of
them should be paid for her in six months. That
letter, it was afterwards discovered, was a forgery.
But M. Bochet, havingno doubt of its authenticity,
consented to take in his own name the 300 shares
which were destined for Mme. de Rouge, and he
took part in the definitive constitution of the com-
pany, which was effected by deed executed on the
26th May in the office of a notary. M. Bochet
afterwards gave the most favourable account of the
company to the people who applied to him, and he,
moreover, on various false pretexts made by Sebille,
consented to guarantee the payment of a credit of
100,000 f., which M. Corbiere, a banker of Alencon,
consented to open to Sebille. Nevertheless, sub-
scriptions to the Saltpetre Company d'd not come
in, and a bill of 45,000 francs which Sebille had
given to Corbiere in part payment of his advances
was not paid. To replace it he offered a bill for
50,000 f. bearing the signature of Anciaux Robert and
the endorsement of Ghislain. The signatures of
these two persons, it was afterwards discovered, were
forgeries. Corbiere at first refused to a accept the
bill, and Sebille induced another banker, named
Pigniere, to discount it for him. A few days after
Corbiere consented to receive the bill ; and Sebille,
having given it away, forged another. As a gua-
rantee to Pigniree, Sebille made ovr to him a deed
purporting to be executed by Beaumont-Vassy,
guaranteeing the bill ; but the signature of that
person was a forgery. Pigniere, on his part, gave
Sebille for the bill four other bills, payable at an
American firm. As that firm was in some diffi-
culties in consequence of the commercial crisis,
Sebille. in order to get tho bills discounted, forged
the endorsement of M. Verdavoine, cashier to M.
Pigniere ; and as the discounter wanted other secu-
rity, he gave forged guarantees in the name of
Count de Brigode, who had subscribed for some
shares in the Saltpetre Company, and in that of
the Vicomte de Rouge. Part of the discount con-
sisted of five bills of 5,000 francs, and to pass them
off easily, Sebille forged the endorsement of
M. Bochet to them. An accommodation bill was
accepted for him by one Desessards, and to that
he forged the endorsements of M. Bochet and the
Count de Cunchy. To other hills of large amount
he forged the same names and also that of Beau-
mont-Vassy. The indictment having stated these
facts proceeded to detail another series of circurn-
stances:—MM. Anciaux-Robert and Ghislain, the
owners of the saltpetre patent, dissatisfied at. no
• company having been formed, and besides havi;-g
heard unfavourable reports of the doings of Sebille,
notified tais4 their avoue at Paris, M. Corpel, that
they would revoke the procuration they had given
Sebille to act as their agent in the patent affair.
On that Sebille had recourse to an extraordinary
expedient. He on the 21st February last took
Demaret, who was acting as his clerk, to a ready-
made clothes warehouse. and there hired the uni-
form of a general. He made the man put on the
uniform, and attached to his breast the cross of of-
ficer of the Legion of Honour. He then gave him
letters for M. Corpel and M. Bochet, and told him
that he was to cause those gentleman to read them.
The letter communicated to M. Corpel purported to
be written by and bore the signature of Marshal
Vaillant, Minister of War, and was addressed to
General de Salle ; and it directed the general, " by
order," to see the persons concerned in the saltpetre
affair, to assure them that the Government would
invest money in and would protect it, and to ex-
hort shareholders to have confidence. On reading
the letter, M. Corpel asked if the bearer of it was
General de Salle, and Demaret intimated by a sign
that he was. The letter shown by Demalet to M.
Bochet was of a like kind. The day after- Sebille
called on Corpel, and when thc,:llattter told him of
tho visit he had received, he pr.nded to be asto-
nished, and cried out, " What ! lass the Emperor done
that of me !" He wanted M. Corpel to assist him in
raising money, but that gentleman refused. A few
days after he renewed his application to M. Cor-
pel, and as that gentleman said he could not comply-
with it without security, he asked him if the per-
sonal guarantee of Marshal Vaillant for 15,000 f.,
and a certificate from the marshal, as Minister,
that the Government was about to put 300,000 f.
into the Saltpetre Company, would satisfy him.
M. Corpel having answered in the affirmative,
Sebille drew up a form of guarantee, and went
with one Cordierto the Ministry of War. Leaving
Cordier in an ante-room, he went into the
bureaux, and presently returned with the form
signed " Marshal Vaillant," and bearing the
stamp of the Ministry ; he also received a letter
likewise bearing the stamp of the Ministry, and
written on the paper used in the department,
which was thus conceived :—" My dear Sebille—
• Here is the guarantee which is accorded to you by
special favour. Seal it up, and so manage mat-
, ters that the Minister shall
not be teased. A thou-
ssTwahhanoesdrstelbydcr compliments.—.GENEßAL
unitapehlritemtnhtet
oens t s --GENERAL DE BRESSOLLES."
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forth in the indictment, and it concluded by stat-
in°. that Sebille, on being examined by the magis-
trates, confessed to the truth of them, and with
regard to the stamp and the letter paper of the
Alinistry of War, explained that he had been able
to make use of one and take the other because
he happened to be acquainted with a messenger
in one of the offices, rnd had, on some pretext,
to leave the room where those
The indictment added that Se-
t inducedhthings
wer him
e.