The Sun.
London, England, 1810-10-06 00:00:00

DEAF AND DUMB IMPOSTOR.

It might almost have been admitted as a proverb,
that whatever else a Man might have assumed as his
character, that of a person -born deaf and dumb I
could lie: er have been worth his -while, to have per-
severed in ; but Paris has lately seen an instance of
this' imposture, and as the -history may be useful
its it certainly is curious, we shall-, give it at some
length. - UAW:6 Sicard bad received, in the course
of last year, so many letters Iroin different ports of
France in belialt of a young man who described
tionself as one of his pupils; and who protesed to
o gavelling float province to province, in search
01 his fatin.a. and to ascertain his fa9ily, that he
thou ht proper to insert in the public papers a rote,
d.t d .July.l2, - 1806, denying any knowledge of •
such an individual, and cautioning-the..public agaaist.'.
decept!ot.. The party was accordingly seized and
imprisoned at La Rochelle. • This produced a.let-
ter from M. Vitior Serve, officer of the 66th regi-
ment, dated Rochelle,,Ocicber.lBo6, in which the,
writer.describes himself as doing girtisonduty.in
that city, part of which duty-consisted in visiting
the prisons. He says he had seen' this young man,'
who was about 25 or 26. years of age : his figure
mild and expressive, his address noble and mo-
dest, his look doWncast, his cheeks not ruddy,'all his.
features, as all his attitudes, wit netsiiia° his misfor-
tune. He wept, and deeply affeeted all beholders,.
who amounted to upwards of too. He-won every
heart. His father emigrated, in 1792, his 'mother
was legally assassinated the same .year ; a German
named Vere--took him, and taught him the French
language; as well as he could. He died in 1802.
Stich was his story. He called himself Victor. de
Travanait. , The writer ,then .very solemnly attests
his conviction that this . youth was born deaf and
dumb. This letter being .signed,i&c. by the mayor,
notary, &c. as authentic, the matter was submitted
to the Counsellor of State,- and after some delay,
the young man was ordered up to Paris, to be ex-
amined at the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb.
As he couldwrite, the Abbe naturally endeavoured,
in the first instance, to judge, by his written answers
to questions, whether he really was wh.:t he pre-
tended to be. His manner of spelling words con,
vinced the Abbe at
.once that he was an impostor;
hut, in spite of all his attempts to render this pApable, .
the youth eluded his design, and he obtained no
. decisive proofs in the first examination. A second
trial was not attended with greater conviction ; the
young man conducted himself so correctly .as per-
reedy to counteract. suspicion. • Several days after-
wards, the youth was put to a third trial, at which
the Abbe tried him by the easy syllables. which 'the
deaf and dumb are taught first to pronounce, such
as es. Victor pronounced the'Vowel, A, but not
the consonant. He also acknowledged that he had
been taught by signs ;, but he did not understand a
single sign which was,:made to him. Convinced
now, that be was not really deaf and dumb, the
Abbe threateded to confront him with those per-
sons by whom he said he had been taught, and oilier
friends whom lie bad mentioned ;,exposing fo hiM
at the same time the numerous contrad ctions. of
which he had been guilty. He 'denied all, and kept
his countenance, but desired the examination might
close. The next morning Victor, by writing, de-
sired that his examination might not be so public ;
the company, accordingly. .being selected, Victor
drew from his pocket apnper which he read with a
loud and intelligible voice.—" These are the first
words which have iL.sued from my mouth during
four years."—He said that be would have preferred
death to this confession ; that M. Sicard Was chosen
to obtain the truth, that lie had been vadquiShed,
that no other person should have vanquished Mtn.—
" In, many.cities I have been subjected to.ditferent
cruel experiments, but never has the smallest sym-
'toms of surprise been seen in my couvenant.. At
La Rochelle the warder •was directed to sleep 'with
me; but even my dreams were never expressed A ith
more thin. guttural sounds. Several times have. I
been purpoiely awakened out of a sound sleep, lily
alarm was, however, marked by nothing more than
a plaintive croaking. The hundred prtscruers who
, were wil4 me did all which had been &demi them
in order to. surprise me.. In Switzerland, a yourig;
rich, and beautitul woman offered to marry meal I
would speak. I resisted every thing. Often haVe I .
had the intention of roaming imp some wood/and
living like a beast, At first I did so, I passed a whole
month living on roots, potatoes,and wild fruits with-
out tasting bread. lam not Victor Travanait, but
Victor Foy, of Lauzareehe, six leagues from Paris.'.'
It will readily be supposed that this declaration, from
a mouth which_ had been tour years closed, produced
a great sensation among the auditory. -It produced
no less sensation anioug-the'public ; and on Febru7-
ary 24, 1807, the meeting of itl-w Institution was
full add over full of persons curions'to see and hear
what would pass. The Abbe Sicard was obliged to
give a secoud sitting, after the.first was over; and to
announce that he would give..a third, and is fourth
I if necessary, in order that no individual might depart

ished by WILLIAM A RMIGER SCRII,3PS, South Molton.street, Grosvenorasqui re.
Lie Paper, Letters for the iditar &c. (postlaia), must be addressed.