Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1853-08-17

FRENCH SOCIETY AND SECRET
FoLiCE---STARTLIN PARlSIANl
The Paris. correspondent Of tile Ohio
State Journal, has the following interest
ing paragraphs which develope some of
the doings of the secret police system at
once so nefarious and so effective. While
we condemn, we cannot but in som de-
gree admire the patient activity, (which
the system is such an evidence,
Thieves are almost as rare as fires.
Yet in SO large city as Paris, and so
denseiy crowded, and where, from the
manner of living, so few persons are ac-
quainted with each other, It would IN
deed be curious If there were notinffinge-
ments of the criminal law. The great
mass of French people are, however. em-
inently honest and kind hearted. This is
particularly true of the poor classes
The promiscuous mingling of sexes in an
unlawful way, seems not TO exert any in
fluence ON their morals in other respects.
as it does in our country. 1t is only at
the places where foreigners deal that dis
honesty is found prevalent to any extent.
To go always to stores and other places
of business patronized by the French peo-
Pile only, you will rarely make bad bar
gain.
French policemen are generally more
literally endowed with detective acute
ness than policemen of other countries
In fact, the great body of the guard of
Paris being derived from the conscrip-
ton and by volunteers never selected,
and poorly paid. is composed of men OF
the smallest capacity, fit only for the We
ry mechanical kinds of duty which they
are called upon to perform.
All the principal arrests in Paris, are
made through the agency of two bodies
of men, unknown to the public by any
badge or public conduct, never doing
more than tracing out the suspected per-
sons and ordering their arrest by the
guard 1t is these secret bodies Which
form the detective police of Paris. One ol
these bodies, called the detective police,
searches for offenders against the crimi-
nal law; while the other. the secret po-
lice, dogs the steps, from day to day ol
the political offenders. These two bodies
of men are intelligent, speak, in many IN
stances. several languages, and are to be
found in all public places unknown to the
persons with whom they converse. Among
people so frank as the French, these bo
dies perform a useful labor to the State.
But there isl romance in the heart oi
the French people, exhibiting itself in
every action which they perform, vein
of admiration for exciting deeds running
deep into the French character, which,
when directed by intelligence and ambi-
ton, leads them into the most startling
adventures and exciting conspiracies.
The novelist who so often seeks French
society for exciting incidents, has no
need to exercise the imagination; to Al
exander Dumas, who knows intimately
French society to its last fibre, there is nc
need to search further for exciting Ia
bleaux, than the real life occurrences oi
which he is cognizant; his imagination
needed not to be called into requisition,
neither is it the every day incidents OF
life in the deep, undercurrent of the me-
tropolis, furnish him the parallels OF his
personages and his plots. Novelists are
beginning to understand, as more than
one remarkable instance has recently pro
we'd, that their productions meet with
much more sympathy, and are consequent
ly much moro popular, the more faithful
" they deal with the doings of the hui
man heart. The peculiar constitution Of
French society as it exists in Paris, as
well as the manner in which the people
live, aids the prosecution of such enter
prises, no matter how bold, as are based
on the passions and the habits of the peo-
yle. There is no public opinion TO exer-
else healthy restraining influence on a
mans conduct, because il is all vast will
derness of strangers, completely indepen-
dent the one of the other; there is no
scandal, no eaves-droppers, no personal
surveillance exercised over any man by
any body, unless he be a suspected cri-
minal or politician! No where in the
world can man enjoy so much person al
liberty, be so entirely free from curious
eyes and betrayine tongues, as in Paris,
SO long as he keeps clear from the sus.
picions Just mentioned. His immunity is
perfect. H ee9
A certain club ofa most dangerous cha
racter has been known to exist in Paris
for some time past, but which, owing to
the character of the men composing It's
members, has managed 20 elude arrest.
This society has existed for many years,
and il the truth of certain revelations re-
Gently made, can be relied on, its unpub-
lished deeds Of horror and wicked injenu-
ity would fill volume as startling as the
memorable memoirs Of Vidoc. It num-
bers twelve members, to which il is limi-
ted, the club wisely suPposing that any
greater number of Frenchmen in posses
sion of their secret, would much weaken