Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1854-11-25
VID0CQ AND THE FORGER.

qualities always struck me as those which wer.
the most adapted to the Office which he had SO
long filled in Paris But, after sitting with hin
for some tune, began to measure the mar
more truly, and drew much more accurate es.
innate of his qualifications for it. His gray eye
was as quick and as stealthy as cats. Die
you look away from him for a minute, wher
your glance again fell upon him, his eyes were
taking your mental measure.
No sooner, however, did yours meet them
than they roamed away into purely indiffer.
ent speculation. Scarcely had you become in
terested in any thing your friend was saying
than they were again fixed upon you, scruti-
nzing'y your thoughts, and examining your ex.
preston.
Of course. he could have no idea that either
my companion or myself were pickpockets, and
yet had very uncomfortable impression that
he was thinking so, and meditating on The plea.
sure which he would have experienced in arrest.
ing US. This, naturally enough. could not con.
duce to make me feel very agreeable towards
him.
1t was as student of human nature, how.
ever, that I had visited him. Consequently,
my legs did not run away with me, although it
must be confessed that once or twice my mind
felt very much inclined to prompt an immediate
evasion.
His attire was as singular as his person. In
addition to the scratch.wig which have previ-
ously alluded to, and which was, if my memory
serves me rightly, colored of reddish tint, he
wore brown dress coat, cut in very large,
loose, and baggy style.
Such coat was it, as I never could have
dreamt the possibility of French taIor's per-
petrating. II was almost new, but looked as If
it may not have been from the time he first
orderedit. Alarge buff waistcoat, as loose and
almost as large as the gray trousers, cut with
the same disregard to economy Of cloth, and
heavy ill.made shoes, completed the remainder
of his attire. He was, evidently, in his age, dis
posed more to consider the ease and comfort of
person than to calculate on the ocular effect
which he might produce upon comparative
stranger to him and his style Of dress.
As my eyes ran over his frame and its cloth
ing, could not help ruminating upon the ex-
traordinary ability which this man must have
evinced in Disgusting himself so completely As
to remove every vsstige of his actual nature
from his external appearance, and revolving
the countless stories which had heard Of his
air.breadth escapes in the pursuits of his vo-
cation.
d One Of these he on that evening told as, and
it was Of such daring character, and 90 brief,
that cannot help transferring it to these pages
During the second period in which he bad
been connected with the French police; the
first had been during the earlier portion Of the
French Revelation; and while he was one Of
81, Sea- s.,ssh tho Rss
reau, information had come to his ears respect
ing a complex system Of forgeries which had
been going on for some months in the capital Of
France, and which the police had as yet been
unable to trace to their actual authors, although
several of the utterers of them had been detect
ed, tried, and sentenced to the Bains.
This information appearing to bring them
home to an Alsacian, who had been residing
in Paris for the last year or more. By series
of skillful maneuvers, which Vidocq detailed
to us, he was at last identified as the principal
agent in the system of fraud which had been
going on. So large was it that il had defrauded
the principal banks Il more than quarter of
a million of francs in the last two or three
months.
He necessarily could at once have been ar
rested and punished, but Vidocq had experien-
ced so much difficulty in tracing the matter to
him, and doubted 90 much whether his arrest
would break up the gang, that he felt when the
hour arrived, he must make Z clean sweep, and
capture the whole Of them.
For this purpose, the Alsatian was watched
carefully. Nothing, however, was discovered.
He would ride out at all times Of the day, fire.
luent the theatres, amuse himself a. man Of
pleasure will do, and return to his house al an
hour late in the evening, but BY no means late
enough to give any idsa that be had managed
70 eIude the attention of the police officials who
had been watching him.
Moreover, Vidocq had taken the opportunity
# testing this, by placing spy on his own sys-
em Of espionage, and was perfectly certain that
10 attempt had been made at cheting him
hrough his own men.
Matters were thus, when it was discovered
hat locataire in the tenement, Of which the
Alsatian occupied the first floor, was POLITICAL
y compromised 10 one Of the numerous con.
piracies to ensure the restoration Of the Bour.
'ons. s
He was Immediately arrested BY Vidocq him
elf and another officer, who was deputed By
be superior to take him to his location-the
aid location being : prison, although be did
ot say il was %.
Meanwhile, - no tapage had been made IN
he AFFAIR." am using his own expression-he
,arned the porter Of the house not to mention
lie fact, and remained above for the purpose Of
xamining the locality.
AT irst be said that il had struck him the |
who had just been arrested might |
ave been compromised in the matter Of the |