Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1856-01-12

hat he knew dAnglade to be gambler, and
THAT he heard the Able Bouin call him an old
clothes man; and this tailed with the fact that
he lent money upon pledges.
Another witness deposed to having heard that
dAnglade mad once stolen piece of ribbon, and
that before he came to live in the Rue Royale
quantity of silver plate had suddenly disap-
peared from the house where he lived. Many
other minute facts came out all tending to deey-
en- the suspicion against the d'Angledes. The
most damning evidence, however, was gather
ed from his own replies to the interrogatories
concerning his birth and source of income. An
evident mystery surrounded him. He prevari-
Gated in his answers.
At last it was made clear, that instead Of be-
ing. as he boasted, gentleman of high birth
and large fortune, his origin was mean, and his
income was not more than two thousand livres
although he lived extensively, paid for every
thing in ready money, and had ready money to
lend out besides This at once established him
as q cheyaer d'industre, and put an end to the
sympathes of honest men. Added to all these
facts and suspicious, dAnglade and his wife
contradicted each other, and there were discre-
pancies between their statements. The case
looked very black against them: but as the JUS
tice Of those days would on no account condemn
a prisoner without giving him every chance Of
confessing his doom to be well merrited, dang
| lande was put to the torture. The evidence was
after all, only circumstantial, and it would be q
satisfaction if he could be made to confess
He was first put to torture ordinary. and as that
brought nothing, they proceeded to the torture
extraordinary, which brought nothing either.
As d'Anglade refused to confess his guilt,
| there was nothing to be done, but to condemn
him without confession, (for of course justice
never felt moments hesitation as to his guilt
and, on the 18th February, 1858, he was con-
demned to the galleys for nine years. His wife
was banished from Paris, for like period Al
so, he was sentenced to pay fine to the king,
to make restitution of the stolen goods, and to
pay three thousand livres to the Count by way
of compensation, which required more than he
had in the world. The five months he had spent
in prison, during which he had lived on bread
and water with nothing but damp and rotten
straw for bed, had entirely shattered his con-
sttution. Nevertheless, on being taken from
the torture chamber he was thrown into the dar-
kest and frightfullest dungeon Of the Montgom-
meri tower, from which he was only removed to
be taken-all broken to pieces-to the Chateau
de la Joncele, where he was attached to gang
of the yilest forcats.
| He seemed to be at the point of death he
declared that he was innocent of all knowledge
of the robbery. received the last sacrements with
devotion, pardoned his enemies, and expected
death with composure that might arise either
from sense of innocence or the prospect of
release from intense suffering. He recovered
however, sufficiently to depart for the gallows
with the rest but he was obliged to be convey
ed in cart, and two men were employed to lift
him down every evening, and lay him upon his
bed of straw, and to lift him again into the cart
the next morning. The Count de Montgommeri,
who was terribly afraid that the suferings OF
d'Anglade might soften the heart of justsce, or
that death might deprive him of his revenge,
was earnest in his solicitations for the immedi-
ate departure of d'Anglade to the galleys, and
stationed himself upon the road by which he
must pass in order to feast his eyes upon the
spectacle of dAnglades misery.
| Upon the 4th of March, 1859, d Angladc died
in the hospital at Marscilles, four months after
his arrival at the galleys.
| No sooner was d Anglade dead, than anony-
nous letters began to circulate in all directions,
in which the writer declared that his conscience
would give him no peace until he declared that
NJ d'Anglade was entirely innocent Of the rob-
berry committed upon the Count de Mongomme-
RI and that the real criminals were one Vincent
Belestre, and the Aobe Gagnard, almoner to the
Count. 1t was added that woman named La
Comble could give important evidence.
here was q LerFlDlC revelation lue peHltcIls
prosecutor had become horror struck at the pos
sbity of having been the means of subjecting
an innocent man to SO terrible a fate. He or
dered certain Degrais, 1.-THE same who was
employed to persuade the prisoner, Madame
Brinvillicrs to leave the convent where she had
taken REFUGEE to make inquiries into the life and
habits Of the party now accused. The result
was that Peter Vincent, or Belestre, the first
named, was discovered to be the son OF poor
tanner at Mans. He had enlisted as a soldier.
under the name Of Belestre, and had risen to
the rank Of sergent but had been tried and
condemned to the galleys for his share i'll the
assassination of q miller.
This was his first offence. His later exploits
had been confined to burglary and highway rob-
berry. After being very poor for long time,
and vagabond besides, he had finished by pur-
kchasing an estate in the neighborhood of Mans,
for which he had paid ten thousand livres. As
to the Able Gagnard, his father was gaoler to
the prison in Mans, and the son had nothing to
live upon when he first came to Paris, except
the masses he said at the Saint Esprit. When
he entered the household Of the Count de Mont
gommeri in quality Of almoner, he was in alb
ject cogdition; but, three months after he quit
ted him. he lived in something like opulence.
He had never been suspected Of any special
crime; but he was intimate with Belestre He
was, moreover, perfectly acquainted with every
thing that passed in the Counts household; and
above all, he knew thatsthe Count had received
large sum Of money in the month of June,
1857, and he also knew where it was kept.
They were both arrsted. The woman La Com
bic, alias Cartant, Belestre's mistress, gave evil
dence which was corroborated by crowd Of
other witnesses; and it was clearly proved that
Belestre had committed the robbery by means
of false keys, and with the assistance Of Gag
nard.
4 Belestre endured the torture without confess
ing anything; but Gagnard had less fortitude
and confessed his crime. He said, too, that he
was so much alarmed when the lieutenant Grim
inal was examining his premises, that had he
asked him the smallest question he should have
confessed everything A comfortable hearing
for that officer
The gibbet relieved the world Of these two
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