, 1862-05-19
rRwryAL TRIALS IN FRANCE.



pAE1s, April Is. 1889.
The tria1 Of Giraud, the most skillfl1 and ac-
cumlI;shed cou.irr1eiter Of bank notes jet |
1suu~n, has attracted general attention this |
~c,k- The cast is an extraordinary and re- |
n,arlsahle one II. Giraud is a man Of forty |
1iTt, who fur some years past has resided in |
7he department Of Ia ChaTente- -Infcrfeure, at |
q i,1aee called Gatebourse-an omnious1y ap- |
1roprlatc name, which may be rendered in En- |
ftisi,, s7ooitlHyse- where he occupied q hand !
some villa, entertained largely, and lived in q
re'y expensive and luxurious style Most Of
asv.n e. s'cSSs Ssw oean xsFs and dpsnt oths1
parts Of America, whence vague and
sinister suspicious followed him, but
were quieted before the style Of opulenee aud
1espectabi1ity which surrounded him H. re-
turned to France in 1851, aud for time was
Bion in America is said to have been that Of
bank note cng1avcr. He was thoroughly
acquainted with all the best processes known
in that department, as his wonderful success
in connterfeiting notes Of the Bank Of France
testiiies. For some time he seems to have
lived by e1pedients, and is said not to have
borne very reputable character. In 1857 he
married lady Of good family, and became
possessed, through her, OF the estate Of Gate
bonrse, which however, did not bring him in
much more than about 81 900 income.
RoGrE's sTYLE OF LIVING.
In this state OF fortune, and without any
sources Of his Own, Gtaud suddenly expands
into condition of wealth, luxury and expense,
which astonfshcs all the neIghborhood. His
house is filled with costly furniture, he keeps
eleven servants and seven or eight valuable
bo1fes. He receives frequently the dtgnitaries
Of the dIro,disx nassf, and lays himself out to
entertain them largely and snmptuously. The
accounts. he gave Of his sudden rise OF fortuue
are confused and contradlc ory- Sometimes
he said that he had great interests in vast
r.nrnYt1pFr511 ha tad
that he was paid largely for mysterious ser
vices rendered to the French government, or
10 fore1gn governments. With this posi-
ton Of his affairs coDcurred the fact Of the
detection by the Bank Of France, from time to
time, OF false notes OF one hundred and OF two
hundred francs, remarkable for their superior
style Of exccutlon-and most Of which were
received by the branch Of the Banque dan
Eoulemc, Or were in circulation In the depart
ment in which Giraud resided. In proportion
as Investigations into their origin became ac-
tive, these false bills ceased SO appear, hut
resumed their appearance when the Govern
ment agents relaxed their vigi1ance. Suspic-
ions at length became SO strong against Gi-
1aud as the author OF these counterteIts, that
search wos made in his house at Gatebourse
Paris
HIS COCNTERFE1T1NG APPARATUS DIsCOv-
ERED-
The first Of the searches took place August
23d, 1861. 4 small room on the ground floor
in his house a. Gatesbourse was examined
doors opening into it were closed with care,
and thai the panes of glass in the lower part
of the window were rendered Opaque with
white paint. Here were found paper press, q
Bunsen:3 pile, -galyano-plastic apparatus, q
great number Of tools for engraving on wood
and metal, acids, bills to order, and finally,
tint, 3 bundle of one hundred and twenty whine
bills of the Bank Of France of 100 francs
each, emission Of the 18th May, 1858, bearing
the siguatu1e Of the principal cashier, solell,
the signature Of the comptroller was wanting,
and the two spaces at each end destined tu
receive the written number, were empty
but second bundle Of twenty four bills o
one hundred franks each bore other sigma
tures. Other details are given of the seIz
nre Of bank bills, mora or less filed u
with signatures, some quite new, othert
rumpled and spotted with ink to ap
pear used, &c, all showing that these bills
had one common origin. Another search
brought to Light further facts: a cooper
named Geofroy, who bad worked for Grand
testified that an adjoining room contained ap
paratus destined for the distillation Of wine!
into alcohol. This room was called the 'tBru
leria-'' Giraud used all sorts Of precaution tt
prevent access to this room- Here the polict
found in small cask or barrel the instru
ments which he used for counterfeiting. H,
had taken the extreme precantion to su-pent
frem hooks inside this cask, by strings, tws
packages, arranged in such q way that o1
knocking with the fingers on the end Of tn
cask It sounded as II il were full; but he di,
not sec the result Of striking On the sides
which gave an empty and sonorous sound
The packages, On being opened, discoTere
engraving tools, bank note paper, sma'
blocks Of wood engraved with the signature
blocks engraved, and furnishing words an
numbers necessary for changes Of dates, &t
The second package contained an engraye
block still covered with printing ink, an
reproducing the entire rignette of one hui
d1sd franc f1ad b IN wth m %oveaeie % tyPes for t.
stating the punishment; to the counte
tie detail Of the plate showed trace
Of the utmost patience md skill A zir
plate was also discovered, bearing tt
words "Bank Of France'' and 800 francs.
note, bearing the sodteT-mark, admirably i'm
!. tated- Objects Of all sorts necessary in c,
craving we're found. Blocks, plates OF cope
and zinc, acids, manuals Of chemistry, OF p
peI-making, Of photography, chemical prep
Iations, and, above all, q quantity OF printfu
ink, and blue ink. carefully enye1oped ar
marked "Spanish White" They found al
the linen clothes in which he worked in s
cret, and which we're corroded here and the!
by the acids.
In tne, the proofs OF guilt nave been 0Ve
whelming against Girand. The only defeu
he could make was the absurd one that the
materials were hid in the drawers or in t
cask when he bought the furniture, witho
his knowing ything about it. The testim
NJ has been clear and strong against him, q
lie is condemned to forced labor for life.
Cultivation of the Beet for Sugar
It is well known TINT almost the entire
gar crop OF the German States and Franct
produced from the sugar beet. The 1mpro,