The mountain Democrat., 1864-02-06

nhO" VoN nC
Don't answer me. BegOnel Hello
r. e-t..S>sH, put this man outside the door. !"
The gendarme came forward, and
though the man was leaving the room as
fast as the crowd would allow him he OBJ
Sequiously pushed him, to hasten his
movements. There is something humili-
ating to man only to be a witness of the
humiliation of another who dares not re.
sent it, and would gladly have separated
myself from my friend if could have
done so. He himself seemed vexed at
having drawn attention to us. Probably
the idea occurred to him that those pres.
ent, might think nc had driven the man
from his room, because he was angry at
not getting the thing as cheaply as he
wished. At any rate the bidding was re-
newed, though he did not make another
offer. Naturally, if felt curious to know
who the man was before, after this Incl,
bent became still more desirous of know.
ing, When we left the hotel, the first
question asked was: "WhO is tho man
you ordered out Of the room SO perempto.
rily ?"
"lIe! The greatest scoundrel in Paris.
An assassin, u spy of the Government,
and from what heard day or two ago,
he is strongly suspected of being at the
same time the chief of a gang Of cut.
throatS and n receiver Of stolen goods -
If this last turns out to be true, he will
experience a very abrupt and unpleasant
termination of his care r"
q thouget the police authorities were
not SO particular as to the private practice
Of their agents in the last-namcd capaci.
ty."
"Ah. this is very different matter.
Witnesses against members of this gang
have been exhibited at La Morgue; aud "a
magistrate was found dead in his room,
who would have been supposed TO have
died Of appoplexy, if the mark they fix on
the f)reheadS of those they slay, from
what they call political motives, had not
been found on his"
Are they, then, political society,"
mo, no. dill not use the word in that
sense. Their policy seems to be to inspire
such crrorin the minds of persons robbed,
that they shall lrctcr to keep the matter
secret rather than appeal to Justice; aud
they are rapidly succeeding in it,
" | begin to feel very lively interest
in the individual. Suppose you season
our lunch by telling me something more
about him. \ muIderer who can get EN-
Payment under the Government, cause
his >npcriors TO be disposed Of If they op
pose his ilca>, and head gang Of thieves,
: an interesting uprSnuaVr"
Willingly. Waiter, let us have some
champagne aud little fruit. The real
maine OF this man, now known as MaXime
Dulu," Brl>>ac began, is QuenouiIlac
He must have been mere boy in years
during the troubles in La Nc,.dce but he
had been selected by Count kergoulet As
one of his fore>tets, and therefore was in
many respects better fitted for the war,
fare carried on in that province between
the Republicans and the Royali>ts, than
an older man less skiliful in the use Of
firearms. His master was one ofthc most
determined opponents the Republicans
had; and if kergoulet was present at
nearly all the encounters between the two
pa,tic>, QuenouiIlac showed himself a
faithful follower, and vas well known %
the soldiers on both sides As his master
His skill aS a narksman was so conSpicu-
Gus, that he AID a few others were sepa-
rated from the common herd, aud allow.
ed to take up " hat positions they pleased
in these fights. OAe Of the causes Of the
crueties perpctrated on both sides, when
ever the opportunity offered, arose out Of
Me personal knowledge each had of the
other. \ man whose colnrale fell dead
beside lin frequently knew the man who
fired the shot or struck the blow; hence,
Qncnouilac was almost as much hated as
his master, aud the soldiers felt even a
kcencr anxiety to get him in their hands,
though, from the scarcity of good officers
among the NrndeanS, they had orders to
aim ut Count kergouiet as often as the
occasion offered, as his destruction would
strike heavier blow at the RoyaliSt cause
than the Slaughter of hundreds Of his fel.
low. proyincial<. TO shield himself as
much as possible, kergouict was IN the
habit of Disgusting his appearance, and
his presence in an encounter was ire
quently unknown to the enemy till after
it was over.
"Under pressure, which amounted to a
threat, DrSgcnaS, who commanded in the
district where Kcrgou!et chiefly carried
on his operations, sent one Of his men,
who had been trained for priest, bnt who
had left the seminary during the Revolu
ton, in the guisr Of priest, to Quenouil
lac's mother. This woman lived in a wood
in the cottage allotted to her son as foeSter
In this di>guise, the man made his way
safely through dangers which would have
been impas>ahle in any other costume,
and easily invented an excuse for asking
permission to remain there for few days
The lonely wCman was glad enough to
have somebody to speak to, and the pre-
tended priest acquired such influence over
her, that not many hours had passed be,
fore he was able to discuss with her the
possibility Of inducing hcr son to betray
his master. He soon found that both
mother and son had the greed for money
which was the prevailing characteristic
Of the pca>ant'y in those days, when mon.
cy was rarely seen toy them, and they had
no refuge to flee to for shelter in their old
age, ana nothing between them and ahSo
lutte starvation but the little hoard they
could manage to scrape together before
the day came in which they were able to
work no longer. The amount he was per-
mtCcd to offer appeared so large to tine
woman. that she did not hesitate TO prom
ise TO do all in her power to persuade her
son to accept it, and the result was that
Quenouil!ac undertook to hctray his mas
ter into the hands Of the Republicans. -
His first attempt to carry out his bargain
was by sending his mother to the priest
to inform him that kergouet would sleep
the next night at farm known as the
Lightning struck Oak Faru, not far from
Briquefort, where there were conSidera.