The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-10-19
From the Liverpool Courier. September %.

From the Liverpool Courier. september g.
For some time past case Of very re-
markable character has been occupying the
attention Of the London. detectives. II
appears that not long ago an extensive wine
merchant of Bordeaux, by the name OF
Vital Douat, went to Paris and assured his
life in an Office there to the amount OF
100000 francs. He afterwards returned to
Bordeaux, attended TO his business for q
while, and then failed. As some rather sus-
picious circumstances attended his failure,
an inquiry was made, and the result was
that Douat was declared to have been o
fraudulent bankrupt. The extent of his
frauds Is stated at $4,000 francs. He left
France suddenly, and about month after
wards his wife attended at the insurance
office in Paris, and presented certificate
containing O copy of the register Of the
death and burial of her husband in England.
OF course Madame Douat claimed the
amount for which her husbands life was
insured. French officials were consulted,
and payment of the money was not only
refused, but the facts, so far as known, were
communicated to the authoritiesin England,
with request that thorough investiga-
ton might be made.
!, Inspector Williamson placed the case in
the hands Of Sergeant Druscoyitch, who
was puzzled at the commencement of his
inquiries by finding that the copy Of the
register was bona tide, and that the funeral
had actually taken place. Although thus
banked, the detective did not give up the
game. He hunted about the places in
which Douat had been whilst known to be
alive, and found that when he first came to
r. L. - I1s
chester street, Manchester Square, giving
the name Of Robert. When he had been
at the hotel q few days he induced French
waiter there to write him certificate in
English to the effect that Vital Douat died
Of "aneurism Of the heart" on December
%, 1865. This was on the 26th or 9th Of
the month.
The certificate purported to be signed
by DR.. Critic. Armed with this forged
certificate, Douat went, on New Years day
last, to the registrar of deaths at Plaistow,
Essex, and assuming, for the time, the
name Of Benardin, he had his own death
registered in the ordinary way, and stated
that his dead body was then lying at No.
30 Ann street, Plaistow. On the same day
he went to the sexton at st. Patrick's &C.
metery, Low Legion, and producing the
registrars certificate, he ordered q grave
to be made, paid all the regular fees, and
appointed the Sunday following for his In
terment. Not satisfied with what he had
done, he returned to London the same at
ternoon, and going to an undertaken IN
Mile-end road, he purchased . full-sized
ready made coffin, and ordered leaden
lining to be put within It.
When Sunday came he called at the un-
! dertaker's rather unexpectedly, paid for
the coffin, and having engaged two labor
ers. had 1t conveyed to the Shore Ditch
station Of the Great Eastern railway, and
from thence booked it for Leytonstone,
going himself, as matter Of course, in the
train which carried his coffin. AT Legion
stone he hired cart, and the funeral pro-
ceeded to the cemetery, Douat himself the
chief and only mourner. The service was
4 performed by the Rev. Ar. McQu0rd, and
IL Is said Douat performed his part of the
{ ceremony with becoming solemnity.
Having, by degrees, obtained the above
facts, Druscovitch obtained an order from
the Home Secretary for the exhumation
OF the 8 body and with it he and Inspector
Williamson, and two gentlemen who bad
known Deuat, and could identify him dead
or alive, went down to.the cemetery. Halt
skeptical a. to the information they had
received, they armed Themselves with such
charms against the noisomeness Of dead
bodies a. are supposed to be eHectual, and
the grave being dug into, the coffin lifted out
and opened, they were considerably relieved
/ to find it quite empty. Itwss necessary
now to ascertain where Douat really was,
aud before long the detective found that
he had left England for America, and SO
could not be produced TO answer q charge
Of false registration This strange story Is
made more complete by the information,
just received, that Donat, returning from
America, had been given over to the French
authorities; by whom he win be tried for
the fraudulent Bankruptcy and the at
tempted fraud on the Paris Insurance Soci-
etys@ His wits Is still " wanted"