The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-08-19
TIE FRENCH POLICE.

THE FRENCH POLICE.
Most readers OF lEnElishl litcratukc
have an exalted idea of the English
policc-the detective from Scotland
Yard appears in nearly every modern
norci to solve the Gordian knot by
this subtle skill; policeman A. 175,
walks through the foggy, muddy
streets of London as tic hideous repre-
sentative ef Providence, andfetsgning
agents watch over Mazzinian and Fe-
Man plots with brilliant success. We
have nothing TO say against the Eng
fish policc-cxcept that it is inferior
10 the French police. Its work is
cIumsily done its services have TO be
aid for at exorbitant rates, and it fails
signaliy when it has to meet superior
ability in the criminal or the conspi-
rator.
The French police acts gratuitous-
ly; it is paid and well paid by the
government, and, as a body, is ex-
cecdingly ambitious. Intolerable in
times of political excitement, when ii
becomes the irresponsible agent Of ar
bitrary powers, it is almost faultiess
in,fhe prevention of crimes, the pro-
lection of life and property, and 10
the :.latchlcss certainty of its inyestl-
cations. Paris alone has more than
hundred thousand criminals aIneng
;, its citizens If the authority of the POI
y lice were suspended for twenty-four
hours, the city. would become the cas-.
urcy of thieves. incendiaries, and
n,urderers. A few features ri the
system, which are more or less pecu-
liar to. the great capital, may not be
uIlinterestin@. 81 = 80 81 srfsi q
One of the principal agencies which
, the police of Paris employs, is the
control 1t exercises over al lodging
Z houses, from the Grand Hotel to the
wrctched garnet in the suburbs. Ev-
cry day one hundred and fifty-six
agents inspect every house within the
city limits, in which newcomer has
arrived; Cor all keepers of lodging
houses are by law required to enter
the names of their guests in a book
kept for the purpose: The list is sent
to the central Office, and thus the po-
lice is informed every night, of all the
strangers who have arrived in Paris
during the last twenty-four hours.
This. knowledge is of immense impor-
.fApkc. Pour wears ago three English
men appeared in the office of the chief
agent they introduced themselves as
two well-known London jewellers, ac-
companied by q renowned detective.
They stated that, four days before,
one of their clerks had completely
riflcd their shop, and fled with jewel
ny worth over eighty thousand dol
lars. They suspected that he had gone
TO Paris, and invoked the aid of the
French police. The chief agent read
the personal description Of the thief
carefully, and then said, slowly 81
know ali about it," Then he sent for
: & prisoner, in whom the astonished
Englishmcn recognized the abscend-
ing clerk, and, at the same time, found
in three boxes, which were brought
in, ono by one, their whole lost pro-
crty. They were so amazed that ono
of the jewellers tainted. 1t looked
like miracle, and yet nothing could
be more simple. The police had
! learned that q foreigner, a very young
man, had come to the Hotel du Lou.
rrc, and on the same day, pawned a
largo quantity of jewclry at certain
brokers, licensed and controlled by
. the government. Immediately Or
dcrs had been given to search the mys-
tcrious traveller, who pawned SO iber-
ally; his trunks had been found full
of jewelry thrown in pell-nell, and
he had been arrested on strong sus-
picion. - IS - ,..s "a
,. in another case, an old gentleman
who'lived quito alone in his house,
with single man-servant was re-
ported to have gone to the country.
On the next day, his servant went
after him, leaving word that. both
would be back in a week. Three
weeks passed, and neither master nor
servant returned. The police was in
formed, the doors were broken open,
and stains of blood found on the floor.
A crime had evidently been commit
ted, and the servant was, i'm all proba-
bility, the criminal but who was this
servant? Not even his name was
known; he had but recently entered
the service of the deceased; no one
had taken the trouble to inquire
whence he came, and the evidence as
to his personal appearance was very
contradictory. The only fact that
could be asoertained was, that he had
engaged a porter to carry off heavy
trunk. Search was Immediately made
for the porter AS they are all licens-
ed and numbered, he was soon found ;
but he could only recall that the name
of ChateaurOux was on the trunk he
took away, and that there were two
large boxes standing OH the staircase.
At once inquiries were made in that
town. The name of the deceased was
utterly unknown there; but it was re-
ported that a trunk, marked "To be
called for" and addressed to a M.
.Moreau, jeweler, was at the railway
Office unclaimed, as no such jeweler
could be found in the town. The
trunk was opened, and found to COIL
tain the body of the unfortunate man,
cut to pieces. The railway authori-
ties, however, knew nothing of the
trunk, except that il had arrived there
in due course, with other freight, The
Investigations had to begin once more
. at the starting point, and the police
went now i'm search of the two other
boxes that had been seen on the stair
case. All licensed porters were ,ex-
amincd once more, and, at last, two
Z were found who recollected having
been sent for, to the house in 'ques-
ton, to carry two heavy boxes to the
stage office, and that the young man
who employed them had accidentally
mentioned Marseillcs. Thcreupon
all the books in the stage offices were
searched, till one was found in which
man by the name of Won had taken
scat for Marseilles, but it also ap-,
pcared that he had not left OH the ap-
pointed day. Was the name of Won
an alias or real name? To make
this sure, the immense registers OF the
Z police were examined, and showed
that there was, in the pcnitcntiary of
Melun, man by that name. He was
questioned, and stated that he was the
father of the servant. At the same
time, the books Of the lodging houses
Of Paris were examined, and, luckily,
{, the Lame of Won was here also found.
The man was to be home al night;
the police lay in wait for him, and, as
nc entered the house, he was arrested,
and charged with the crime. He con-
fessed at once, overcome by surprise
af sacip,, l;nS nj e ..npfrontoI ,,,;fl, al