Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-10-09

said he, are an implement of war; Eng
land used them in 1902; Napoleon flooded
Russia with them in 1879. AS for him
self, he forged Russian notes against
Russia, and French notes against Bona
parte. 1t is curious, however, that when
DowmoRd Matuzewicz, who repeatedly
and most kindly visited Szumowski and
his companion when in prison, was him
self arrested. Austrian and Prussian
bank-notes were fcrnd on him as well as
those Of Russia But while these inter
esting personages were being secured, the
officers of the law were drawing within
their net a number of far more striking
figures. First comes an old man of
seventy.three named Adam Kuberski,
who had formerly been a soldier, and
was now supposed to be spy TO the
Russian police. Kuberski seems to have
given information to the Russian embassy
at Berne Of this manufacture offalse bank
notes whereupon he was put in communi
cation with the Russian consul in Paris,
certain M. Mamenski. This official
had been specially intrusted with the
duty Of looking after these frauds, by
which Russia suffers more than any other
country in Europe. The second act of
the drama ends with Mamenski engaging
an agent named Bourbon to act in con-
cert with the police spy Kuberski, and
invent between them plan for entrap-
ping the various criminals who were
then playing ducks and brakes with Rus
ian paper currency.
Before the character of this man Bour-
bon the Muse of History must hereafter
pause in bewilderment. Surely the man
who could even dream of the role which
he attempted TO assume must have been
a person of undoubted genius To begin
with, he must have known something of
convicts, because he had been in Brest
condemned to one years imprisonment,
and, par contumace, to ten years hard
labor. This experienced person forth
with made the acquaintance OF the tor
gers, and became the superintendent of
all their labors. He gave them models.
He assisted them with money. He
corrected the proofs of the false
notes. In short he acted the chief
breaker of the law, in order to
serve the law But at the same
time, he was imposing on everybody all
round, Himself an agent of police, he
warned one of the forgers, by name Nal
agowski, that the police were on his
track and that he might as well disap-
pear. Then he got hold of the plates
Of the Prussian notes, secreted them
and demanded of the Prussian minister
a sum of 27,000 francs for their restitu-
ton, failing which the manufacture
Of spurious thalers would begin anew.
Bourbon was q bold man, and not the
least curious part of the story is this
that when French juge de paix at last
arrested him, a subaltern officer came
to the magistrate and offered him, from
NJ. Kamenski, a sum of 10000 francs
and decoration if he would release
Bourbon and hand over the other priso
ners. This astounding proposal had,
for its first result, the issue of sum
mons to NJ Kamenski to appear before
the Yverdon tribunal. He did not ap-
pear, but sent an advocate to take his
place; with what result remains to be
seen. In the meantime, the strangest
figure in all this extraordinary story, the
man Bourbon, had hanged himself in
prison, so that no further revelations
are to be expected from him. Mala-
gowski, whom he sought to save, has
died of fatal illness. Szumowski, the
tall priest, Maria Artist, his companion,
the political visionary, Matezuwicz, and
Kuberski, the spy, have just been SEN
fenced to two years Imprisonment, to
ten years deprivation of social rights,
and to pay the costs Of the case. This
trial at Yverdon has been described as
but the prologue to a great judicial
drama, and the world has just been al
lowed to see SO much of it as to cause it
10 wish for more.