The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1872-05-10

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but the others were equally positive
that he was not Martin, while som,
refused to give any opinion at all. A
series OF critical observations wer'
made as to what he looked like. 1
was agreed, there was little likeDes
; between him and the boy Sanxi ; but
as to the four sisters of Martin Guerre
they all looked as much like one an
other as SO many peas in the same pod
The case was brought before the
Toulouse Parliament, and new SCI
OF inquiries of the most searching
character were instituted. He wa
passed in review by thirty witnesses
Ten swore he was Martin, eight sale
he was not, and the remaining twelve
refused to give an opinion: The mos
positive declares that Martin was &
shade taller, and that his complexion
was more sallow. That the old and
original Martin was slim, and of &
nervous temperament. That he had
a cleft in his chin, had hanging un
der lip, with big turnup nose that
he had a mark on his cheek aud 6
scar over his eyebrow. The man or
trial had his face examined, and al
these precise marks were found. A
shoemaker, ,however,stated that Martin
wore shoes of the size marked twelve,
whereas this man wore eights. Some.
body added that Martin was an ath-
lete, and skilled in military exercises,
while the prisoner was not. At last
somebody was found who declared
that when he had seen the real Martin
last, some few years before, he was
hobbling about on one leg, the other
having been carried off by a cannon
ball at the battle of St. Quentin. 1t
was certain that the real Martin spoke
Basque duently, while the prisoner
could not speak it at all. However,
here were the four sisters, who all
swore point-blank, as did the mother
in-law, that the man was Martin Guer
re, and nobody else. Personspresent
at the marriage, twenty eight years
before, all declared the same thing,
and an old woman affirmed that she
served the husband with food on the
wedding night, and the person she
saw rise the next day was the man on
trial. New tests as to the personal
appearance were determined on.
Martin Guerre had some bad teeth,
a mark like q drop of blood on the
ear-then again, the Eail of his first
finger had been lost, and there were
three warts on his right hand, and one
on the little finger of his left hand.
The prisoners person was found to
tally precisely to every one OF them.
Hosts ofpeople swore that when the
accused came back he called every
one of them bv name, aud could tell
them all that had happened ten, fit
teen and twenty years before.
The man, IN his defense, declared
that it was a plot on the part of his
wife's uncle TO detraud him of his rights
That, during his eight years. absence,
this uncle had appropriated money be-
longing to him, which he now refused
to return. He asked it was possible
that a woman could live with him as
wife for three years, and during that
period be a mother of two children
and not find out her mistake IfSanxi
did not look like him, was that to be
brought in judgment against him ?
Was there anything dreadful in son
not resembling his father? Could
they doubt of his resemblance to his
tour sisters, all of whom would swear
to his being their brother? If he was
stouter and not SO active, eight long
years had made these changes.
Suddenly, however, a new conner
presented himself, who stumped into
court with but one leg, and in loud
voice declared he was Martin Guerre
and that the other man was Arnaud
du Tilth. The Court and learned
Judges are amazed. There stood the
husbands face to face, with trembling
woman between them, eagerly scan
ming their countenances. Du Tilth
asks Martin Guerre a series of ques-
tions, when Martin hesitated. Martin
then interrogates Du Tilth, who an
swers with a readiness and dplomb
which astonishes every one. Certain.
| ly, Du Tilth seems more like the real
husband than Martin. A series of Sc
cret questions more carefully COM
posed are proposed to Martin, who re
piled to them; the same are PROFOUND
ed to Arnaud, who answers in almost
the exact words. The Judges were
dumbfounded. At last the Guerre
ssters are confronted with the two
men. They hesitated for some time,
and at last settled on the one-legged
man as their brother. Du Tilth was
sentenced to be beheaded, and his body
to be quartered. The Judges begged
Martin to take Bertrande back again.
He sternly refused for to have taken
that other man for him has dishonored
her forever in his eyes: he would have
none of her. Du Tilth confessed ev-
erything. How he learned in camp OF
Martin Guerre himself all the secrets
of his married lite; how he had for
months studied his part, and imposed
on Bertrande.
It seems to have been an unfortu-
nate affair all around, for some years
afterward NJ. de Coras, the presiding
Judge. and several of his learned
brothers, all being Huguenots, were
massacred on the festival of St. Bar
tholomew.
A modern Spanish case, occurring
about ten years ago, from its resemb-
ling the Tichborne case, is worth re-
cording. 1t isknown as that of Feliu
de Fontanilles. The son of a noble
Spanish family, after some disagree
ment at home, went to South Ameri-
ca, entered the Argentine army, and
became a commander. He wrote
home occasionally, and was then lost
sight of. The father was dead, and
there was a lapse of ten years. Sud
denly a man came back who repre-
sented himself as the lost son, and
claimed his rights. The old retainers
of the family accepted him, and even
members of the family believed in
him. He resided in the house for
some months. At last suspicion was
aroused. The trial occupied two
years. and was cram full of doubts and
complications. A commission was
sent to South America, when 1t was
discovered that the claimant was the
son of baker in Barcelona that he
had served in South America, but that
the original de Fontanilles had been
killed. The bakers wife berselfprov-
ed certain marks on the claimant &
body, stated that he was her son, and
not the Count, and the swindler was
condemned to imprisonment for lite
l-New York Times.
GENERAL SHERMAN is not man o
of murderous or blood-thirsty dispo
si,;on hut a reminiscence of his cam
paign through Georgia and the Caro-
lima clearly demonstrates that he woui'
have cut off Carl Schurz in the flower
of his imbecility had it been lawful.
possible, 1t seems that in order t;
oct rid OF this military incubus, Sher
man sent him to General Slocum
then commanding the left wing OF tn
army. A few days after, Genera