Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-05-14
A SINGULAR CAREER.
Incidents of the Life of n Frencl
Adventurer-An ImpOster's Fate.

Adventurer-An ImpOster's Fate.
From synopsis, by the Boston Post,
Of the facts brought out on the recent
trial at Paris, of the pseudo Count de
Verguy, we present the following inter-
esting extracts:
An accomplished and successful ad-
venturer OF many years practice, named
Gabriel Hugelman, and illegally styling
himself Comte de Verguy, has just been
sentenced by the Correctional Tribunal
of the Seine to five years imprisonment
for swindling bankruptcy, blackmailing,
etc. This man was born in 1923, and
was the son Of tailor. AT the age of
seventeen he worked at masonry, and
was unable to read, but a different for
tune awaited him, for, becoming the fa-
vorite OF an ecclesiastic, he was educated
at the Ecole Mutuelle OF Tours. He be-
gun his literary career BY defeating an
ode to Louis Philippe, in which he first
took the title OF Comte de Verguy,
Then he wrote some verses to M. de
Rothscbiid. He early exhibiteda talent
for looking to the main chance, and
when Louis Philippe fell, he naturally
went over to the revolution, becoming
Lieutenant of the Garde Mobile. Bnt he
soon abandoned the Republican regime,
and passed over to the insurrectionary
party, taking with him his men, who
turned their arms against the Govern.
ment. When reproached by the Judge
for his regeneration, Hugelman ex-
claimed Indignantly: IF | have chang
ed my opinions, that surely cannot be
considered crime" When the insur'
rection of June, l848, was subdued, Hu-
gelman was naturally sent to a fortress.
The place chosen was Belle Isle, where
he amused himself by
INcITING HIS FELLOW CAPTIvEs TO REVOLT
and by writing articles in Morbihan
journal, which secured him coudemna-
ton by closer Imprisonment. He was
sent in succession to Toulon and to
Algiers, his political martyrdom-ac-
cording to his own account-exciting so
much sympathy that the Judge re.
marked ironically, IL see that your life
has been a succession of triumphs;
whereto the prisoner retorted, 1t is
quite true that have had some" Hu-
gelman escaped with ten companions
from his Algerian prison to Spain.
Arrived in Madrid he married an actress,
who always behaved herself better than
her husband. He founded French pa.
per in that city and took up the defense
of the Empress, who had been grossly
maligned. For this chivalrous conduct
THE EMPEROR
sent him gold pin, with message that
he would like to see him. He arrived in
Paris. and was received at the Tuileries
on the very night that the Prince Impe'
rial was born. The Emperor was very
amiable, and, by special decree, all Hu-
gelman's condemnations were amnes-
tied Then came the shower OF orders
which, at the recent trial, the Judge re-
ferred to as follows: You have re-
ceived number Of foreign decorations
such, for instance, as the orders OF lsa'
belle Ia Catholique, OF SS. Maurice e.
Lazare, of the Black Eagle Of Mexico,
etc. These assisted the industrious
Chevalier in various speculations that
eliminated in his FIRST bankruptcy IL
1853. He attributed this failure to g
certain "Revue des Races Latines, fol
the establishment Of which he took great
credit. lie Main Jaune was another o
this indefatigable Hugelman's specula
tions, and it was be who, during the war
founded certain Imperialist newspaper
called La Situation, which was brough
out in London just after the battle o
Sedan. He declared that he came t
London with seven children and eighty
francs. He calls this sum the embryo
Of his newspaper.
ANOTHER EXPLOIT
related of him is that friend having
been sentenced to a years imprison
ment. he went to the wife of the unfortu
nate man representing himself as NJ
Theirs private secretary, aud offered Z
secure a pardon for 10000 francs, which
was paid him. BE brought into his fam
ly as his favorite a granddaughter o
the actress Dejazet, named Charpentler,
and at the time of his arrest he had JUS
ordered S5 900 francs worth Of furniture
for the young woman, though possessing
at that time only 10000. When re
preached in court for introducing sueI