The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-07-02
terrogatory, he left behind him a strong

could give no reas On for so doing nor
is this remarkable when we consider
the remarkable r. semblance he bore to
Martin Guerre. The differences between
the two men were more mental than
physical. ......
Nearly 200 witnesses testified in the
course of the two trials. OF these more
than fifty who had been intimately ac-
quainted with Guerre, Including his
four sisters,) swore that he was the
original Martin. An equal number
swore that he was not, but was in
reality, certain Arnould Dutilh, q
peasant, from neighboring village.
Sixty witnesses could give no opinion
at all, although acquainted, many of
them, with both parties. All this evil
dence was given in detail, with constant
references to peculiarities of stature,
face, gait, etc. But in this branch of
the case the most extraordinary fact of
all was the number of similar marks
which Martin was sworn to possess, and
which were also present on the claim.
ants person. --- -..... ...
When we recall the stress which was
laid at the Tichborne trial on the
"brown mark" and the " tattoo marks, I"
and then notice the wonderful similari.
ty of marks in this case, we will be
forced to the conclusion that whoever
relies on such testimony to support his
case leans upon o broken reed. The
theory of the tremendous force of evil
dence, which q cumulation of similar
marks must have, is familiar under
another form in the argument of design
in the creation, illustrated by the in
stance of the finding watch. 1t as
sumes that willie the possession of a
similar mark is of little weight in iden-
tifcation, the possession of. each addi-
tional mark strengthens the identifi-
cation on a geometrical ratio. This
theory is still popular, despite the
numerous instances in which it has
caused gross errors, and it is hard to
impress on the minds of jury that it
has proved false guide too often to be
trusted. Such cases as Guerre's and
the Ricard case (Which we will allude
to below have made the evidence of
marks of little force to the legal mind
Martin Guerre was sworn to have had
these marks () the trace of an ulcer
on one cheek (2) scar on the right
eyebrow g, ~ two teeth broken in the
lower jaw (5) drop of extravasated
blood in the left eye CO. the nail of his
left forefinger missing; G, 8, and 81
three warts on the left hand, one be-
ing on the little finger. If we as.
sumo the probability of identity as es-
tablished by ordinary resemblance of
face and figure to be x, these nine coin
cident marks would, by the law of geo.
metric increase, make the probability Of
identity or the odds in favor of the
claimants being the genuine article,
5l2x to l. No wonder the judges were
perplexed. What would have been the
result of the case, it is hard to guess,
but st this stage of the proceedings
there appeared deus er andchina in
the person of one-legged soldier, who
calimed to be Martin Guerre. He was
confronted one by one with the witness
es who had sworn to the identity of the
other claimant. and they all at once ac-
knowledged their error. His sisters,
weeping. asked his pardon for having
mistaken him, as did also his wife.
In spite of this the other claimant in
sisted that he was the true man, and
the two were confronted and examined
simultaneously. 1t is O noteworthy
fact that the real Martin seemed to
know less of his own private affairs than
the false one, and had it not been for
the fact that at last, upon conviction,
Dutilh confessed, we might still be in
doubt as to which was the true one. He
had been tempted to undertake the per-
sonation by his strong resemblance to
Guerre, with whom he had become ac-
quainted while in the army, and the
So hot l., I, Sc 10
enabled him to learn all his secrets and
thus he had been able to deceive even
his wife.
The other case We give is in most of
its details the exact reverse of the
above, while it resembles the Itch
borne case by reason of the many and
gross mistakes made by the claimant in
giving his recollections, and also by his
gaining at the outset widespread
popularity, and the support of rich, in
fuential, and numerous friends.
N. de Caille and his wife owned es-
tates at Manosque, in Provence. As
they were Calvinists, the revocation of
the Edict of Nantes, in 1855, compelled
them to quit France, while their prop
erty went to the Catholic next-of. kin.
They settled at Lausanne, in Switzer-
land, where the father was living at the
time the suit was brought. The moth
er died in 1890. OF five children-three
boys and two girls-the sons and one
daughter died before the suit was
brought. The eldest son, Isaac, died
in 1896, at Vevay, aged thirty-two.
In 1899 one Pierre Mege, soldier,
presented himself before the Intendant
of Provence and asserted that he was
the same Isaac abjured the Calvinist
religion, and claimed the estates.
In the story he told on the first trial
(for, like Arnould Dutilh, he had two
trials) there were the following in
accuracies He called himself Andre; the
real name was Isaac. He called his father
Eutrevergues his real name was Brun
De Chastelane. He said his mothers
given name was Susanne it was really
Judith. He said he was twenty-three
years old; Isaac's age, had he lived,
would have been thirty-ive. He said
he was only ten years old when he left
France; Isaac was then twenty-one.
He did not know the street or number
of the house where his family lived in
Manosque. He said his father had
only three children ; he had five. He
did not know the color of the eyes or
hair of his sister, nor of an aunt who
had lived with the family at Lausanne.
He said his father had black beard /;
it was red /; and that his complexion
was brown and sallow, whereas it was
remarkably fair. Moreover, the evil
dence of his father, who was living at
Vevay, was taken, showing that his son
had died in his arms.