New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-06-13
The STORY OF RAOuL eURIAN.
From french Police Archives.
lie style, c cot phomme.-

M. bunOn invented the pfraSe-lt Is
something more than mos-and the police
identity of all the leading criminals is meas
urably arrived at by the police knowing the
style in which they operate. This style is
the KEY to what would otherwise be an i'm
penetrable cipher. The instructed experts
of the Paris police are able to determine.
with precision and certainty which seem
marvellous to the uninitisted, whose hand it
was committed certain robbery. OK vio-
lated the law in any crucial way.
Raoul Surian, a criminal of distinguished
eminence, had style Of his own that,
while very successful in it's pecunia1y re-
suits, was very troublesome in its cOnse-
quence to him, since it was so plainly
marked as TO be Immediately recognized
by the police. Hence. each time he
operated" he was sure to be arrested. and
not always safe to escape conviction. AS
his operations were numerous and extensive
he was often convicted, and at the age OF
forty had passed fifteen Of the last twenty
years Of his life in prison.
RaOul Suran, called Freidquet, was q son
Of an Optician and instrument maker of Mar
settles, and followed the trade of his father
until his nineteenth year, when he came up
TO Paris to seek his fortune. He first bt
came known to the police through rapid
succession of swindling operations. very
successfully COuiIlScO, AOE tuO UcllNcEy VI
goods which he did not possess and the ap-
preparation OF money which was not his
own. Finally convicted, he was sentenced
to close confinement tor three years. and
graduated from prison very accomplished
cheraiier d'induStrie. His operations now
assumed holder character, and he worked
in larger field. He was again convicted
of deceiviDg q wealthy bourgeois and OBJ
tanning 'loan" from him Of l00, 900 francs.
ho aarvaH five "a
conviction insured him q close confinement
Of five years more.
At the expiration Of this last sentence
Raoul Surian returned to Paris and an
nounced his intention to reform" He
had saved little money by extra labor
in prison, his father was dead, and he set
up small shop at Bellevile for the sale OF
spectscl.s, eye glasses and mathematical
instruments, He was closely observed by
the police. but seemed to conduct himself
in the most exemplary manner. His pass
port at this time described a man of ordi-
nary height and figure, modest but manly
carriage, face rather pale. blonde hair, no
beard, and large, liquid, noticeable blue
eyes. The face. SO the signalement de-
clared, was ingenious, frank, open, with a
rather engaging smile, bat none OF the
features were striking. unless it were tho
eyes. He was great favOrite of the police,
q
his behalf, for instead of avoiding them, he
assiduously cultivated their acquaintance
made them little presents, and give q few
francs now and then to the funds for the
support of INDECENT criminals and for the
burial of deceased sergents de rifle. He ad-
mitted, with many shrugs Of the shoulders,
that he had been bad subject, but claimed
that he was shrewd enough to understand
that in any contest betwixt him and the la "
he was certain to fall underneath. He had
tried it several times, and was quite we'll
satisfied with the punishment he had re-
ceived. In short, his reformation was def
nitive and complete.
After few months shop keeping at
Belleville Surian sold out his establishment.
He had made good deal of money. LIE
said, specializing in shares at the Bourse,
| and did not need any longer to continue the
drudgery of shop keeping. He now rented
| a modest apartment on the third floor Of a
| handsome house in street not tar from the
| Boulevard des Italiens-a drawingrocm,
| dressing room. breakfast parlOr, two bed
rooms, room for servants and small room
| which he called the laboratory. Here he
| installed "Mme." Surian, a very handsome
| and vivaciOus brunette, understood to have
been certain Mile. Cytheree, not unknown
| to fr.quenters of the coulisses of the opera.
In his Laboratory" Surian had stock
! of furnaces, crucibles, wheels and various
| other instruments, and cast and ground
| glasses for optical and other instruments,
| for which he received many orders, being
! accounted skillfui and ingenious work
man. He had an assistant, a stOlid looking
| Alsatian, named Jules Gochen. His prin-
| cipal work, however, seemed to be at the
| Bourse, where he speedily became known
| as a daring operator, who would carry the
heaviest load of shares in the face of tho
most arduOus difficulties, who always &C
cepted his successes with inodesty, and
paid his losses promptly at maturity. As
the police kept the secret of his past life
faithfully, and he himself of course did not
disclose it, it became generally to be ad-
mitted that Raoul Surlan was q very
wealthy person, who had made his money
by following civil engineering in South
America, and returned to Paris to spend it
like gentleman.
In 1869 there was . tremendous effort
made at the Bourse to ''corner" the shares
OF the Scribe Moldavian railway. The 'cor
ner' was broken prematurely. and a great
slaughter ensued among the "bulls"
Among those punished most severeiy was
NJ. Kaoul Surian, whose net losses, it vas
whispered, exceeded 10000 francs lie
came up gallantly, however. paid every
Genuine. and, as if TO show he was not hurt,
set up coup of his own. "Madame" had
already long been in the habit Of driving to
tho Bots in very handsome turnout, but
that. it was understood, was hired only.
simultaneously an operation of another
kind agtated financial centres and attracted
the undivided attention OF the police. Bills
on American account aggregating over
5,O0O.OOO of francs were sold in London.
Paris, Amsterdam and Hamburg. which
were found to be forgeries. The police after
long consultation and comparison Of data,
found NO room to doubt that all these opera
tiOns were the work of one man, and that
the 'sty!e" was that OF the once eminent.
but now reformed confidence man. NJ. Raoui
Surian.
A couple Of the most trusty agents were
detailed to work up the case, and, at
the end of three weeks, Snrian was ar
rested and confronted with the parties in
the several cities who had been victimzed
by the former. Ii was known that Suriap
had been absent from Paris. and j. WAS
hoped to identify him beyond mistake
just here. however. a most unexpected
hitch occurred. The swindler was said to
gray eyes. dark hair and light blonde
beard. The Witnesses were unanimous as
to the color and appearance OF the eyes.
which were described as being as different
as possible from the suspected mans
eyes: and Sugian was accordingly dis
charged.
Not satisfied with this. Surian went 10
police headquarters and complained o: N.
injury done 10 his character and business
by this arres: upon SO slight fabric of Gus
picion. He laid before the head of the de-
whstipreteu,.ed to be a fu. exhi.i.
of hi. business affairs. and which showed |
that ate. all ms debt. were paid he would
stu haN. = surplus .. } COO 0co francs. "D'.e |
does ne' stea. under .u.a circumstances"
said sa,ian. TIL. '!-lin.Hen. agents ':.,e
re priMandet;. ;.ud Suriaa wen: !. me ap:.a.. !
rDriy vel! coEt.ni.d. |
u Is probable. however, that lie su..