The Grange advance., 1876-04-05

lighter and more agile members of the
gang, speedily reached the lower win
dows. Some panes were adroitly re-
moved, the apartments entered, and
the most attractive objects began to
glide down chain of ready hands till
the pillage was complete. .. ~,
The gang hunted noble game. In
September, 1920, they invaded the resi-
dence of the Spanish Ambassador, and
stripped the chamber of the ambassa
dress, seizing a magnificent pearl neck.
lace, a broach with twenty-seven large
diamonds, a rich table-service of gold,
and the lady's entire wardrobe. In the
Palais Royal, then occupied by the Re-
gent, they stole two of the silver fam
beaux. At the Louvre Cartouche's
brother possessed himself of the sword
and mantle of the Prince de Soubise,
while the Regent himself was robbed
one night on leaving the opera. Here,
fhoWever, the laugh was on the other
side, as, purposely to deceive the rob-
bers, he had caused his sword-hilt to
be richly chased---in steel.
Now that the inconvenience Of such
a state of things began to be felt in the
very highest society, government set
itself seriously to the task of reform.
A little incident helped to spur it on.
One May morning in 172l some labor
ers came upon the body of a murdered
man. It proved to be that of an OBJ
scure poet named Vergier. What could
possess any one to kill a poet, and so
poor a one at that, WAS a puzzle, till
some one suggested it was the Regents
work. Philippe d'Orleans was black
enough, in all conscience, but rumor
painted him in still deeper colors. In
a series Of rhymed philippics he had
been branded with every conceivable
crime. What more natural, said the
public, than that he should employ
Cartouche's band to wreck his ven
geance on the poet who had held him
up to ridicule and shame. TO be sure,
Vergier was not the one who had writ
ten the verses in question, but the Car
touchians could hardly be assumed to
be familiar with such gentry as starv-
ing poets, and in their zeal to execute
their master orders had mistaken the
man. Stories such as this circulating
through Paris caused the Regent to
bestir himself, and the authorities
loudly demanded Cartouche but, of
course, it was much easier to ask for
him than to get him.
Another murder now occurred to add
to the public agitation. Cartouche and
his band were carousing at salon,
when they got into an alteration with
some workmen at an adjoining table.
"A row ensued; swords and pistols were
freely used. The police rushed in, and
one Of them fell dead from shot fired,
it was declared, by a female Cartouch-
ian named Manon-de-Roy. 1t is at
least certain that this distinguished
lady always carried arms, and equally
so that when, some time afterward,
she was arrested, she intrenched her.
self behind her bed and for half an
hour kept the whole posse of police at
bay. The murders of Vergier and
Mondelot brought the name of Car
touche prominently before the public.
Henceforward every audacious crime
was laid to his charge. Desperate at
tempts were made to capture the for
midable thief, but his dexterity .and
skillfulness in changing his costume
stood him good friends. The loose,
half-fitting cloak, blue on one side, red
on the other, and capable of being re-
versed in q moment Of time, owns him
for godfather. The police would be
in hot persuit of a man in red who fed
like a deer around corner. When
the persuers followed on his track he
had disappeared, but they encounter
ed a sedate individual in blue strolling
toward them, who had seen the afore-
said man in red dart into a neighboring
house or disappear down some other
street.
On one occasion the police, hearing
a row in the house of a pretty lemon
ade-seller known as Margot the nun,
made a descent. They found Il little
man, half drunk, tearing around the
room, firing pistols right and left, to
the admiration of a mixed company of
both sexes. He was arrested, and af-
ter while represented himself to be
an honest chocolate seller in the Rue
Comedy-Francais who had unfortunate
ly taken a drop too much. He was al
lowed to go after depositing 100 livres
and a gold ,snuff-bo as security for his
temperance. No complaint was
made against him, and in few days
he called at police headquarters and
reclaimed his property. 1t was Car
touche.
! In December, 1720, he was captured
and confined in Fort l'Eveque, but in
spite of the terror inspired by this re-
doubtable robber, so slight were the
precautions taken for guarding him
that he three months later effected his
Il escape. The authorities reused them
selves to unusual efforts for his recap
ture, and hereupon an odd incident oc-
cnrre1 As tho officer Of tho rr;,o;,,o1 I
Court was uttering the usual procla-