The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-02-15
An Extensive Belgian Forgery.


The observance of the extradition |
treaty existing between the Kingdom
of Belgium and the United States has
in its enforcement here overtaken two
noted criminals, fugitives from Bel
GUM.
The Baron De Pasquiere d'Acossie, a
wealthy nobleman of Bothey, in Bel
GUM, died in 1878. For some time
previous to his death, among his do
mestics was one Jeanette Damas,
who, previous to the Baron's death, was
espoused to Jean Baptiste Henri Van
dervelpen. These latter psrsonages are
the principal actors in an actual drama
of life, which, in its main features, still
proclaims that fact is stranger than
fiction. The Belgian Baron above
named was very wealthy and very much
attached, like all the old worthy barons
ever read of, to his retainers living on
the ancestral domain-more particular
" was the Baron to Jeanette Wander
velpen, nee Damas. If he was not, she
was determined to give him credit for
an immense amount of affection for her.
To place the defunct Baron in his true
light, looking through Jeannette's eyes
to an admiring world, regardless of the
Baron's relatives contemplation of the
act, the husband and wife, in the words
of the complaint, falsely, fraudulent
ly, feloniously, and with intent
to defraud the estate of Baron de Pas
quier d Accossie, forged certain OBJ
legation purporting to be the act of the
said Baron, with which to defraud the
estate of said Baron; said obligation or
paper representing 100000 francs,
made in favor of the said Jeanette
Damas, and representing that the said
sum was a marriage gift to her. This
fraudulent paper was dated as far back
as 1862, though since clearly proven to
have been the act of the present fugi
tives some time after their marriage,
and shortly before the Baron's death,
the order being made payable after his
death. In furtherance of their scheme,
Vandervelpen and his wife boldly
caused their forged obligation to be re-
corded in the office of the Clerk of the
City of Brussels, and subsequently, pro-
duced the same in the heat of an action
brought by them before the civil tri-
bunal of First Instance, sitting in the
place of justice at Namur, in the King
dom of Belgium, against the heirs and
estate of the deceased Baron. The
claimants were defeated in the civil ac-
ton, in the prosecution of which the
attempted fraud was so transparent that
the authorities instantly commenced
criminal proceedings against them; but
they made their escape in time and
reached, without capture, the United
States last July.
They landed at this port and at once
continued their fight Westward. They
first halted at Chicago, remained there
a short time, then moved further off
from the cities and direct course of
travel, hating for another brief period
at Marquette, in Michigan; from there
to Sturgeon Bay, Wis, finally settling
down at Goshen, Ind. Here Wander
velpen found favor, it is said-like
Jacob in the land of Pharoah-through
his wife, and things were going on
prosperously with the fugitives, Van
dervelpen being good musician and
in much demand among the musical
Goshenites. The principal citizen there
is Mr.. Maysnard, and when at last
the Nemesis of the law inexorably |
tracked them to their retreat, he spared |
no expense in defending them on the |
preliminary examinations necessary to
Justify the authorities there to surren-
der them to the detectives whom the |
Coudert Brothers, acting for the Belgian
Consul here, had sent upon their track.
From the moment of their flight from
DIuS5SlS W IAOlA NoPSOAS3 OAO |
lynx-eyed officers of the law were
in pursuit, and, though sometimes
bafled and on the wrong trail, they I'M
erringly returned to it, with the result
mentioned. Much of the success of the
detectives was due to the promptness
with which United States Commissioner
White, specially appointed in extradi-
ton proceedings, issued the warrant
and papers necessary to identify the
parties with the offense charged against
them. When first arrested a habeas
corpus was procured by their friends in
Goshen, and they were discharged, but
but only for an instant. The mandate |
of the executive, through the Secretary
of the State, was produced, and there
was no further effort at parley or de-
lay. The fugitiyes, Vandervelpen and
his wife, will be brought up this morn
ing for examination before Commits
siOner White. Nam York Herald.