The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-03-02
u 4RIIN GJERRE.
A STRANGE CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTIT'

A STRANGE CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY.
1t might be supposed that personal iden-
tity was matter little liable to mistake.
Cases of personal resemblance, such as
wUuld deceive number of persons at once
and for a length of time, are very rare
brothers and sisters are sometimes SO alike
that they must be confronted in order to be
distinguished, but We feel pretty sure that
we should soon find out an IElp0stor If we
could catechiZe and cruSs-eXamine him.
Yet ii Is sometimes difficult to dispose OF
bits of evidence adduced Ia favor of actual
imp"stois. Hardly amy one of the false
Dauphins, claiming To be the sons of Louis
XVI but had his adhcre,its, and there
still hJtle fragments of uucx Explained testi-
m"ny initiating against the belief that
Louis XVII died III the Temple.
The story Of the false Martin Guerre is to
be found in the tirsJ Volume of the French
collection of the Causes Ce1ebres, aud seems
To prove that even the evidence as to pc
sOi.al identity which would appea; most
convincing shoald be received with caution.
and that The persuasion of individuals, IN
any particular cast, should not be allowed
to outweigh solid proof OF any other kind.
One day, Cowaids the close of the six
teeuth century, the little town of Artigues,
in the south of France, was thrown into Il
state of great excitement 10y the rumored
reappearauce of one of is former inhaOit-
ants, who had quilted the place eight years
before, and of whom uutHiTg had been
heaid since he had been tcmp,cd to steal
sou,o of his fathers corn, ana fled in fear
of the theft being discovered The old
man. however, left him his heir, and Pierre.
the young mans uncle. managed the prop
eity i'll his nephew's absence. On hearing
OF his return, every ore hurried TO th-
house where the wiie of this mah resided.
a young and beautiful woman, who had
passed the time of her temporary widow
hood in the s,rictest retirement and there
to the satisfaction nf all, was the missing
! Martin Guerre. The long parted couple
were visited and congratulated. Every one
| recognized Martin. He was barely twenty
| when lie left A tgnes, and there was just
the change which eight years might have
| made in him, but no more features, voice,
manner. all we're the Sauir. ard u was very
pieasauI in the old to:"n, when old pIanks
! were recalled, fot ncr Irsts laughed over,
| and the half forgotten e>ca pates of his boy
| ish DAYS brought 10 memory. Martini
| GueIIe had always been "a iavOIIte, and had
! apparently come back as good fellow as
! ever Bertrande, his wife, was full of hap
| pincss at hcl husbands return, and there
we've other ielttions-four sisters, tive ot
| them married, who, with the brother-in-law
and an uncle Pierre Guerre, received the
! a
Three wears passed. Bertraude had a
| little daughter, the family harmony was
uubroken. when soldier frcm tochetort
passed through ATtignes, and strange SO
ries began To be whispered. THIS man bad
been heard 10 say that Martin Guerre,
/ whom he knew perfectly. was III Flanders;
that he bad n wooden leg {; and that :he fell
low who had usuIped his name and his
/ rights was villain and an inposter.
But the soldier aud his motives were un-
! known his tale was improbable for what
| bindered the real Martin Guerre from COM
! ing home to claim his property and his wife?
! Yet the story produced an effect on Bert
rande She secretly summoned the man
before a notary, and had his deposition ta-
ken down in writing. 1t was as III some
doubt had entered her mind but she made
no change i'm her conduct, and continued To
treat the man as her husband, whom she
had for so long time considered such.
! Her position was 4 painful one.
| The next event i'm the Guerre family was
! a tremendous quarrel between the uncle
and nephew. Three years had passed. and
/ Pierre constantly put oft giving up the
statement of accounts demanded. High
words followed aud, in the end, the uncle
/ oratified his vengeance by getting Martin
! into tie oisou of Toulouse. IN consequence
! of another quarrel he had got into. Pierre
now tried TO get Bertrande to acknowledge
that She had been the victim of an inpos
ture but without success.
..Who could know her husband she
said. $50 well as herself? The prisoner at
Toulouse was either Martin Guerre or the
devil in his shape The rich man of the
family. Jean Loze being applied to by
Pierre to advance money for legal proceed
inss against the imposter. replied that
Martin Guerle was his relation, and. f he
advanced money. Vt should be todefeni bm
against his enemies
IN dive tive. Martins term Of impaison
meut ended, and Bertraude re""'-