The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-01-27
An Historical Jean VAL
jean.

Jtdu.
This is the story of Francois Dubois, hero
and galley-slave, as is written in the police
archives, the army records and the Gazette
des TribunauT:
Towards the close of 1918, he presented
himself to the commandant of Wesel, Prus-
sia, haggard and in rags, saying that he be-
longed to the chasseurs, and had been dis
mounted during the retreat and compelled to
skulk slowly after the army, and asked to be
forwarded to his regiment. In those terrible
days men were precious, and officers were
not surprised to discover veterans in rag
skeletons. Dubois was sent to tine hussar
regiment attached to the Marshal Mortier's
army, where he soon became the talk of the
corps. He never was known to laugh, spoke
rarely, and fought with a reckless daring I'M
common even in those times. At Bar-sur-
Aube, even when the hussars charged the
battery at the bridge of Bout-de-Lain, he was
the first to reach the guns and falling with
Bersekir rage on the cannoneers of one piece
killed, wounded and dispersed them, and bad
taken the gun single-handed before the
squadron conld seize the others. The mar
shall had seen the battery carried, and send
ing for Dubois praised him highly and prom
Used him the cross.
Not long after, the Marshal had occasion
to send despa tch from Troyes to the EN-
peror, then at Pine, on the Brienne road, land
selected the hussar as his messenger. The
country was thick with hostile pickets and
scouts; he was fired upon several times but
by good luck and good management, now
fighting, now running, now hiding, he made
his way in safety to Marmont's Outposts, and
was conducted to the Emperor. Napoleon
gave him brief written reply, instructing
him in the presence of his staff, to conceal it
in his bootleg. Dubois had made his way
back as far as the mill of Sanciere, near Belle
Epine, when he found himself hemmed in on
all sides by squad of Cossacks. He rode
resolutely at the thinnest part of the line and
tried to cut his way through, but after DIES.
perate fight, was endorsed, disarmed and led
to the headquarters of the Russian emperor,
~.
"What orders were you carrying" asked
the chief of staff.
"Verbal ORDERS"
'.That's lie. Search the lining of his left
boot" replied the Russian. The guard did
so.-Who bad betrayed the Emperor from his
own headquarters? and the paper was
found. Dubois was locked up prisoner
with Lieutenant Anger, one of the lancers Of
the guard, and Auguste Bernard, one of the
EmperOr's couriers. Two days later, at st.
Marc, he and Anger escaped and rejoined
the French army. The Duke de Trevise vel.
coined him warmly and rewarded him for his
services. At Bergere Dubois he was severely
wounded while fighting with his usual head
long bravery. Napoleon was forced back on
Paris, stubbornly though he resisted. March
20, 1914. at Bondy, Dubois, his wounds moi
yet healed, but attached to the commissarat
staff, was just about to enter the headquar.
tiers of Count Mllot, who had proposed bis
name for the Cross, when three OF Vldocu's
agents arrested him as fugitive galey-slave
V.
At the police Office he was identified and
ordered aside to be returned to the galleys
He gave up to the police sum of 4 900 francs
belonging to the regimental chest with which
he had been intrusted to make some pur
chases at Bondy. Brincart, the colonel Of
his regiments made the nost earnest attempts
to secure bis release, but all in vain. The
mighty fabric If the First Empire was failing
to pieces, and oAcials had something more
important to think about than the case of 9
private soldier-an escaped convict.
vi.
Dubois was born in Prauthoy,in the Upper
Marne; he was sent to the school of Brienpe
at the age of twelve; in 1890 his father placed
him among students of Mars. After Robes
pierre's downfall Dubois was returning home
ward when at Bar-sur Seine, he fell in with a
soldier of the Fourteenth Dragons. They
became friends, visited the different places OF
the town together, and dined with much
jollity at the Crown, public house kept by
one Chevrolet. At dinner the dragon stole
three silver spoons, which couple of days
later, as they were about to separate, he sold
to Dubois at low price, saying they were
his own. Meanwhile, the landlord missing
his silverware, suspected them and followed
them to st. Marc, where they were arrested.
The dragon escaped from the gendarmes
the spoons we're found on Dubois, and he,
sentenced to eight years. hard labor as an
accessory to the theft.
VII.
He was first sent to the galleys of Toulon,
whence, January 81, 1896, he escaped, en-
sent to the army of Italy, where he served
with marked courage, receiving several
wounds, notably one in the face from an
Austrian sabre at Marengo. Being honor
ably discharged he went to Ancerville; one
of his men identified HIM as convict and he
had to fly to Troyes. Here, too, after con-
siderable interval spent in labor, he was recog-
nized, betrayed to the police and sent back to
the galleys. Fortunately, his services in the
army pleaded for him, and as an act of grace
the time he had served was deducted from
his sentence, and eleven months later he was
set at liberty.
Going, on his release to La Villette, Dubois
had lived there peacefully and industriously
for something more than year, when he was
arrested and sentenced to seven years impris-
onment for escaping from the galleys in 1895.
This time he was sent to Cherbourg, whence
he escaped in 1909, fleeing to Paris and en-
listing in the cavalry. He served in Spain,
as in Italy, with marked heroism and faith
fulness, and won the confidence of General
Laverdere, who made him his orderly and
selected him to attend him in the campaign.
Passing by ChalOns on his road to the front
Dubois could not resist the temptation to
visit his family. His brother-in-law de-
nounced him to the authorities, and Dubois
was sentenced to twenty-four years at the
galleys! They sent him to Anvers, whence,
in 1918, he escaped to rejoin the army, as we
have already said, and vainIy seek death.
TX.
Retaken IN 1914 by Vidocq, the prisoner
was sent 10 hOcneIOrt AFTER seven or eight
years he was pardoned. A miserable thing
was freed convict in those days. For ten
years he was condemned to police surveil-
lance; bis yellow ticket-ofleavs announced
his disgrace to every one; he could find no
employment or even shelter. They hunted
MIN from place to place like wild beast or
leper he tried to shoot himself
and failed Refused work and lacking
bread, he stole the means to purchase
meal. The Court only looked at the recyrd
OF his escapes and sentences; counsel as
signed him were too dull to see the mangni-
ficent opening such case presented, ard the
poor devil got ten years more.
X.
For thirty years now be had been convict
and soldier, but he had not lost strength
possibly even some hope survived in him that
the luck would turn. At any rate, he broke
Jail agaln-he had been confined at Dion
and made his way to Paris, where, August
10, 1928, detective recognized him on the
Rue ST. Martin, and hailed him before the
commissioner of the Second Division. M.
Henry. 1t was before M. Henry that Dubois
bad been taken when he was arrested at
Bondy in 1914; to him the soldier had en-
trusted the 1000 francs placed in his hands
from the reeimeptal chest he knew all about