Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-12-11
A MODERN lean vALJHAN.
Hi Life Of Good Deeds AtOnlng for a
Single Wrong.

Dumas, a man OF nifty, ana OF moSt
gentlemanly appearance, stood, yester-
day, in the dock of the Court OF AsSlze
to show cause why a sentence OF ten
years Imprisonment with hard labor
passed on him in contumaclam, should
no be enforced. Heartbroken and
soothing he told the jury his piteous
tale. He had been a soldier and had
held a commission in the French army.
When he left the regiment he entered
the service Of an insurance COM
many as agent, and travelled through
the provinces. While on one of his
Journeys he caught cold, and wastaken
i'll with rheumatic fever. The money
he had saved up melted like snow be-
fore the hot sun, and be run deeply
into debt. Pressed on every side by
his creditors, he gave way to tempta-
ton, and sent fictitious policies, &C
companied by bills with fictitious sig
natures representing the amount Of.
premiums, and thus managed to OBJ
tain from his employers a few hundred
francs as commission, He returned
to Paris as soon as he was GONZALES
cent, and endeavored to procure funds
to enable him to indemnify the com
pany. He was unsuccessful, and, at
ter living in cOncealment for a few
months to avoid the hue and cryrsised
when his defalcatiOns were discovered,
he emerged from his retreat, thinking
he had been forgiven and forgotten.
He procured employment as traveller
to a large house of business in the
wine trade, and was successful beyond
all expectation. He married. but was
unfortunate enough to lose his wife,
His perseverance and industry, his
reetitude Of conduct and regularity of
habits attracted the notice Of his EN-
ployers, who assisted him in establish
ing himself in business as a wine mer-
chant on his own account. He mar
ried a second time a widow with child
rem, and became more than a second
father to them. When the wal broke
out Dumas took service as simple
| volunteer, and his bravery was so great
that his colonel would have asked for
the medaille militaire for him had Du-
mas not especially requested him not to
mention his name, Through a third
person he more than Unidentified the
company he had defrauded, and he
thought he could hold his head up
once more. His business had pros
pered greatly, and he was looked up
to in the locality where he had settled
down as one of the richest men in the
neighborhood. The mayor, the cure.
and the notaire were constant visitors
at his house, and when the list Of
wealthy and influential men worthy Of
serving on the jury was made out the
name of Dumas was included without
his consent being asked, and he always
desired that no honor should be con.
ferred or him, and it was known he
would have refused.
The authorities, who consult the
dossiers of every person whose name
is sent in on the proposed list of jury
men, found that Dumas was wanted,
and that a sentence of ten years i'm
prisonment had been recorded agains
him. He was arrested, and his tria
was witnessed yesterday by those VIII
had considered him a model of virtuI
and rectitude. The chairman ant
other officials of the insurance com
pany, in whose name the complain
had been lodged, endeavored to with
draw the charge, giving the prisoner
most favorable character and assert
ing loudly their belief that nothinl
but dire poverty and misfortune coult
ever have induced him to become {
criminal The mayor, the cure ant
the commissary Of police spoke highl
Of Dumas; the colonel Of his regi
ment said heneYer had a better officer
and the colonel Of Mobiles, who ha,
Dumas under his orders during th.
siege Of Paris, spoke of his heroisn
at Buzenyal, extorting from the prise
ner the cry Would to God | ha,
been killed there!' His wife an,
step-children implored pity for tn.
good husband and kind father, but tn
public prosecutor denounced Duma
as a hypOcrite, an impostOr and a vii
lain of the deepest dye, who had cap
tivated by his hypoeritical condue
the confidence Of honest men. Hi
violence surprised everybody and hi
demand that the jury should confrr
the original sentence caused a move
ment Of indignation favorable to tn
prisoner, whose appeal, Have pit
on me and mine r was heard. II
was acquitted by the jury, who took
merciful view of the case and hel
that the crime had already been suff
GENTLY expiated, thus indorsing tn
opinion of the original prosecutors.