The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-07-20

the medium height. though his puny boty and
santing shoulders make him look smaller. IiriciS
neither a dashiug appearance nor a masA &c % az
ing to be found in the outward OF so brilliant
an impostor His head is long. large and remark
able. His complexion is dark. Large and very dark
gray eyes. with heavy lids a hooked nose that is
prominent without being long; wen ses mouth
fiat chin. towering square forehead. are the other
characteristics Of his face.
IMAGINARY HISTORY.
Last December the HERALD published some alleged
details Of his early life. furnished by himself when
in Easton Jail a charge of swndling. Their i'm.
probability obvious. but the fellows story OF
his swindling operations amusing. and in great
part authentic According to this story he born
in Paris and descended from the old nobesse of
France. and had been educated at u Jesuit school,
afterward at the College of Louis lie Grand. and then
at the Ecole Polytechnique. He spent number OF
years assistant engineer the Suez Canal. and
had charge Of a Russian mine in the Ural Noun
tains. Returning to France ut the outbreak
of the he obtained a command in the
artillery. He at Woerth. Gravelotte and Sedan.
whence lie escaped disguised Italian, after OBJ
tanning G500f four horses he pretended had been
killed. in pursuance of alleged device the part
OF the French to empty the military chest. He took
part in the siege OF Paris, wounded and
ceived the Cross of the Legion of Honor he also
fought against the Commune. After the war la
went to Peru to put up pump. On returning to
Paris he fell in love. and after elopemen married
in England. His wife died and he accepted COM
mission to come to America to look after x
hibitors, goods at the Centennial Exposition and
pass the appreciative notices of american
institutions of learning and also his profoundly
learned criticisms of the various machine shops and
machinery he inspected. At Vassar he also
Professor Maggie Mitchell of whom he thinks
very highly. He made quite tour then through
New England and paid his respects to Harvard Col
lege which he also appreciates. At the close of the
Exposition he returned to Paris and travelled
through Germany, visiting Herr Krupp's cannon
foundry and other places of mechanical wonders.
SECOND VISIT TO AMERICA
He was offered. after his return. to canvass the
ore crusher He accepted the offer and left Tor New
York in April, 1877. On his arrival he proceeded
Chicago and st. Paul, and from thence by tho
Northern Pacific Railroad to Bismarck, D. T. where
he took the boat for Fort Benton M. L. He visited
the great silver mines OF Montana and Idaho
stopped several weeks at Helena and from thence
went to Deer Lodge, Boise City, Corinne, Den
yer. and through Colorado to Central City
Thence he proceeded to Nevada. where he
met with remarkable success. selling twenty
six machines. From thence he made his way
to Tucson, New Mexico and into Sonora, Mexico
He stopped at San Luis Potosi three weeks and then
visited Guaymas. proceeding to the great upper
mine of Nacosari. From thence he returned home
by way of Mexico. Mazatlan. Panama. to New York
From this city he again started. and went to Rio
Janeiro, where he successfully negotiated some bust
ness with the Dom Pedro Railroad Company. He
returned to New York in March, 1873 and proceeded
to the Lake Superior copper region. where he was
himself in the Northampton County Jail, at Easton,
Pa.
TRICK AND DEVICE
Last fall TIE papers through Connecticut, New Jer-
sey, Pennsylvania and New York contained
sional references to individual who went about
thecountry under various aliases living by trick and
device. This Barraud, but he used a large val
riety of names. His victims were numerous, YET
his chicane had such dash of the ludcrous about
1t that they. generally speaking. pocketed their
slight losses and let him go his
MI in hra In epak 1arDa
manufacturers of machinery: and announcing
himself the director Of Peruvian mines
at proceed to give large order. His intimate
knowledge of mechanics made his victims. shrewd
business men AS they were, certain that he was all
nent bankers, here and in Philadelphia confirmed
this belief. After being hospitality entertained he
went away rejoicing. and almost always before he
considered in any other light than a patron and
benefactor. 1t was III his failure to go far enough
Jury of Northampton county. Pa. found true bill
against the distinguished traveller last winter
Sr S Sote in E.ss son'nf lie endsas
the Inequalities Of the Northampton County
ing House at Easton Pa: until Wednesday last the
to New York his sister. People at first
divided in opinion whether to class him as an i'm
II made the firms happy for little while with my
big purchases said he. with a laugh. land they
overwhelmed me with hospitality. which appreci-
ated. As to my drafts that came back they did
poor devils of notsries good. for you know it
costs a dollar to protest draft. and 1 kept them
! pretty busy 1 tell you it was fun l had $50 or
$40 when started out on the 18th OF August and
| found did not want much money. Those fellows
took Care of good customer like me. l asked no.
body for money They took me to their houses or
to hotels, and of course. LETT them to settle the
bills. l went for none but the largest concerns"
He regarded his course of imposture huge joke.
HIS TRUE HISTORY.
| A HERALD reporter had long talk yesterday
afternoon with French gentleman residing in this
city, who well acquainted with the early history
of this impos,or. His parents came to this country
some thirty-fve years ago from Switzerland and
city city as highly respectable Bile people Of the
| old school. When the hero of this
I romance, whose real name is Aime Louis Barraud.
in his infancy his father was engaged in the
manufacture OF paper bags and carried ON his bust
ness in Murray street. The son commenced his pee.
cadilloes at early and early in 1865 he aston
ished his friends and relatives by appearing iii tho
uniform OF major general in the United slater
Army. He then about nineteen years of age,
and in support of his claim exhibited commission
signed by the President and some OF the leading
/ generals in the army. This document 80
:, closely initiated that IT deceived great many
people in this city, and 1t was not until 10
was sent to Washington that the signatures
weakness for supplying himself with funds by usin3
the names of some friends of his father who would
not prosecute him. In 1866 his father died. and by
the advice Of some Of the friends Of the
family. the youthful Anne Louis was sent
10 the Lunatc Asylum on Backwcll's Island.
! His mother then residing in France.
| having left for that country shortly after her
husbands death. and at her request in the year 1861
a gentleman obtained the consent OF the authorities
! aud got Anne of the Island and took him over TO
| France, where no was consigned 10 another lunatic
asylum lie managed to escape and then commenced
his wanderings the world. He next heard
from in 1874 at Ballson spa. where being guilty Of
some irregularities he consigned to jail. lie
wpote New York to the gentleman who had
brought him out to France for assistance and the
latter went up to Balston spa, but, satisfied that
| he guilty OF the charges against him.
| thought ii best to let him remain he was.
Early the following year he made his appearance
in New York in a worry seedy condition and applied
for assistance to the gentlemen who had known him
in his early days. He taken to French rcstau-
/
paid for week. While inmate of that establish
ment he became acquainted with man who
selling and other religious articles.
| Ho obtained package of these goods aud
| took them East where he pcddled thcm OH
and RENTED the money to his employer. Tho
latter delighted with the profits the speeu-
| lation that he Entrusted Anne Louis with lot
more goods valued at $3.50. This time the specula-
ton not profitable the EN- ployer, aud
| tho unshof WAS that Barrnud WAS acconmnaafnI